Bridgerton (TV series)

**Bridgerton** is a Netflix period drama created and executive produced by Chris Van Dusen and executive produced by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers. The series premiered December 25, 2020.

Based on Julia Quinn's best-selling series of novels, *Bridgerton* is set in the sexy, lavish and competitive world of Regency London high society. From the glittering ballrooms of Mayfair to the aristocratic palaces of Park Lane and beyond, the series unveils a seductive, sumptuous world replete with intricate rules and dramatic power struggles, where no one is truly ever on steady ground. At the heart of the show is the powerful Bridgerton family. Comprised of eight close-knit siblings, this funny, witty, daring and clever group must navigate the upper ten thousand's marriage mart in search of romance, adventure and love.

On April 13, 2021, creator Chris Van Dusen tweeted out that in addition to the already-confirmed season 2, the series had been renewed for a third and fourth season.

## Synopsis

Set against the backdrop of the Regency era, the eight close-knit siblings of the prominent and wealthy Bridgerton family – Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth – navigate London high society in search of love and happiness, surrounded by friends and rivals alike.

## Cast

### Current Main Cast

* Adjoa Andoh as Lady Agatha Danbury
* Lorraine Ashbourne as Mrs. Varley
* Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma Bridgerton
* Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton
* Harriet Cains as Philippa Featherington Finch
* Bessie Carter as Prudence Featherington
* Charithra Chandran as Edwina Sharma
* Shelley Conn as Lady Mary Sharma
* Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington
* Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne Bridgerton Basset
* Ruth Gemmell as Lady Violet Bridgerton
* Florence Hunt as Hyacinth Bridgerton
* Martins Imhangbe as Will Mondrich
* Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton
* Calam Lynch as Theo Sharpe
* Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton
* Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte
* Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton
* Will Tilston as Gregory Bridgerton
* Polly Walker as Lady Portia Featherington
* Rupert Young as Jack Featherington
* Julie Andrews as Lady Whistledown

### Former Main Cast

* Ruby Barker as Lady Marina Crane
* Sabrina Bartlett as Siena Rosso
* Ben Miller as Lord Archibald Featherington
* Regé-Jean Page as Simon Basset

## Episodes

### Season 1

The first season mainly adapts the first novel of the Bridgerton series, *The Duke and I*, focusing on Daphne Bridgerton.

* Episodes

### Season 2

The second season mainly adapts the second novel of the Bridgerton series, *The Viscount Who Loved Me*, focusing on Anthony Bridgerton.

* Episodes

### Season 3

The third season mainly adapts the fourth novel of the Bridgerton series, *Romancing Mister Bridgerton*, focusing on Colin Bridgerton.

### Season 4

On April 13, 2021, creator Chris Van Dusen tweeted out that in addition to the already-confirmed season 2, the series had been renewed for a third and fourth season. Jess Brownell will serve as showrunner for seasons three and four, while Van Dusen oversees filming and production for season two, so that production can continue at an adequate pace to keep viewers satisfied.

## Production

### Development

The first table read took place on July 22, 2019 with filming starting on July 28, 2019. Filming took place in London, where production started, and other towns in the United Kingdom, like Bath, Somerseth.

The last table read for the season took place on October 21, 2019.

Commenting on the tone of the series, creator Chris Van Dusen shared, "I wanted to infuse everything with my own unique, modern lens. The tone is very spirited and daring. Everything's fresh and youthful. There's a little effervescence to everything." That freshness manifests in the score, featuring classical string arrangements of contemporary pop songs (such as Ariana Grande's "thank u, next" or Shawn Mendes' "In My Blood"), as well the costumes, with the show being described as taking place in a "bonnet-free world." Van Dusen further added that *Bridgerton* is not going to be so different from the experience of reading a romance novel. "It's sexy and a little dangerous and fun. It leaves you a little hot and bothered and breathless," he concluded.

Most poignant, however, is the casting. Contrary to most other period pieces, this series looks like any ShondaLand show; multi-hued and reflective of the world we live in. The casting is a far cry from the source material, though writer Julia Quinn fully endorses the casting choices, stating that the show is for "a modern audience; it isn't a history lesson." As such, people of color are cast in roles of characters that hold more power than would normally be expected for people of color based on historical assumptions. EP Betsy Beers stated, "It's not color-blind casting. We try to imagine history and the world in the way we wanted to see it." Added lead actor Regé-Jean Page: "With color-conscious casting, I get to exist as a Black person in the world. It doesn't mean I'm a slave. It doesn't mean we have to focus on trauma. It just means we get to focus on Black joy and humanity."

Also a notable difference with other period dramas is the way the show deals with intimacy. The show aims to defy the expectations of period dramas by placing sexiness and steaminess at its core, pivotal to the education of Daphne Bridgerton. The series employed an intimacy coordinator to intricately choreograph the sex scenes. Phoebe Dynevor stated: "It's not often you see sex [treated] in that way. It wasn't gratuitous. It was so essential in Daphne's journey and sexual awakening. I love the fact that it is very much the female gaze."

## Notes and Trivia

* The series is the first of the eight ShondaLand series ordered by Netflix to announce any casting news.
* The second season is the most watched English-language television series on Netflix with 656.16 million hours viewed in the 28 days following its March 25, 2022 launch. With generally positive reviews, it debuted number one in 92 countries amassing 193 million hours of viewing time in its premiere weekend, the highest for any English-language Netflix series in its first three days.
* Season 2 also recorded 251.7 million hours of viewing time the following week, breaking the streamers record for the most viewed English-language TV series in its first full week of release.
* The first season debuted on Netflix on December 25, 2020 to generally positive reviews, with a viewership of 82 million households totaling to 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.
* Each episode averages about ninety costumes.
* Each actor has their own horse on set and the horse master Steve Dent tried to give the actors the same horses in season two that they had in season one because many of them had bonded.
* The tea on the show is usually PG Tips or Twinings.

## Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

*Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story* tells the origin story of Queen Charlotte as well as stories about the young Lady Violet Bridgerton and Lady Danbury. The series was written by Shonda Rhimes.

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/chrisvandusen/status/1381942284065910787
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/chrisvandusen/status/1381942284065910787
3. ↑ Birmingham Mail Shops in posh British town furious as profits plummet over new Netflix drama Bridgerton
4. ↑ Twitter
5. ↑ Entertainment Weekly How Bridgerton is poised to revolutionize romance on television
6. ↑ https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/bridgerton-season-2-beats-season-1-netflix-viewership-ratings-1235235479/
7. ↑ https://about.netflix.com/en/news/top-10-week-of-april-18-anatomy-of-a-scandal-is-the-weeks-most-viewed-title
8. ↑ https://variety.com/2022/tv/ratings/bridgerton-season-2-ratings-premiere-Stan-top-10-1235217205/
9. ↑ https://deadline.com/2022/04/bridgerton-season-2-sets-netflix-viewing-record-english-language-series-1234994885
10. ↑ https://deadline.com/2021/01/bridgerton-netflix-viewership-record-biggest-series-ever-1234681242
11. ↑ https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/netflix-most-popular-shows-and-movies-ranked-according-to-netflix/