Bridgerton (TV Series)
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''Bridgerton'' is an American historical-
romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...
streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...
series created by Chris Van Dusen for
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
. Based on the
book series A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their pub ...
by
Julia Quinn Julie Pottinger (née Cotler; born 1970), better known by her pen name Julia Quinn, is a best-selling American author of historical romance fiction. Her novels have been translated into 41 languages, and have appeared on ''The New York Times'' Be ...
, it is
Shondaland Shondaland (stylized as ShondaLand from 2005 to 2016 and shondaland thereafter) is an American television production company founded by television writer/producer Shonda Rhimes. She founded it to be one of the production companies of her first s ...
's first scripted show for Netflix. It revolves around the eponymous Bridgerton family and is set in the competitive world of
Regency era The Regency era of British history officially spanned the years 1811 to 1820, though the term is commonly applied to the longer period between and 1837. King George III succumbed to mental illness in late 1810 and, by the Regency Act 1811, h ...
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
's
ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...
during the
social season The social season, or season, refers to the traditional annual period in the spring and summer when it is customary for members of the social elite of British society to hold balls, dinner parties and charity events. Until the First World War, ...
where marriageable youth of
nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...
and
gentry Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies ''Gentry'', in its widest c ...
are launched into society. The first season debuted on December 25, 2020, to generally positive reviews, with 625.49 million hours viewed it became the most-watched English-language series on Netflix at the time of its premiere before being overtaken by its sophomore season. ''Bridgerton's'' second season became the most watched English-language television series on Netflix at the time with 656.16 million hours in its first 28 days of release. It premiered on March 25, 2022, with generally positive reviews and debuted number one in 92 countries on the platform. It was also the most viewed show on
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
television screens for three weeks per
Nielsen Media Research Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
. The show's record-setting second season, which surpassed season one in viewership, cemented ''Bridgerton'' as a franchise per ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
.'' The series as a whole gave the romance genre its own cinematic universe with the
female gaze The female gaze is a feminist theory term referring to the gaze of the female spectator, character or director of an artistic work, but more than the gender it is an issue of representing women as subjects having agency. As such all genders can cre ...
front and center according to ''Slate''. Before the first season aired, the show was already in
pre-production Pre-production is the process of planning some of the elements involved in a film, television show, play, or other performance, as distinct from production and post-production. Pre-production ends when the planning ends and the content start ...
for a second season which was officially announced in January 2021. By April 2021, the series was renewed for a third and fourth season.


Premise

Set against the backdrop of the
Regency era The Regency era of British history officially spanned the years 1811 to 1820, though the term is commonly applied to the longer period between and 1837. King George III succumbed to mental illness in late 1810 and, by the Regency Act 1811, h ...
, the eight close-knit siblings of the
noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...
and powerful Bridgerton family – Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth – navigate London high society in search of love, surrounded by friends and rivals alike.


