What will Bridgerton be without Regé-Jean Page? The actor told Variety that he will not be returning for the show's second season because he only signed on for the first.
“It’s a one-season arc,” he explained about how the show’s producers pitched the role to him. “It’s going to have a beginning, middle, end — give us a year.”
Although fans will be sad to see him go, Page explained that in the bodice-ripper genre, “the audience knows the arc completes. They come in knowing that, so you can tie people in emotional knots because they have that reassurance that we’re going to come out and we’re going to have the marriage and the baby.”
Fans who read the novels may have expected Page’s departure since the series is based on the books. But for some viewers who never read Julia Quinn’s novels, they definitely expected Page to stay on the show, especially since he got married and had a baby with Daphne at the end of the first season.
“I have nothing but excitement for Bridgerton continuing to steam train off and conquer the globe,” he said. “But there is also value in completing these arcs and sticking the landing.”
Page had such a strong presence on the series that it will be hard not to miss him. But at least we'll see where the rest of the Bridgerton family ends up in Season 2.