Nicola Coughlan has confirmed she will appear far less in the upcoming fifth season of Bridgerton, telling E! News that her scaled-back involvement is "bittersweet" as she balances the Netflix period drama with her role in Only Murders in the Building.
Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington, said she will "always pop back to Bridgerton" but that her time in the next run is much reduced after leading season 3 opposite Luke Newton's Colin Bridgerton. Season 5, confirmed by Netflix for a 2027 release, shifts its central love story to Francesca Bridgerton and Michaela Stirling.
Last season's focus on Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie Baek already slightly moved Penelope out of the spotlight anyway, but seeing as the ending of season 4 seemed to line up some kind of new Whistledown showdown, we'll just have to wait and see how that pans out.
However, Coughlan did reflect warmly on her stint in the defining series. "It's bittersweet. I feel like, God, I had such an epic run," she said. "I think that's part of the beauty of that world is it keeps reinventing itself. Every season being a new story, it takes on a different guise."
She added: "I'll always pop back to Bridgerton if they want me. If I can be set dressing, I'll be there. No problem."
Coughlan framed the lighter workload as a positive after the demands of headlining her own season. She described leading season 3 as an "incredible experience" but said it was "so nice and low pressure" to step back this time.
Coughlan did relay similar sentiments in a chat with Radio Times when promoting the second season of Channel 4's Big Mood. She said at the time: "It's just lovely to pass it on to someone else. We're about to start filming season 5 and I think it's time to like... you know, it never focuses too long on any particular set of characters so it's lovely to see Florence [Hunt] and Will [Tilston] coming up and Hannah [Dodd]. I think it's great."
She added: "I'll always pop in if they want me to! I'll be hanging around in the background sometimes for sure, if they need me."
The change obviously also reflects her busier schedule. Coughlan is currently in a bit of a busy whirlwind, having joined season 6 of Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, which relocates Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez to London following the death of Tina Fey's Cinda Canning.
"It's the best of both worlds, because I'm currently filming on Only Murders, but I still get to pop back to Bridgerton now and then and see everybody, and it's just like coming home," she told E! News. "You're like, 'Oh, hey guys, how you doing?'"
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Bookish stars tease dangers in Book and Trottie’s marriage and Sherlock star’s new love interest: "Maybe she wants to end it all with Book?"50 Cent delivers verdict on comparisons made with new show Fightland: “Fightland is better than Power”She recently marked the end of her Only Murders shoot on Instagram, writing: "Oh @onlymurdershulu how I've loved being a part of you! Has been so special to watch the trio trade The Arconia for Big Tesco (may or may not have made up that plot point). This girl, and her curls are wrapped."
Coughlan is far from the only British and Irish name heading to the Arconia's London chapter. The season 6 ensemble has grown into a sprawling home-nations line-up, with Doctor Who stars David Tennant and Jodie Whittaker joining alongside Peter Capaldi, plus Olivia Colman, Bridgerton's Simone Ashley, Sherlock's Martin Freeman, Jim Broadbent, Richard Ayoade, Sharon Horgan, Jennifer Saunders, Jamie Demetriou, Anjana Vasan and Geri Halliwell-Horner, among others.
While Bridgerton fans may be slightly sad to learn that we won't be seeing as much of Coughlan anymore in season 5, the new instalment will introduce new faces, including Tega Alexander, Jacqueline Boatswain and Gemma Knight Jones.
Netflix has also confirmed the season will be released in 2027 – so we don't have too long to wait at all.
Bridgerton seasons 1-3 are available to stream on Netflix, with season 5 coming soon. You can sign up to Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky TV and Virgin Media.
Add Bridgerton to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
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