Bridgerton family tree


Cast and characters


Main

*
Adjoa Andoh Adjoa Andoh Hon. FRSL (born 14 January 1963) is a British actress. On stage, she has played lead roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre and the Almeida Theatre. On television, she appeared in tw ...
as Lady Danbury, the sharp-tongued, insightful
doyen Doyen and doyenne (from the French word ''doyen'', ''doyenne'' in the feminine grammatical gender) is the senior ambassador by length of service in a particular country. In the English language, the meaning of doyen (feminine form: doyenne) ha ...
ne of London society * Julie Andrews as the voice of Lady Whistledown, the author of a scandalous society newsletter *
Lorraine Ashbourne Lorraine Ashbourne (born 10 April 1961) is an English actress. Career Ashbourne has appeared on British series and television films, including: '' The Street'', ''True Dare Kiss'', '' Thin Ice'', ''In a Land of Plenty'', ''Boon'', '' Playing th ...
as Mrs. Varley, the Featheringtons' housekeeper *
Simone Ashley Simone Ashwini Pillai (born 30 March 1995), known professionally as Simone Ashley, is a British actress. She is known for her breakout role in the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2022–present) and ''Sex Education'' (2019–2021). Early ...
as Kate, Viscountess Bridgerton (née Sharma) (season 2), a spinster recently arrived from India *
Jonathan Bailey Jonathan Stuart Bailey (born 25 April 1988) is an English actor. Known for his comedic, dramatic, and musical roles on stage and screen, he is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award and a nomination for a Evening Standard Theatre Award. Ba ...
as Anthony, 9th
Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...
Bridgerton, the eldest Bridgerton son and head of the family *
Ruby Barker Ruby Barker (born 23 December 1996) is a British actress. She is best known for playing Marina in the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2020–present). In 2020, she was awarded Best Actress at the British Urban Film Festival for her starring ...
as Marina, Lady Crane (née Thompson) (season 1; guest season 2), a Featherington cousin from a rural
gentry Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies ''Gentry'', in its widest c ...
family *
Sabrina Bartlett Sabrina Lois Bartlett (born September 1991) is an English actress. She is known for her roles in the BBC One miniseries '' The Passing Bells'' (2014), the third series of the ITV drama ''Victoria'' (2019), and the first series of ''Knightfall'' ...
as Siena Rosso (season 1), an opera singer and Anthony's former lover *
Harriet Cains Harriet Cains (born 17 September 1993) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Jem Walker in the BBC Three series '' In the Flesh'' and Philipa Featherington in Netflix's historical romance drama ''Bridgerton''. Early life and ...
as Philippa Finch (née Featherington), the middle Featherington daughter *
Bessie Carter Bessie Beatrice Carter (born 25 October 1993) is an English actress. She is known for her role as Evie Wilcox on the BBC television series ''Howards End'' (2017) and Violet Woodhouse on the ITV television series ''Beecham House'' (2019). Early ...
as Prudence Featherington, the eldest Featherington daughter *
Charithra Chandran Charithra Surya Chandran (; born 17 January 1997) is a British actress. She is known for her roles in the Amazon spy thriller series ''Alex Rider'' (2021) and the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2022). Early life and education Chandran w ...
as Edwina Sharma (season 2), Kate's younger half-sister *
Shelley Conn Shelley Deborah Conn (born 21 September 1976) is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Lady Mary Sharma in the hugely successful Netflix series ''Bridgerton'', as Isabella in the film ''Love Sarah'', as Dr Elizabeth Shan ...
as Lady Mary Sharma (née Sheffield) (season 2), Kate's stepmother and Edwina's mother *
Nicola Coughlan Nicola Mary Coughlan (born 9 January 1987) is an Irish actress. She is known for her roles as Clare Devlin in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Derry Girls'' (2018–2022) and Penelope Featherington in the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2020–presen ...
as Penelope Featherington, the youngest Featherington daughter and close friend of Eloise *
Hannah Dodd Hannah Dodd (born 27 April 1992) is an Australian Grade IV equestrian and 1.0 point wheelchair basketball player who represented Australia in equestrian at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, coming 11th and 12th in her events. Switching ...
(season 3; formerly
Ruby Stokes Ruby May Stokes (born 4 September 2000) is an English actress. She appeared in the films ''Una'' (2016), '' Rocks'' (2019), and '' A Banquet'' (2021). On television, she is known for her role in the Netflix detective series '' Lockwood & Co.'' ( ...
, recurring season 1–2) as Francesca Bridgerton, the sixth Bridgerton child and third daughter *
Phoebe Dynevor Phoebe Harriet Dynevor (; born 17 April 1995) is an English actress. Dynevor is known for her role as Daphne, the fourth Bridgerton child, in the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2020–present). She began her career as a child actress, ...
as Daphne Basset (née Bridgerton), Duchess of Hastings, the fourth Bridgerton child and eldest daughter *
Ruth Gemmell Ruth Katrin Gemmell (born October 1967) is an English actress. She starred in the film ''Fever Pitch'' in 1997 which was followed by supporting roles in television series ''EastEnders'', '' Casualty'', '' Home Fires'' and '' Penny Dreadful.'' ...
as Violet, Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, mother of the Bridgerton children * Florence Hunt as Hyacinth Bridgerton, the eighth and youngest Bridgerton child * Martins Imhangbe as Will Mondrich (season 2; recurring season 1), gentleman's club owner, retired boxer, and confidant of the Duke of Hastings *
Claudia Jessie Claudia Jessie (born 1989/1990) is an English actress. She is known for her roles in the third series of the BBC One police procedural ''WPC 56'' (2015) and as Eloise, the fifth Bridgerton child, in the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (202 ...
as Eloise Bridgerton, the fifth Bridgerton child and second daughter *
Calam Lynch Calam Finbar Lynch (born 7 November 1994) is a British actor of Irish descent. His films include the Disney adaptation of ''Black Beauty'' (2020) and Terence Davies' ''Benediction'' (2021). On television, he appeared in the BBC One drama '' Mrs ...
as Theo Sharpe (season 2), an apprentice at the printing shop used by Lady Whistledown who befriends Eloise *
Ben Miller Bennet Evan Miller (born 24 February 1966) is an English actor, comedian, and author. He rose to fame as one half of the comedy duo Armstrong and Miller. Miller is also known for playing the lead role of DI Richard Poole in the first two serie ...
as Archibald, Baron Featherington (season 1), the patriarch of the Featherington family * Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton, the third Bridgerton son *
Regé-Jean Page Regé-Jean Page (; born Regererai Page on 27 April 1988) is a British actor. He is known for his breakout role in the first series of the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2020). Acting professionally since 2001, Page has also appeared in ...
as Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings (season 1), one of London's most eligible bachelors *
Golda Rosheuvel Golda Rosheuvel (born 1 January 1970) is a Guyanese-British actress and singer. She is known for her theatre work and a number of on-screen roles, most prominently for the portrayal of Queen Charlotte in Netflix's ''Bridgerton''. Early life Rosh ...
as
Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...
* Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton, the second Bridgerton son and an artist * Will Tilston as Gregory Bridgerton, the seventh Bridgerton child and youngest son *
Polly Walker Polly Alexandra Walker (born 19 May 1966) is an English actress. She has starred in the films '' Enchanted April'' (1991), '' Patriot Games'' (1992), ''Sliver'' (1993), '' Restoration'' (1995), '' The Gambler'' (1997), and '' Savage Messiah'' ( ...
as Portia, Dowager Baroness Featherington, the matriarch of the Featherington family *
Rupert Young Rupert Francis Young (born 16 May 1978) is an English actor from Lambeth, London. He portrayed Sir Leon in the BBC drama series ''Merlin''. Young's television work includes episodes of '' Doc Martin'', ''Foyle's War'', '' Hotel Babylon'', '' The ...
as Jack, Baron Featherington (season 2), the new head of the Featherington family


Recurring

* Molly McGlynn as Rose Nolan, Daphne's loyal maid and confidant * Joanna Bobin as Lady Cowper, Cressida's mother * Jessica Madsen as Cressida Cowper, a gossip-mongering and Daphne's rival debutante * Jason Barnett as Jeffries, the Bassets' butler * Hugh Sachs as Brimsley, the Queen's gossip-mongering secretary * Geraldine Alexander as Mrs. Wilson, the Bridgertons' housekeeper *
Kathryn Drysdale Kathryn Drysdale (born 1 December 1981) is an English actress. She gained prominence through her roles in the BBC sitcom '' Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps'' (2001–2009) and the films ''Vanity Fair'' (2004) and '' St Trinian's'' (2 ...
as Genevieve Delacroix, a high society modiste and dressmaker *
Simon Ludders Simon Ludders is an English film and television actor, writer and director. He is best known for starring as Renfield in ''Young Dracula'', a CBBC television series that initially aired in 2006 and finalised in 2014. He also played Trevor Smith ...
as Humboldt, the Bridgertons' butler *
Julian Ovenden Julian Mark Ovenden (born 29 November 1976) is an English actor and singer. He has starred on Broadway and West End stages, in television series in both the United Kingdom and United States, in films, and performed internationally as a concert ...
as Sir Henry Granville, an artist who befriends Benedict * Oli Higginson as Footman John, a Footman in the Bridgerton household often working for Eloise


