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TL; DR: 

  • Like season 1, Sanditon Season 2 ended on a cliffhanger.
  • PBS has already renewed the show for season 3, which will air in 2023.
  • Fans will see more for Mr. Colbourne (Ben Lloyd-Hughes) in Sanditon Season 3, but two characters won’t return.
Mary, Georgiana, and Arthur standing next to each other in an episode of 'Sanditon' Season
‘Sanditon’ Season 2 | Courtesy of Joss Barratt © Red Planet

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It’s another cliffhanger ending for Sanditon. Season 2 of the PBS series concluded on April 24 with an episode that left its heroine Charlotte (Rose Williams) at a major crossroads. Fortunately, fans can rest easy in the knowledge that the show will definitely be back for another season. Here’s what we know so far about Sanditon Season 3, including which major character is confirmed to return (and who won’t be back). 

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Sanditon Season 2.] 

Charlotte was engaged to Ralph at the end of ‘Sanditon’ Season 2 

When Sanditon Season 2 began, Charlotte was nursing a broken heart after the death of her beloved Sidney (Theo James). Though she’d sworn off love, she soon found herself town between two men: the confident Colonel Francis Lennox (Tom Weston-Jones) and the reclusive Mr. Colbourne, for whom she worked as a governess. 

Lennox eventually revealed himself to be a scoundrel, while Colbourne and Charlotte discovered they had a deeper connection. It seemed a happily ever after was in store for the new couple. But a last-minute twist in the season finale led Colbourne to end things with Charlotte. She returned home to Willingden, and at the end of the episode, we learned she was engaged to Ralph (Cal Bridgen), a local farmer.  

‘Sanditon’ Season 3 airs in 2023 on PBS 

Sanditon Season 2 ended on an unsettled note. Fortunately, fans needn’t worry about never learning what’s next for Charlotte and the rest of the show’s characters. PBS has renewed the show for a third season, which will air sometime in 2023. 

As for how Charlotte moves forward after season 2’s setbacks, fans will simply have to wait and see. But in an interview with PBS, Williams said the show’s upcoming episodes will see her character becoming more comfortable with herself.

“I see season 3 as her sitting comfortably in who she really is, like finding out, remembering and realizing who she really is and which ultimately will hopefully lead to a version of happiness for her,” the actor said. “So, further self-discovery spurred on by other characters meeting different challenges.”

What’s next for Charlotte and Colbourne in ‘Sanditon’ Season 3? 

Charlotte and Ralph are engaged at the end of season 2, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a wedding is guaranteed. It sounds like she might be having second thoughts about marriage. 

“Ultimately she feels in his stomach that maybe this isn’t the right thing to do,” Williams said. “She’s grappling with the decision.”

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Will Charlotte say “I do” to Ralph? Or is there still hope for her and Colbourne? A brief teaser video shared on Twitter confirms that Lloyd-Hughes does return for Sanditon Season 3, along with his niece Augusta (Eloise Webb). 

Showrunner Justin Young has said that Charlotte and Colbourne’s romance might not be over.  

“The kind of cliffhanger of the season is that Charlotte is now engaged to Ralph,” he told Decider. “So at the top of season 3, that’s where we will find her. And that’s the question going into Season 3: She loves Colbourne. He loves her. We know that. But now she’s engaged to Ralph and how is that going to play out?”

Two characters won’t return for the next season of ‘Sanditon’ 

While Colbourne will be back for Sanditon Season 3, his rival Lennox won’t return, Young told Decider. Nor will fans see more of Esther (Charlotte Spencer), whose story reached a natural conclusion in the season 2 finale. 

One character whose story will continue in the new episode is Charles Lockhart (Alexander Vlahos). Georgiana (Crystal Clarke), who learned her mother was still alive in the season 2 finale, will also return. Turlough Convery, who plays Arthur Parker, has also said that his character will appear in season 3.  

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