The Bold Type boss previews new paths for Kat, Jane, and Sutton in season 3

Our favorite Freeform besties are back, and they’re ready to usher in spring with more romance, incredible fashion, and the kind of joy that can only be had by three twentysomethings living their most fabulous lives in New York City. Heading into its third season, The Bold Type is as refreshing as ever, and EW spoke with showrunner Amanda Lasher about what to expect from the series’ trio of heroines.

JANE SLOAN (Katie Stevens)
Jane, one of Scarlet Magazine‘s most fearless staff writers, has never shied away from a big story, but “Jane realizes that she misses investigative reporting and that she works for Jacqueline Carlyle [played by Melora Hardin], who started her career by being a hard-hitting investigative journalist,” Lasher says. “She and Jacqueline team up and work together, and it’s a partnership that has surprising twists and turns for them.”

Outside of work, Jane is going to explore her reproductive options. “Jane is going after freezing after her eggs and that experience is something that has a whole other level now that there’s somebody who she’s partnered with,” Lasher says, without revealing which man Jane chose. “She’s empowered to take care of herself, her health and her reproductive future, but now she has this person who she has to consider how much she wants them to be a part of it or not be a part of it and how much it’s going to impact them. She also has fun exploring her sexuality more with this person.”

KAT EDISON (Aisha Dee)
As Scarlet‘s director of social media, Kat is “somebody who’s always so passionate about everything and so outspoken,” says Lasher. “And when she encounters a story that falls into the political realm, she realizes that the way she can make her voice heard the most effectively is to run for office and actually be the change she wants to see in the world. She’s able to take her leadership skills that she’s able to harness so well on the internet and bring it to her community, and she sort of surprises herself with how good she is at it and how much it means to her.”

Additionally, Kat’s dealing with a new boss when Scarlet hires a new head of digital. “She’s not reporting to Jacqueline anymore, she’s reporting to the new head of digital and he sees her in a different way and challenges her in ways that she hasn’t been challenged before,” Lasher says. “But it’s also a really cool opportunity for her.”

SUTTON BRADY (Meghann Fahy)
Fashion assistant Sutton is finally seeing success in her chosen field, but in season 3 “she starts to question exactly what she wants out of fashion and what she wants her life to look like, and she realizes that her roots were [in] design. She used to design her own clothes, and that’s something that she might be interested in.”

And when it comes to Richard, Lasher says, “There’s always been this shadow over her with Richard — first it was keeping it secret, then it was this loss that she was trying to deal with, and so now it’s like she has this relationship and it’s going well so it becomes something that nourishes her and that she can grow with. That’s really an exciting new flavor to be able to see on her.”

The Bold Type airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Freeform.

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