Guest

* Jamie Beamish as Nigel, Baron Berbrooke, Daphne's
suitor Courtship is the period wherein some couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage. Courtship traditionally may begin after a betrothal and may conclude with the celebration of marriage. A courtship may be an informal and private ...
* Caroline Quentin as Lady Berbrooke, Nigel's mother *
Freddie Stroma Frederic Wilhelm C. J. Sjöström (born 8 January 1987), known professionally as Freddie Stroma, is an English actor and model, known for his work in roles including Cormac McLaggen in the ''Harry Potter'' film series; Adam Cromwell on the Li ...
as Prince Frederick of Prussia, the Queen's grandnephew * Amy Beth Hayes as Lady Trowbridge, the hedonistic widow of an earl *
James Fleet James Edward Fleet (born 11 March 1952) is an English actor of theatre, radio and screen. He is most famous for his roles as the bumbling and well-meaning Tom in the 1994 British romantic comedy film '' Four Weddings and a Funeral'' and the dim- ...
as
King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
* Céline Buckens as Kitty Langham, a general's wife * Chris Fulton as Sir Phillip Crane, Marina's husband, a baronet * Daphne Di Cinto as Sarah Basset, Duchess of Hastings, Simon's mother * Richard Pepple as the Duke of Hastings, Simon's father * Pippa Haywood as Mrs. Colson, the housekeeper at the Hastings' country estate * Emma Naomi as Alice Mondrich, Will Mondrich's wife *
Anthony Head Anthony Stewart Head (born 20 February 1954) is an English actor and singer. Primarily a performer in musical theatre, he rose to fame in the UK in the 1980s following his role in the Gold Blend couple television advertisements for Nescafé, w ...
as Lord Sheffield, Lady Mary's father and Edwina's grandfather *
Shobu Kapoor Shobu Kapoor (born 28 May 1961) is a British actress of Indian descent. Life and career She is most notable for playing the role of Gita Kapoor, the long-suffering wife of market trader Sanjay ( Deepak Verma), in the BBC soap opera ''EastEn ...
as Lady Sheffield, Lady Mary's mother and Edwina's grandmother * Rupert Evans as Edmund, 8th Viscount Bridgerton, father of the Bridgerton children


Episodes


Series overview


Season 1 (2020)


Season 2 (2022)


Production


Development


Season 1

On July 20, 2018, Netflix announced that
Shonda Rhimes Shonda Lynn Rhimes (born January 13, 1970) is an American television screenwriter, producer, and author. She is best known as the showrunner—creator, head writer, and executive producer—of the television medical drama '' Grey's Anatomy'', ...
, through her production company
Shondaland Shondaland (stylized as ShondaLand from 2005 to 2016 and shondaland thereafter) is an American television production company founded by television writer/producer Shonda Rhimes. She founded it to be one of the production companies of her first s ...
, would produce the screen adaptation of the bestselling novels of the ''Bridgerton'' series by
Julia Quinn Julie Pottinger (née Cotler; born 1970), better known by her pen name Julia Quinn, is a best-selling American author of historical romance fiction. Her novels have been translated into 41 languages, and have appeared on ''The New York Times'' Be ...
, while Chris Van Dusen would serve as showrunner. Quinn explained on ''
The Tamron Hall Show ''Tamron Hall'' (sometimes referred to as ''The Tamron Hall Show'') is an American talk show hosted by American broadcast journalist Tamron Hall. Produced and distributed by Disney Media Distribution, it debuted on September 9, 2019, in first-ru ...
'' that when she heard from her agent that Rhimes was interested in adapting her novels, she "almost fell off of erstool", and quickly agreed to the offer. Season 1 of the show adapted ''
The Duke and I ''The Duke and I'' is a 2000 historical romance novel written by Julia Quinn, first published by Avon. It is the first novel of Quinn's series of Regency romances about the Bridgerton siblings and tells the story of Daphne, the fourth eldest ...
'', the first book of Quinn's series. Van Dusen said in a Shondaland article: "I think eriod showsare considered a bit traditional and conservative. With ''Bridgerton,'' I wanted to take everything I loved about a period show and turn it into something fresh, topical, and relatable."


Season 2

Before the first season aired, the show was already in
pre-production Pre-production is the process of planning some of the elements involved in a film, television show, play, or other performance, as distinct from production and post-production. Pre-production ends when the planning ends and the content start ...
for a second season which was officially announced in January 2021. It is focused on Anthony and based on the book '' The Viscount Who Loved Me''. On April 13, 2021, creator Van Dusen revealed on Twitter that the series had additionally been renewed for a third and fourth season.


Season 3

Unlike the first two seasons which followed the order of the book series, the third season will focus on Colin, based on Quinn's fourth novel '' Romancing Mister Bridgerton''. Jess Brownell would serve as writer and showrunner for the third and fourth seasons, replacing Van Dusen.


Casting

Unlike the series of novels, ''Bridgerton'' is set in an alternate history with a racially integrated London where people of color are members of the ''
ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...
'', some with titles granted by the sovereign. Creator Chris Van Dusen was inspired by historical debate over the 1940s African ancestry claims of Queen Charlotte "...to base the show in an alternative history in which Queen Charlotte's
mixed race Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...
heritage was not only well-established but was transformative for Black people and other people of color in England." Van Dusen says the series is not "
color-blind Color blindness or color vision deficiency (CVD) is the decreased ability to see color or differences in color. It can impair tasks such as selecting ripe fruit, choosing clothing, and reading traffic lights. Color blindness may make some aca ...
" because "that would imply that color and race were never considered, when color and race are part of the show."


