Since its premiere in December 2020, “Bridgerton” has become one of Netflix’s most successful shows. By its third season, “Bridgerton” had become synonymous with romance and amassed a large fanbase on social media.

Based on the book series written by Julia Quinn, “Bridgerton” follows the lives of the eight Bridgerton siblings — Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth — as they tackle the everyday struggles of London high society in the early 1800s, all while trying to find love.

Season three, split into two parts, primarily focuses on the third eldest Bridgerton sibling, Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), and his best friend, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), who is hoping to find a husband to avoid becoming a spinster. In doing so, the two conjure a plan to ensure that Penelope will secure a husband quickly by coaching her to embrace the aspects of herself that she hid from society. While all this is occurring, Penelope is also dealing with the fallout with her best friend Eloise (Claudia Jessie), as last season, she discovered that Penelope was Lady Whistledown — the anonymous writer of a scandal sheet centered around the lives of the upper class.

As she deals with the fallout of Eloise finding out her secret, Penelope begins to embrace her status as a writer after realizing that she has become something no one expected her to become — independent — with suitors starting to notice this personality change. One in particular, Lord Alfred Debling (Sam Phillips), begins to court Penelope as Colin simultaneously realizes his feelings for her. Filled with romance, comedy and drama, the third season of “Bridgerton” kept fans on the edge of their seats with the “will they/won’t they” romance that part one has to offer.

While fans waited with anticipation for the third season to drop on Netflix, many were disappointed by the rushed and unnecessary plotlines, as well as historically inaccurate costumes and makeup. The focus of this season jumps from the unfolding of Colin and Penelope’s love story to Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen) — a debutante who often antagonizes the Bridgerton siblings. Cressida’s presence is vital to the plot unfolding, as she falsely claims herself to be Lady Whistledown, taking credit for the society paper’s success for monetary gain, leaving Penelope on the fence about whether she should come clean about her use of the moniker. Many of the scenes during the eight-episode run could have furthered Colin and Penelope’s love story or displayed more of the unraveling of Penelope and Eloise’s friendship instead of focusing on Cressida’s emotional upheaval as she struggles to prove the validity of her stolen identity.

As it is a historical romance show, fans expect a certain level of historical accuracy to be upheld by writers and costume designers. Much of the success of the series stemmed not only from the sizzling on-screen chemistry of each season’s leads but also from its accurate portrayal of Regency Era London. Season three was very different from the first two. A huge part of the first half of the season focuses on the transformation Penelope goes through as she prepares for the social season, but some parts of her new look stand out, like the use of false lashes and acrylic nails. While these additions complicate the carefully crafted fantasy that the “Bridgerton” writers have built over the years, it is redeemed by Colin and Penelope’s chemistry throughout the season.

Season three of “Bridgerton” was successful despite its rushed plot because of the chemistry between the two leads. With their storyline built since season one, much of the chemistry and tension that transpired between Colin and Penelope finally made its way to the surface in season three.

“Bridgerton” is known for its adaptations of pop songs into orchestral covers, and this season had myriad pop covers that quickly became fan favorites, including Pitbull’s single “Give Me Everything.” The orchestral cover of the 2011 hit quickly became a TikTok sensation when it was used in the penultimate scene of episode four, where Colin professes his love for Penelope in a carriage as the two share a passionate moment. Pitbull himself expressed his delight at the song’s renewed success on social media, writing, “This again shows the world how music is the international language that transcends over boundaries more so how a hit song can remain timeless.” Other covers of mainstream pop songs include BTS’ “Dynamite,” Coldplay’s “Yellow” and Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me.”

By the end of the summer, season three of “Bridgerton” had a Rotten Tomatoes average “Tomatometer” score of 88% — the highest rating that the show has received. With the success of the third season, “Bridgerton” has been renewed for a fourth season and is set to focus on Quinn’s novel, “An Offer from a Gentleman,” with Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) taking the spotlight as the next leading man.