Nicola Coughlan in the 'Bridgerton' Season 3 premiere

Bridgerton Season 3 is bringing Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin’s (Luke Newton) love story to life from Julia Quinn’s Romancing Mister Bridgerton. However, a key character from Polin’s book is not featured in the Netflix show at all: Felicity Featherington.

Another Featherington sister?! Yes, there’s another one in the book series! Felicity is closest to Penelope within the Featherington family and the youngest sibling. She’s also a dear friend to Hyacinth Bridgerton. In the Netflix series, Penelope only has two siblings, Prudence (Bessie Carter) and Philippa (Harriet Cains). Showrunner Jess Brownell explains Felicity’s absence in the show to TV Insider.

“I think [that] was a smart decision. I think that was a decision made by Chris Van Dusen and Shonda [Rhimes] early on in the pilot,” Brownell says. “It just gets hard to characterize three siblings, especially when the Featheringtons are in a secondary position. The main dramatic purpose of the Featherington sisters, they’ve obviously been comedic relief, but they’re there to play as a foil to Penelope.”

She continues, “I think in the books, if I’m not mistaken, Felicity is like a kinder sister. I think dramatically it helped Pen [in the show] feel even more isolated and alone and underscored her plight to have her be in this viper’s nest with her sisters who are not very nice to her, and her mother who underestimates her, so we ended up really not needing that character.”

In Romancing Mister Bridgerton, Penelope’s mother wants Felicity to marry Colin, even though she’s 12 years younger than him. Portia doesn’t expect Colin to have fallen for Penelope. When Colin shows up at the Featherington house, Portia assumes that Colin is there to ask for Felicity’s hand in marriage. Instead, he’s there to declare his love for Penelope and propose to her.

Do you think Felicity Featherington should have been included in the Bridgerton series? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Bridgerton, Season 3, Part 1 Premiere, Thursday, May 16, 2024, Netflix

Bridgerton, Season 3, Part 2 Premiere, Thursday, June 13, 2024, Netflix