Season 1

On June 19, 2019, Julie Andrews was cast as Lady Whistledown, whose
voice-overs Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations. ...
explain much of the series' action. In addition,
Phoebe Dynevor Phoebe Harriet Dynevor (; born 17 April 1995) is an English actress. Dynevor is known for her role as Daphne, the fourth Bridgerton child, in the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2020–present). She began her career as a child actress, ...
and
Regé-Jean Page Regé-Jean Page (; born Regererai Page on 27 April 1988) is a British actor. He is known for his breakout role in the first series of the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2020). Acting professionally since 2001, Page has also appeared in ...
were cast to play the leads with
Jonathan Bailey Jonathan Stuart Bailey (born 25 April 1988) is an English actor. Known for his comedic, dramatic, and musical roles on stage and screen, he is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award and a nomination for a Evening Standard Theatre Award. Ba ...
,
Golda Rosheuvel Golda Rosheuvel (born 1 January 1970) is a Guyanese-British actress and singer. She is known for her theatre work and a number of on-screen roles, most prominently for the portrayal of Queen Charlotte in Netflix's ''Bridgerton''. Early life Rosh ...
, Luke Newton,
Claudia Jessie Claudia Jessie (born 1989/1990) is an English actress. She is known for her roles in the third series of the BBC One police procedural ''WPC 56'' (2015) and as Eloise, the fifth Bridgerton child, in the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (202 ...
,
Nicola Coughlan Nicola Mary Coughlan (born 9 January 1987) is an Irish actress. She is known for her roles as Clare Devlin in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Derry Girls'' (2018–2022) and Penelope Featherington in the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2020–presen ...
,
Ruby Barker Ruby Barker (born 23 December 1996) is a British actress. She is best known for playing Marina in the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2020–present). In 2020, she was awarded Best Actress at the British Urban Film Festival for her starring ...
,
Sabrina Bartlett Sabrina Lois Bartlett (born September 1991) is an English actress. She is known for her roles in the BBC One miniseries '' The Passing Bells'' (2014), the third series of the ITV drama ''Victoria'' (2019), and the first series of ''Knightfall'' ...
,
Ruth Gemmell Ruth Katrin Gemmell (born October 1967) is an English actress. She starred in the film ''Fever Pitch'' in 1997 which was followed by supporting roles in television series ''EastEnders'', '' Casualty'', '' Home Fires'' and '' Penny Dreadful.'' ...
,
Adjoa Andoh Adjoa Andoh Hon. FRSL (born 14 January 1963) is a British actress. On stage, she has played lead roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre and the Almeida Theatre. On television, she appeared in tw ...
and
Polly Walker Polly Alexandra Walker (born 19 May 1966) is an English actress. She has starred in the films '' Enchanted April'' (1991), '' Patriot Games'' (1992), ''Sliver'' (1993), '' Restoration'' (1995), '' The Gambler'' (1997), and '' Savage Messiah'' ( ...
co-starring.


Season 2

On January 21, 2021, it was announced that
Jonathan Bailey Jonathan Stuart Bailey (born 25 April 1988) is an English actor. Known for his comedic, dramatic, and musical roles on stage and screen, he is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award and a nomination for a Evening Standard Theatre Award. Ba ...
would be reprising his role as Anthony and would be the center of the show's sophomore season. The following month,
Simone Ashley Simone Ashwini Pillai (born 30 March 1995), known professionally as Simone Ashley, is a British actress. She is known for her breakout role in the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2022–present) and ''Sex Education'' (2019–2021). Early ...
had been cast as Kate. On April 5, 2021,
Charithra Chandran Charithra Surya Chandran (; born 17 January 1997) is a British actress. She is known for her roles in the Amazon spy thriller series ''Alex Rider'' (2021) and the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2022). Early life and education Chandran w ...
joined the cast as Edwina,
Rupert Young Rupert Francis Young (born 16 May 1978) is an English actor from Lambeth, London. He portrayed Sir Leon in the BBC drama series ''Merlin''. Young's television work includes episodes of '' Doc Martin'', ''Foyle's War'', '' Hotel Babylon'', '' The ...
joined to play a new character, with
Shelley Conn Shelley Deborah Conn (born 21 September 1976) is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Lady Mary Sharma in the hugely successful Netflix series ''Bridgerton'', as Isabella in the film ''Love Sarah'', as Dr Elizabeth Shan ...
cast as Kate and Edwina's mother Mary, and
Calam Lynch Calam Finbar Lynch (born 7 November 1994) is a British actor of Irish descent. His films include the Disney adaptation of ''Black Beauty'' (2020) and Terence Davies' ''Benediction'' (2021). On television, he appeared in the BBC One drama '' Mrs ...
cast as Theo Sharpe. On May 28, 2021, Rupert Evans joined the cast as Edmund Bridgerton, the late patriarch of the Bridgerton family. Page did not return for the second season despite being asked to come back as he only signed a one-year deal and wanted to explore other opportunities outside the show. In addition, the plan has always been for each season to focus on a different Bridgerton sibling and their quest for marriage, and his character is insignificant in the succeeding novels.


Season 3

In April 2022, Bailey and Ashley were confirmed to return for the third season as Viscount and Viscountess Bridgerton, exploring their married life and duties as heads of the eponymous family. The following month,
Hannah Dodd Hannah Dodd (born 27 April 1992) is an Australian Grade IV equestrian and 1.0 point wheelchair basketball player who represented Australia in equestrian at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, coming 11th and 12th in her events. Switching ...
was cast to replace
Ruby Stokes Ruby May Stokes (born 4 September 2000) is an English actress. She appeared in the films ''Una'' (2016), '' Rocks'' (2019), and '' A Banquet'' (2021). On television, she is known for her role in the Netflix detective series '' Lockwood & Co.'' ( ...
as Francesca Bridgerton for the third season. Stokes exited the show due to scheduling conflicts. Chandran will not reprise her role as Edwina for the season. In July 2022, Daniel Francis,
Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, ...
, and James Phoon were cast in undisclosed capacities for the third season. In October 2022, Hannah New joined the cast as Lady Tilley Arnold.


Filming


Season 1

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
commenced in July 2019 and wrapped in late February 2020. ''Bridgerton'' was filmed in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and Bath, as well as at various estates and parks around England. Although the series takes place in London, most street scenes were filmed in Bath,
York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
, and Chatham. The grounds of
Wilton House Wilton House is an English country house at Wilton near Salisbury in Wiltshire, which has been the country seat of the Earls of Pembroke for over 400 years. It was built on the site of the medieval Wilton Abbey. Following the dissolution ...
were used for Hyde Park and the grounds of
Somerley Somerley is a large Georgian Grade II* listed English country house that is situated in the civil parish of Ellingham and Harbridge with Ibsley in the New Forest district in Hampshire, England. It is 2 miles (3 km) west of the New Fores ...
were used for Hampstead Heath. Garden scenes were filmed at
Painshill Painshill (also referred to as "Pains Hill" in some 19th-century texts), near Cobham, Surrey, England, is one of the finest remaining examples of an 18th-century English landscape park. It was designed and created between 1738 and 1773 by Charl ...
near Cobham and the Commissioner's House in Chatham. Filming locations included
Ranger's House Ranger's House is a medium-sized red brick Georgian mansion in the Palladian style, adjacent to Greenwich Park in the south east of London. It is situated in Blackheath and backs directly onto Greenwich Park. Previously known as Chesterfield ...
in
Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
(standing in for the Bridgerton House in London exterior);
Halton House 300px, Halton House, Buckinghamshire Halton House is a country house in the Chiltern Hills above the village of Halton in Buckinghamshire, England. It was built for Alfred ''Freiherr'' de Rothschild between 1880 and 1883. It is used as the main ...
at RAF Halton (Bridgerton House interior, Featheringtons' interior); Wilton House (Simon's Hastings House, Clyvedon estate interior, St James's Palace throne room); Syon House and Badminton House (Hastings House);
Castle Howard Castle Howard is a stately home in North Yorkshire, England, within the civil parish of Henderskelfe, located north of York. It is a private residence and has been the home of the Carlisle branch of the Howard family for more than 300 years ...
(Clyvedon estate);
Coneysthorpe Coneysthorpe is a small village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated near Castle Howard and west of Malton. The Centenary Way The Centenary Way is a route devised to celebrate the 100th anniv ...
(Clyvedon village); Hampton Court Palace and
Lancaster House Lancaster House (originally known as York House and then Stafford House) is a mansion in the St James's district in the West End of London. It is close to St James's Palace, and much of the site was once part of the palace complex. This Gr ...
( St. James's Palace);
Holburne Museum The Holburne Museum (formerly known as the Holburne of Menstrie Museum and the Holburne Museum of Art) is located in Sydney Pleasure Gardens, Bath, Somerset, England. The city's first public art gallery, the Grade I listed building, is home to ...
(Lady Danbury's estate);
Hatfield House Hatfield House is a country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of the town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The present Jacobean house, a leading example of the prodigy house, was built in 1611 by Robert Cec ...
(Featheringtons' interior); No. 1 Royal Crescent ( Grosvenor Square);
Queen's House Queen's House is a former royal residence built between 1616 and 1635 near Greenwich Palace, a few miles down-river from the City of London and now in the London Borough of Greenwich. It presently forms a central focus of what is now the Old Ro ...
and Somerley ( Somerset House); and
Dorney Court Dorney Court is a Grade I listed early Tudor manor house, dating from around 1440, located in the village of Dorney, Buckinghamshire, England. It is owned and lived in by the Palmer family. Early history Dorney Manor is recorded in the Domesd ...
(coaching inn).
Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens Vauxhall Gardens is a public park in Kennington in the London Borough of Lambeth, England, on the south bank of the River Thames. Originally known as New Spring Gardens, it is believed to have opened before the Restoration of 1660, being m ...
no longer exists in its entirety. The production team recreated it for Lady Danbury's ball by combining the remaining parts with
Castle Howard Castle Howard is a stately home in North Yorkshire, England, within the civil parish of Henderskelfe, located north of York. It is a private residence and has been the home of the Carlisle branch of the Howard family for more than 300 years ...
and Stowe Park. The banqueting room at the
Guildhall, Bath Guildhall is an 18th-century municipal building in central Bath, Somerset, England. It is a Grade I listed building. History The earliest mention of a guildhall here was in 1359, where it used to be the meeting place of the powerful trade guild ...
was used for another ball as well as the Great Hall at
Leigh Court Leigh Court is a country house which is a Grade II* listed building in Abbots Leigh, Somerset, England. The grounds and park are listed, Grade II, on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England. The site ...
in
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...
. Anthony Bridgerton and Simon Basset meet in the real-life
Reform Club The Reform Club is a private members' club on the south side of Pall Mall in central London, England. As with all of London's original gentlemen's clubs, it comprised an all-male membership for decades, but it was one of the first all-male cl ...
on Pall Mall in central London. The scene in which Lady Featherington takes Marina to the slums was filmed at
Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century ...
in
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
.
Boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...
scenes were also filmed here in addition to Normansfield Theatre in
Teddington Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long me ...
. Theatre scenes were filmed at the
Hackney Empire Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by ''The Guardian'' as ‘the most beautiful theatre in L ...
. A café in Bath, Pickled Greens, was used as the site of the Modiste shop and the Bathrooms at No.5 store on Trim Street became the site of
Gunter's Tea Shop Gunter's Tea Shop in London's Berkeley Square had its origins in a food business named "Pot and Pine Apple" started in 1757 by Italian Domenico Negri. Various English, French and Italian wet and dry sweetmeats were made and sold from the business ...
. The costuming was led by Ellen Mirojnick and involved over two hundred people and five months of preparation to create 5,000 costumes.


