The first season of the Bridgerton series on Netflix first aired last Christmas and it was an instant success. Based on the novels by Julia Quinn, Bridgerton is a historical fiction romance series, that takes place in Regency-era London in 1813, featuring the aristocratic Bridgerton family, of which there are eight children and their widow mother.
The Bridgerton series is a combination of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar, seeing as the series is narrated by the anonymous and ever-scandalous newsletter columnist known as Lady Whistledown, who somehow appears to know everything about everyone important in London. Lady Whistledown is reminiscent of the anonymous blogger Gossip Girl, as she does not pull punches about the secrets she reveals and the lives she ruins in the process.
The Bridgerton Netflix series was created by Chris Van Dusen and is produced by Shonda Rhimes, who is most famous for Grey’s Anatomy, the longest-running scripted primetime show currently airing on ABC, and the longest scripted primetime series carried by ABC. Although the first season of Bridgerton has aired, Netflix has already ordered three more seasons, carrying the show through to its fourth season, as well as a prequel series based on the life of Queen Victoria in the Regency era, albeit with an alternate history of a racially-segregated London where people of color are part of the ton.
The first look at Season 2 of Bridgerton features Jonathan Bailey as Anthony, Viscount Bridgerton, the eldest Bridgerton child, and his new love interest, Kate Sharma, portrayed by a new cast member, Simone Ashley. In the previous season, Anthony was involved with an opera singer, Siena Rosso, whom he loved, but could not marry because of their class differences. At the end of the season, they ended things between them and Anthony decided that he would marry to fulfill his duty as the eldest Bridgerton child and to, presumably, sire an heir. His sister, Daphne, and best friend, Simon, who had married, hoped that they would be able to change his mind regarding the inability to marry for love, and although Simon is no longer going to be appearing in Season 2, Daphne will most likely be involved in her brother’s love life.
The main theme of Bridgerton is the Bridgerton family and their love lives, which is why Regé-Jean Page’s, Simon Basset won’t be appearing in Season 2. Each of Julia Quinn’s novels is based on one sibling of the family; the first season was about Daphne and her eventual husband, Simon, the second promising to be about Anthony and his new love interest, Kate.
The Bridgerton series is the most-watched series on Netflix with a viewership of 82 million households – myself included. That being said, with the success of Bridgerton, I have high hopes for the hopefully still upcoming movie, The Selection, based on The Selection series by Kiera Cass. There have been several failed adaptations of her series, but with the success of the historical fiction romance series, Bridgerton, my hopes for The Selection movie are definitely increasing.
At any rate, The Selection series is one that I recommend if you enjoyed the Bridgerton series, along with the classics, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and novels by Philippa Gregory, who also has had her novels adapted into series and movies, including The White Queen starring Rebecca Ferguson and The Other Boleyn Girl featuring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson.