While Netflix’s Bridgerton season 1 focused on Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page) as a couple, the subsequent seasons will center around other Bridgerton siblings, raising the question of what happens to Simon after season 1. However, despite this mystery, the books might shine a light on his story. Shondaland’s period drama often made headlines since its debut on the platform on December 25, 2020, even more so when it was confirmed that Regé-Jean Page’s Simon would not have returned for Bridgerton season 2 or the following ones. The announcement shocked the show’s fans, while those who read the books could have expected it, as Simon is only mentioned throughout the rest of the Bridgerton novels.
Among the many things that captured the attention of viewers all around the world, making Bridgerton the most-watched show in the first four weeks of its release on Netflix, was the chemistry and centrality of Dynevor’s Daphne and Page’s Simon in Bridgerton season 1. The TV show did some things differently from the series’ first book, including sometimes shifting the focus from Simon and Daphne’s story to other characters like Benedict (Luke Thompson), Eloise (Claudia Jessie), or Penelope (Nicola Coughlan), which arguably works better on screen than just concentrating on two characters. As each book’s main focus had always been on a different Bridgerton sibling, Page’s absence will mirror Simon’s one in the books.
This does not mean the Duke of Hastings’ name will never be uttered again in the subsequent Bridgerton seasons, as Simon was not only mentioned in the rest of the books but also briefly appeared in some of them. While his story will not be examined thoroughly in Bridgerton season 2 nor the rest of the show, what happens to Simon can actually be filled in on by the books. Bridgerton season 1 ended with Simon and Daphne welcoming their first child to the world, differently from The Duke and I’s epilogue, where the two could be seen discussing how Lady Whistledown discovered the name they wished to give to their fourth and latest child. In fact, the nature of Simon's sparse appearances in subsequent Bridgerton books emphasizes how, despite the ups and downs of the first season, Simon clearly remains devoted to his family throughout the burgeoning Bridgerton saga.
Where Simon Is During Bridgerton Season 2
Bridgerton season 2 explains that Simon Bassett is taking care of his own affairs and at home with his and Daphne's baby. Regé-Jean Page only agreed to appear in Bridgerton season 1, as he wanted to have enough time to devote to other projects, so the Duke of Hastings has been written off the show and exists off-screen only. That doesn't mean Simon is dead or that something drastic has befallen the character. Rather, when Daphne returns to the Bridgerton home to help her family during their current scandal, she mentions that Simon is at home taking care of their newborn and that they're still very much in love. As much as Simon will be missed by the show's audience, his absence is for the best. Anthony is now the main character of Bridgerton season 2. Anthony needs his own character arc, and Simon's being away will help this aspect of the narrative move forward.
Simon reappears in Julia Quinn’s second Bridgerton novel, The Viscount Who Loved Me, which focuses on the firstborn Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), and on which Bridgerton season 2 is based. In it, Simon is described as still besotted with his wife Daphne, and he could be seen trying his hand at the Bridgerton family game of Pall Mall for the first time. That game is instrumental in introducing one half of the second book’s main couple, Anthony’s love interest Kate, to the rest of the Bridgerton siblings. And just like it was Simon’s first time at Pall Mall, the same was true for Kate.
While Simon’s almost entirely absent from the latter four Bridgerton novels, he was again mentioned in An Offer from a Gentleman as part of a playful exchange between Daphne and Benedict. Benedict declared he knew what Daphne’s announcement would have been about, having already guessed they were to announce they were expecting another child. Simon finally appeared in Quinn’s fourth Bridgerton novel, Romancing Mister Bridgerton. He can be seen as part of Colin’s ambitious ploy to uncover the truth about Lady Whistledown, along with the rest of the Bridgerton family.
It’s unlikely that Bridgerton will stray from the books to include more of Regé-Jean Page’s Simon in the future, especially after the news of him not reprising the role. Nevertheless, the books can offer an insight into Simon’s future. And although they may not be able to see Page’s Simon on the screen in Bridgerton, viewers can still be glad to know that the character they admired lived his life staying loyal to and adoring the family he created with Daphne.