Season 2

Production on the second season began in March 2021. In May 2021, it was reported that the
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is a Royal Borough of Berkshire, in South East England. It is named after both the towns of Maidenhead and Windsor, the borough also covers the nearby towns of Ascot and Eton. It is home to Windsor ...
refused permission to build a film set for the second season in Sunninghill Park near
Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
, despite royal approval. On July 15, 2021, production on the second season was paused for 24 hours when a crew member tested positive for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
, but resumed the following day. However, on July 17, production was halted indefinitely following a second positive test. Production resumed in August 2021. Production for the second season wrapped on November 20, 2021. New filming locations for season 2 included
Wrotham Park Wrotham Park (pronounced , ) is a neo-Palladian English country house in the parish of South Mimms, Hertfordshire. It lies south of the town of Potters Bar, from Hyde Park Corner in central London. The house was designed by Isaac Ware in 17 ...
(standing in for the Bridgertons' country home Aubrey Hall);
West Wycombe Park West Wycombe Park is a country house built between 1740 and 1800 near the village of West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England. It was conceived as a pleasure palace for the 18th-century libertine and dilettante Sir Francis Dashwood, 2nd Bar ...
(Aubrey Hall interior and the Crane estate);
Wrest Park Wrest Park is a country estate located in Silsoe, Bedfordshire, England. It comprises Wrest Park, a Grade I listed country house, and Wrest Park Gardens, also Grade I listed, formal gardens surrounding the mansion. History Thomas Carew (1 ...
and
Ivinghoe Beacon Ivinghoe Beacon is a prominent hill and landmark in Buckinghamshire, England, 233 m (757 ft) above sea level in the Chiltern Hills, close to Ivinghoe and Aldbury. Dunstable, Berkhamsted and Tring are nearby. The Beacon lies within the ...
(the Orangery and Aubrey Hall grounds); the
Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club is a polo club located near Windsor, Berkshire and home to the Prince of Wales tournament - one of the most coveted high goal trophies in Polo. It is set in a 230-acre estate, one mile from Ascot Racecourse ...
( Royal Ascot);
Old Royal Naval College The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as being of "outstanding ...
;
Windsor Great Park Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of , including a deer park, to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park was, for man ...
(woods scenes);
Goldsmiths' Hall Goldsmiths' Hall is a Grade I listed building at the junction of Foster Lane and Gresham Street in the City of London. It has served as an assay office and the headquarters of London's goldsmith guild, the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, o ...
(Buckingham palace throne room); and
Wilton's Music Hall Wilton's Music Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Shadwell, built as a music hall and now run as a multi-arts performance space in Graces Alley, off Cable Street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is one of very few surviving music ...
(feminist meeting place). The real St James's Church is in the series. The art display at
Petworth House Petworth House in the parish of Petworth, West Sussex, England, is a late 17th-century Grade I listed country house, rebuilt in 1688 by Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, and altered in the 1870s to the design of the architect Anthony Sa ...
was used for the museum scene, with
Royal Artillery Barracks Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich, is a barracks of the British Army which forms part of Woolwich Garrison. The Royal Regiment of Artillery had its headquarters here from 1776 until 2007, when it was moved to Larkhill Garrison. History In 17 ...
used as the exterior. The finale ball was filmed at Basildon Park.


Season 3

The third season began principal photography in July 2022.


Music

American composer and pianist
Kris Bowers Kristopher Bowers (born 1989) is an American composer and pianist. He has composed scores for films, video games, television and documentaries including ''Bridgerton'', '' Green Book'', ''Madden NFL'', '' Dear White People'', and ''Kobe Bryant's ...
composed and arranged the score for the series. Bowers wrote and composed the first season's soundtrack, featuring nineteen songs. Musicians recorded the score remotely from their home studios during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.


Season 1

The first season featured orchestral covers of contemporary popular music, which director and executive producer
Julie Anne Robinson Julie Anne Robinson is a British theatre, television, film director and producer based in the United States and United Kingdom. She is known for her work on '' The Catch,'' which she developed and executive produced with Shonda Rhimes, as well a ...
said was inspired by the use of classic rock songs in the 2001 film ''
A Knight's Tale ''A Knight's Tale'' is a 2001 American medieval adventure comedy film written, co-produced and directed by Brian Helgeland. The film stars Heath Ledger as William Thatcher, a peasant squire who poses as a knight and competes in tournaments, win ...
''. Songs featured included Ariana Grande's "
Thank U, Next ''Thank U, Next'' is the fifth studio album by American singer Ariana Grande, released on February 8, 2019, by Republic Records. It was released six months after her fourth studio album '' Sweetener'' (2018), conceived in the midst of Grande ...
", Maroon 5's "Girls Like You", Shawn Mendes's "In My Blood (Shawn Mendes song), In My Blood" and Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy (Billie Eilish song), Bad Guy", all four of which performed by Vitamin String Quartet. Also included are Celeste (singer), Celeste's "Strange (Celeste song), Strange" performed by Bowers, and Taylor Swift's "Wildest Dreams (Taylor Swift song), Wildest Dreams" performed by Duomo. Bowers also included modern interpretations of classical music, such as Bach's BWV 1012, Cello Suite No. 6 in D major from Peter Gregson (cellist), Peter Gregson's ''Recomposed by Peter Gregson: Bach – The Cello Suites'' and Vivaldi's ''The Four Seasons (Vivaldi), The Four Seasons'' from Max Richter's ''Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons''. The first season also included Jessica Poland, JPOLND's "The End" which has a "swingy melody but intense lyrics".


