My dearest readers, if you have not made an acquaintance with the lovely Bridgerton series on Netflix, you are surely missing out on a splendid time. The series has captured the attention of not only the nation but the entire world. It is unlike anything that viewers have encountered on Netflix or television; Chris Van Dusen and Shonda Rhimes have struck again.
Bridgerton had a record-breaking performance for their premier weekend. Released this past Friday on March 25, the season recorded 193 million viewing hours and snatched a spot in the top 10 streaming on Netflix in 92 countries. It’s a love story told around the world, literally. It became the most-watched English-language TV show during its premiere weekend.
The show has created a following not just from its Netflix debut but from the Bridgerton Series written by Julia Quinn. There are eight books that follow each of the eight siblings. Now, the series has been told by the producers and writers to veer slightly away from the books but in a way that has propelled the way period pieces are told on TV. Specifically, the TV show addresses race and the books do not. In the books, all the characters are “presumably white,” while the show places Black citizens such as Lady Danbury, Duke Basset and Queen Charlotte, as well as the Sharma family from India in main and high society roles.
Quinn commented on the adaptation of the books to a series: “A word for word adaptation of my books would not make a great TV series. But an adaptation where you’ve got my characters and my stories, but give it new life is amazing. It’s again, I mean, I have no words and I write words for a living, and it’s just — I’m so excited by it,” she said.
Starting with the first book, the show’s first season focused on Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset. After bringing the heat in Season 1, the show had some high expectations to exceed for Season 2. But this season brought something different and exciting while focusing on Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma. After Anthony declares his intentions to marry Kate’s sister, Edwina, the two clash and constantly disagree with one another. One could even say that they vex one another. They bring conflict in a different way than Season 2 did as Anthony and Kate keep you on the edge of your seat waiting for them to finally get together and confess their obvious love for each other.
Simone Ashley plays Kate Sharma and Jonathan Bailey plays Anthony Bridgerton, the stars of this season. The chemistry between them creates a bond that is unbreakable and captures the attention of viewers. The stealing glances to catch a look at each other with no one noticing and the way they look at each other. Also, their dancing to instrumental covers of “Dancing On My Own” and “Wrecking Ball” will have you falling in love with the show and make you want to take dancing lessons.
The show has brought so much attention that Netflix confirmed there will be a Season 3 and 4 so fans can expect more scandals to be written from Lady Whistledown. As of right now, Shonda Rhimes plans to have a season for all eight of the siblings, giving eight seasons of Bridgerton.
As of right now, Season 3 is in the works to film soon, but another project is also in store. It was confirmed that there will be a spin-off series written by none other than Shonda Rhimes. The story will focus on the life and love story of a young Queen Charlotte. It is unsure when the show will be released on Netflix, but pre-production is already underway.
Bridgerton is filled with excitement, love and there is never a dull moment. The drama of the Bridgerton, Sharma and Featherington families keeps you fully entertained through every one of the eight episodes. If you have not given Bridgerton a chance; well then dear readers, the fault is certainly yours.
