Not every “Bridgerton” couple demands excessive rumination. In fact, the show is stronger for its ability to finish the stories of each lead couple and move on to another in subsequent seasons without getting too tied up in previous storylines. Even Kate and Anthony’s sweeping love story has concluded, and they’ve settled into marital bliss.
But here’s the thing: Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey are just so damn fun to watch. And the people — me! — want more of them.
Kate and Anthony are still extraordinarily charming
Sure, people complained about the lack of outright sex in season two, but that didn’t make Kate and Anthony’s romance any less sexy. By the time we see them in total marital bliss in season three, it feels like they really had to fight for it. They spent most of the third season enjoying an extended honeymoon, dispensing advice to Anthony’s wayward siblings, and bickering — and they earned it.
To best understand their current dynamic, take a look at their conversation with Colin in season three, episode seven. While they’re ostensibly there to assuage Colin’s pre-marital worries, it turns into affectionate bickering.
“Marriage takes hard work,” Kate tells Colin. “But it is work that is worth it.”
“Our marriage is not hard work,” Anthony quips.
“You are wearisome tonight,” Kate replies, exasperated.
Ultimately, Kate’s sage advice — and Anthony’s empathy — seem to right Colin’s headspace. But the exchange, which makes up one of the season’s best scenes, is more a testament to their enduring ability to entertain, and Anthony’s newfound comedic relief status.
Of course, a good dynamic does not a full television series make. Executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers told Town & Country that the show tells complete stories. To tell further ones would require further conflict.
“There are no spinoffs to be had because we’d have to find some reason to break a couple up, and that feels very artificial,” Rhimes said.
Luckily, “Bridgerton” has just given us the perfect set-up for a potential Kanthony spinoff — one that feels like it could generate another story.
Kate and Anthony are going to India — and we should follow them
During Colin and Penelope’s wedding breakfast, Anthony and Kate discuss their next steps. Kate is envious of her sister Edwina’s life, presumably back in India, and describes her “charming” hometown to her husband Anthony. With a baby on the way, Anthony is thinking about the future of his family and proposes that they have their child in India.
“Our child will always be a Bridgerton. But I should like them to know that they are a Sharma as well,” Anthony says. “Know their history. And it is important for me to know it so that we can share that history with our child together.”
The entire exchange feels like a reason to comfortably skirt around Kate and Anthony by removing them from the picture altogether, while still leaving the door open for future appearances in season four and beyond. But it’s also fertile ground for a spinoff: We still don’t know much about Kate and Edwina’s heritage and life in India.
As Vice reported, season two of “Bridgerton” presented the Sharmas’ cultural heritage as a mishmash of language and customs from across India. And while Kate spoke about her childhood, the show wasn’t able to visually render it. A spinoff set in India — and hopefully featuring Charithra Chandran back as Edwina — would help flesh out their characters, and lend some credence to Anthony’s desire to know about his wife’s family.
Of course, there are also demands like actor’s schedules to contend with. But Ashley told French entertainment outlet Premiere that she would be down for a Kanthony spinoff in the future. And when it comes to the main series, the actor has had discussions with showrunner Jess Brownell about Kate’s future.
Ashley told People that both she and Bailey “adore” their characters on the show, and would do their best to return for season four.
“I think we’ll do all we can with our schedules to make it work so that we can, hopefully,” she said.
All episodes of “Bridgerton” season three are now streaming on Netflix.
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