Season 2

In the second season, covers include Nirvana (band), Nirvana's "Stay Away (Nirvana song), Stay Away" and Robyn's "Dancing On My Own" by Vitamin String Quartet, Madonna's "Material Girl", "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham" from the soundtrack of the film of the Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..., same name and Calvin Harris' "How Deep Is Your Love (Calvin Harris and Disciples song), How Deep Is Your Love" by Bowers. Also included are Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" and Pink (singer), Pink's "What About Us (Pink song), What About Us" by Duomo, Harry Styles' "Sign of the Times (Harry Styles song), Sign of the Times" by Steve Horner, Rihanna's "Diamonds (Rihanna song), Diamonds" by Hannah V and Joe Rodwell and Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball (Miley Cyrus song), Wrecking Ball" by Midnight String Quartet. To promote the show, Morisette appeared in a video performing "You Oughta Know" with Duomo. When discussing the music of season two, music supervisor Justin Kramps explained that "even for these songs that are just huge songs that everyone knows, [an instrumental version] still breathes new life and brings them to a new audience, and in a different way. Pop is where we start, because it fits the style of the show, and it's often using these super-recognizable songs that just add a lot of joy, which is what pop does in general."


Release


Season 1

The eight episodes of the first season of ''Bridgerton'' began streaming on Netflix on December 25, 2020.


Season 2

A preview of a scene from season 2 aired during Netflix's September 2021 ''Tudum Festival, TUDUM: Extended Talent Panel,'' which was followed by first look stills. On February 14, 2022, the first teaser trailer for the second season was released. A world premiere was held at Tate Modern on March 22, 2022, in London, England prior to the season's eight episodes being released on March 25, 2022. Due to a three-month commitment as the lead in the acclaimed West End theatre, West End play ''Cock (play), Cock'',
Jonathan Bailey Jonathan Stuart Bailey (born 25 April 1988) is an English actor. Known for his comedic, dramatic, and musical roles on stage and screen, he is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award and a nomination for a Evening Standard Theatre Award. Ba ...
had missed "press, talk shows, For Your Consideration (advertising), FYC events, and even the Met Gala" as part of the show's promotion.


Reception


Critical response


Season 1

For the first season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 87% based on 99 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Sumptuous design, soapy drama, and a sterling cast make ''Bridgerton'' a delightful treat." Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 based on 34 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Kristen Baldwin of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' gave the series a B+ and wrote, "''Bridgerton'', it seems, is a wonderful diversion for those who love ''Pride & Prejudice (2005 film), Pride & Prejudice'' but wish it had more stairway sex." Richard Roeper of ''Chicago Sun-Times'' gave the series four out of four stars and called it "A show that will give you that unmistakable binge twinge and have you activating that "Next Episode" time and again, until there are no more "Next Episodes"." ''GQ, British GQ'' described ''Bridgerton'' as a cross between ''Downton Abbey'' and ''Gossip Girl'', but noted that it "may just end up being another disappointment" and "it could have been brilliant." Salamishah Tillet of ''The New York Times'' said "Bridgerton provides a blueprint for British period shows in which Black characters can thrive within the melodramatic story lines, extravagant costumes and bucolic beauty [...] without having to be servants or enslaved." Erum Salam of ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' wrote "I kept wanting more. I wanted more explanations of how race factored into this society..." Carolyn Hinds from ''observer.com, The Observer'' stated "''Bridgerton'' has been praised as a racially diverse show set in the Regency Era". ''Vanity Fair (magazine), Vanity Fair'' Caroline Framke describes the sex in the series "isn't altogether shocking material for Shondaland to mine for its first drama series absent broadcast restraints." The first season's 6th episode drew criticism with regard to the Sexual assault, non consensual nature of Simon and Daphne's lovemaking, which amounted to marital rape. The episode depicts Daphne, while having sex with Simon, changing her position to be on top, not letting Simon Coitus interruptus, pull out of her when he climaxes despite his objections. Described as one of the toxic plot points of their relationship, it further drew scrutiny due to the fact that the deceit was never addressed as sexual assault in the series. Critics pointed out that it failed to acknowledge the difficulties of Rape of males, male victims of rape, and the further Big Black Cock, fetishisation of black men in media.


Season 2

For the second season, Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 78% based on 89 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critics consensus states, "The risqué thrill may have faded, but ''Bridgerton'' remains a compulsive episode-turner in this delightful sophomore season." Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 70 out of 100 based on 32 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Kristen Baldwin of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' gave the series an A- writing, "With a second season that's more clever, moving, and emotionally complex than the first, this period drama... proves that it's not just a titillating trifle." The Hollywood Reporter, ''The Hollywood Reporter'''s Angie Hahn echoed the sentiment describing the season as "older and wiser" than its predecessor's "rampant horniness" with an effective central romance that prioritized "a meeting of minds, played out over quick-witted arguments outside ballrooms and vicious competition during a friendly family game of pall-mall." Peter Travers of ABC News, ABC praised the season writing, "Kudos to season two for digging deeper into the emotional lives of its characters and continuing the Color-blind casting, colorblind casting that creates a utopia in which diversity is so ingrained it's hardly worth a mention." Alison Herman of The Ringer (website), The Ringer commented that Season 1 is "sexy without quite being erotic" while "Season 2 is the reverse. There's not a lot of sex, but in the crackling chemistry and relentless self-denial that defines Anthony and Kate's dynamic, there's plenty of eroticism." Emma Clarke of The Independent, ''The Independent'' argued that, "it is precisely the lack of Human sexual activity, physicality that makes this season (of the show and of courtship) so... well, sexy." Scott Bryan of the BBC wrote that the season serves as antidote to the "always static, laboured and slow" period dramas, adding that it comes with "real energy, it feels so modern (even though it is set in the past) and even though it feels extravagant, it doesn't feel too highbrow. It is refreshingly accessible." Kevin Fallon of ''The Daily Beast'' elaborating on Bailey's "exquisite lead performance," wrote that "he has an exceptional ability to carry his angst, pain, and guilt with him without bogging down things into a somber drag." ''The Daily Telegraph, The Telegraph s Anita Singh wrote that Bailey "brings more soul to the role of Lord Bridgerton than Page ever did with the Duke," with Randy Myers of The Mercury News, ''Mercury News'' adding that Bailey "has a gift at Comic timing, comedic timing." Proma Khosla of Mashable concluded that with "Bailey and Ashley, ''Bridgerton'' Season 2 strikes gold" as they deliver "heaping, smoldering helpings of sexual tension" for "their chemistry is nothing short of explosive."


