The 'Bridgerton' Cast: The New Characters and Old Favorites of Season 2

We're finally returning to the 'ton. Nearly 18 months after the release of the first season of Bridgerton—Netflix's most-watched TV show of all time—season 2 of Bridgerton drops in full on March 25, 2022. This time around, we're leaving Daphne and Simon behind to focus on Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), the capital R-Rake and star of Julia Quinn's second Bridgerton book, The Viscount Who Loved Me. Bailey and Simone Ashley—who plays Anthony's love interest Kate Sharma—will lead the cast of Bridgerton season two, a mix of old favorites (Penelope Featherington! Queen Charlotte) and new stars (the Sharma family!). Ahead, our guide to the actors and characters, old and new, of the second season of Bridgerton.

The leading lady of season 2 is played by British actress Simone Ashley. The 26-year-old is best known for playing popular girl Olivia on the Netflix comedy Sex Education, and she's also appeared in the British shows The Sister, Casualty, and Broadchurch, as well as the film Pokémon Detective Pikachu.

Kate Sharma

Arriving in London from India, Kate has one goal: to find a suitable match for her younger sister, Edwina, and then settle into life as an unmarried woman. That mission gets very complicated when she crosses paths with Viscount Anthony Bridgerton.

Bailey was an accomplished English actor even pre-Bridgerton, with roles on Broadchurch, Jack Ryan, and the Phoebe Waller-Bridge show Crashing. He's also a musical theater actor, having won a Laurence Olivier Award for his role in the 2018 West End revival of the musical Company. Since season 1, the actor appeared as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs the World, and is now starring in the play Cock alongside Rocketman's Taron Egerton.

Anthony Bridgerton

In season 2, the eldest Bridgerton child applies the intensity he showed during his sister Daphne's season to his own search for a bride. Once he decides on Edwina Sharma as his future bride, he has to deal with Kate, and finds himself drawn to the elder Sharma even though she infuriates him.

UK native Chandran began acting in college, approaching the field as a hobby and joining the National Youth Theatre while earning a philosophy degree from Oxford University. She eventually decided to pursue acting full-time, and landed her first-ever role on the series Alex Rider. Bridgerton's her second TV role, and she also starred in the 2022 film Class S.

Edwina Sharma

Shy, kind-hearted Edwina gets thrown into London society with a boost after Queen Charlotte names her "the diamond of the season." She develops quite a crush on Anthony Bridgerton, with her family helping the match move forward.

Conn is best known on this side of the pond for starring in the Lifetime series Mistresses and The Lottery, as well as the short-lived Fox show Terra Nova. She also starred in the BBC show Liar alongside Downton Abbey's Joanne Froggatt. Next up after Bridgerton, she'll be joining the Prime Video fantasy series Good Omens.

Mary Sharma

When she was young, Mary Sharma, née Sheffield, left England for India in the midst of a scandal, where she married a common worker who already had a child from a previous marriage. Now she's come back home so her daughter Edwina can find a suitable husband, who's hopefully a love match like Mary had with her late husband.

Irish star Coughlan became one of season 1's breakout stars, thanks to the finale reveal that her character had been—spoiler alert—Lady Whistledown this whole time. The actress has also been keeping busy with Bridgerton, though she did find time to film a third and final season of the coming-of-age comedy Derry Girls.

Penelope Featherington

Spoilers for Bridgerton season 1. Quiet Penelope Featherington is quite busy with her double life when season 2 starts, as a new social season means a new round of Whistledown missives. She does have to deal with the dangers of her position, especially since Queen Charlotte is still investigating Whistledown's secret identity.

After season 1, Andoh joined the cast of another beloved Netflix series, playing priestess and magic teacher Nenneke in the second season of The Witcher. She also kept up her prolific career narrating audiobooks, with her new narration works including Lauren Groff's Matrix, Vanessa Riley's Island Queen, and The New Yorker's The Matter of Black Lives.

Lady Danbury

A year after leading her godson Simon Basset through his courtship with Daphne, Lady Danbury finds herself facilitating another Bridgerton match as the Sharmas' sponsor for the season. Lucky for us, that also means the return of the Lady Danbury/Mama Bridgerton friendship.

Guyana-born Rosheuvel also joined a huge sci-fi franchise after season 1, portraying the housekeeper Shadout Mapes in Denis Villeneuve's Dune remake. There's also a spin-off series about young Queen Charlotte in the works at Netflix, but no word yet on whether Rosheuvel will make an appearance.

Queen Charlotte

Queen Charlotte is ready to lead another London social season, Though it is the second year with Whistledown, the queen has a few tricks up her sleeve of how to deal with the gossipmonger and make sure her diamond finds a great match.

The 32-year-old Brit has mostly stayed busy with Bridgerton, though she has an extensive back catalog if you want to watch some of her old shows. She previously starred on the British series Vanity Fair and Defending the Guilty, along with guest-starring roles on Lovesick, Call the Midwife, and Doctor Who.

Eloise Bridgerton

Proto-feminist Eloise enters society this season, and though she still thinks that societal courtship is ridiculous, she's quite nervous about all the presentations and fashion-forward balls. She's also still on Whistledown's tail, after the season 1 finale's near miss, which puts her in the path of handsome printer's apprentice Theo Sharpe.

Prolific TV and theater actress Gemmell spent 2021 reprising her role in the beloved British franchise Tracy Beaker with a new miniseries. She's best known for starring alongside Colin Firth in the 90's film Fever Pitch, as well as appearances on the series Home Fires, Utopia, and EastEnders.

Violet, Dowager Countess Bridgerton

The Bridgerton mom has to deal with two kids navigating courtship this season, Anthony diving full in and Eloise hating the entire process. She also hopes to lead Anthony toward a love match, though her son wants to stay methodical about the whole thing.

This season we meet the Bridgerton kids' deceased father, Viscount Edmund Bridgerton. Playing the beloved husband and dad is Evans, who's best known for his roles in the Charmed reboot and Prime Video's The Man in The High Castle.

Printer's apprentice Theo has no connection to the world of London society, until Eloise Bridgerton comes into his shop in search of Whistledown. The unlikely pair end up forming a bond over radical writing, and maybe something more? Before landing the role in Bridgerton, Lynch appeared in the films Dunkirk and Benediction, and also guest-starred in an episode of Coughlan's Derry Girls.

Netflix has kept details about new character Jack under wraps, only revealing that the new arrival in London has a connection to one of the prominent families. Playing the role is British actor Young, who's best known for playing Sir Leon in the fantasy series Merlin, as well as appearances on Doctor Who, The White Queen, and The Good Karma Hospital.