Audience viewership


Season 1

On January 27, 2021, Netflix announced that 82 million households have watched at least two minutes of the season amounting to 625,490,000 million hours viewed. It was the most-watched original series launch on the service at the time of its premiere, prior to being surpassed by ''Squid Game'' in October 2021. Caroline Framke of Variety (magazine), ''Variety'' attributed this huge viewership to "the perfect storm of a perfectly timed premiere (Christmas Day of 2020), providing silly and sexy entertainment after the first terrible year of COVID."


Season 2

Season 2 amassed 193 million viewing hours in its opening weekend, the highest opening for any English-language Netflix series at the time. It also broke the record for most viewed English-language series in a single week at that time, with 251.74 million viewing hours from March 28 to April 3. The first season also re-entered Netflix's top ten in second place. By April 19, ''Bridgerton''s second season had overtaken its predecessor as the List of most-watched Netflix original programming, most watched English-language television series on Netflix at the time with 627.11 million hours viewed since its March 25, 2022 launch. This viewing numbers went up to 656.16 million by the 28-day mark.
Nielsen Media Research Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
, analyzing the 2.55 billion minutes viewed on United States television screens in the first three days of season 2's availability (double all others across streamers for the week of March 21), characterized ''Bridgertons audience as "diverse and broad". The firm found one third of viewers to be Hispanic or African American and an even split in popularity across the 18–34, 35–49, and 50–64 age groups at 25% each. The only exception was gender parity with 76% of the audience reported to be female. It added 3.2 billion minutes viewed in its second week on top of the chart. It topped the chart for a third week with 1.6 billion minutes viewed.


Historical inaccuracies

Chris Van Dusen has said that the show "is a reimagined world, we're not a history lesson, it's not a documentary. What we're really doing with the show is marrying history and fantasy in what I think is a very exciting way. One approach that we took to that is our approach to race." The Bridgerton family, Lady Whistledown and most of the other characters in the show are fictional. The theory that
Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...
may have had African ancestry has been called an unhistorical assertion by most scholars. In an interview with ''Insider.com, Insider'' magazine, American historian Marlene Koenig said the show's representation of Regency era, Regency-era London was more diverse than it was in reality, adding that "diversity as we know what the word means did not exist" in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain during that period. Some classical music pieces used in the first season were composed later than 1813, the year of the first season. Examples include Dmitri Shostakovich's Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2 (Shostakovich), Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2, which was written in 1938 and "Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour" from Jacques Offenbach's 1881 opera ''The Tales of Hoffmann''.


Cultural impact

Fashion and interior design trends influenced or made popular by the series have been dubbed "Regencycore" or "the Bridgerton effect". ''Lyst'' reported an increase in searches for items such as corsets, headpieces, and elbow-length gloves after the series' premiere. The series' female leads Daphne and Kate were also linked to a popularity in the colours sky blue and lilac respectively. In 2021, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear wrote a concept album based on characters and situations in season 1 of the series titled ''The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical''; it won the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. After the two presented the songs from the album live in concert at the Kennedy Center in July 2022, Netflix sued them for copyright infringement. To ring in the second season, an official "Queen's Ball" was held in Washington DC, Chicago, Montréal, and Los Angeles, with similar events and experiences taking place in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and Johannesburg. Bloomingdale's put together a ''Bridgerton''-themed pop-up collection and tea bar, displaying real costumes from the series in the U.S. for the first time in its 59th Street windows. After season 2 featured the main characters playing pall-mall, a lawn game considered to be the precursor to croquet, retailer John Lewis & Partners, John Lewis reported a 90% rise in sales for croquet sets. There was also a notable increase in internet searches and purchases of tiaras and corsets after season two's premiere. Walking tours of the filming locations of the series have also been created, including an official one by Netflix.
Castle Howard Castle Howard is a stately home in North Yorkshire, England, within the civil parish of Henderskelfe, located north of York. It is a private residence and has been the home of the Carlisle branch of the Howard family for more than 300 years ...
also has an exhibition titled ''Castle Howard on Screen: From Brideshead to Bridgerton'' on location which opened in May 2022. The The Simpsons (season 33), 33rd season Poorhouse Rock, finale episode of ''The Simpsons'' on May 22, 2022, featured Marge Simpson, Marge and her friends watching a period drama called "Tunnelton" with a Lady Whistledown-sounding narrator, and a character emerging drenched from a lake, like Anthony in the fifth episode of the second season.


Limited prequel series

In May 2021, Netflix ordered a limited prequel series from
Shondaland Shondaland (stylized as ShondaLand from 2005 to 2016 and shondaland thereafter) is an American television production company founded by television writer/producer Shonda Rhimes. She founded it to be one of the production companies of her first s ...
which will focus on young Queen Charlotte, a character who does not appear in the ''Bridgerton'' novels. Rhimes will write the spin-off and serve as executive producer alongside Betsy Beers and Tom Verica. Rosheuvel, Andoh, Gemmell, and Fleet will reprise their roles, while India Amarteifio, Michelle Fairley, Corey Mylchreest, and Arsema Thoma were cast, together with Connie Jenkins-Greig who will play young Violet. A novelization of the series written by Rhimes and Quinn will be released by Avon Books in 2023. In April 2022, it was reported that production designer Dave Arrowsmith was fired from the series following allegations of abusive behavior and bullying on set. In September 2022, Netflix announced that ''Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story'' would be the title for the series and also released the first look.


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* *
Official season 2 premiere screenplay
{{Netflix original current series Bridgerton, 2020 American television series debuts 2020s American drama television series 2020s American romance television series 2020s romantic drama television series American romantic drama television series Cultural depictions of George III English-language Netflix original programming Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series Television shows set in London Television shows filmed in England Television shows shot in London Television series impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic Television series set in the 1810s Television series by Shondaland Television shows based on American novels Rape in fiction Rape in television Works about marriage