[Editor’s Note: Mild spoilers follow for the Bridgerton series of novels, although it is spoiler-free for the Netflix series. This post was first published on October 23, 2019.]
Update, January 21: If you’ve already binge-watched the goings-on of the Bridgerton clan and need more, then help is on the way. Netflix announced that the popular romantic melodrama will receive a second season. Lord Anthony Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey, will “dominate the social season.”
The renewal isn’t surprising, considering the smash success of the series, which is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes and spearheaded by Chris Van Dusen. The series, adapted from the series of novels written by Julia Quinn, tells the story of the Bridgerton family; the first season focuses on eldest daughter Daphne’s (Phoebe Dynevor) relationship with Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings (Rege-Jean Page).
In an interview earlier this week with IndieWire, Quinn said that she was surprised when she got that call that Rhimes optioned her series, because the romance genre is so often overlooked. “I was sitting in Starbucks — so, I couldn’t actually scream but [my agent said] ‘I just got the most interesting call,'” Quinn recalled. “He’s like, ‘Have you heard of Shonda Rhimes?’ So I think my version of screaming was that I immediately texted my best friend in all caps: ‘Call me’ and she thought someone died because that’s not normal for us.”
Per Netflix, “Bridgerton” is projected to have reached more than 63 million households so far, as of early January, making it Netflix’s fifth biggest original series launch of all time. “Bridgerton” has reached the No. 1 spot overall in 76 countries including the U.S., UK, Brazil, France, and South Africa, and has reached the top 10 in every country except Japan. The series has also put the cast members on the map, with star Page being promoted via social media to take up the mantle of James Bond.
Earlier: “Grey’s Anatomy.” “Scandal.” “How to Get Away with Murder.” “Private Practice.” “Station 19.” Is there a showrunner with a higher batting average than Shonda Rhimes? I don’t think so. That’s why her 2017 deal with Netflix — reportedly for $150 million dollars — created shockwaves after she was safely cocooned at ABC for over a decade. (Reportedly the split came after Rhimes’ family was denied a free entry ticket into Disneyland.) Rhimes, the highest-paid showrunner in television, knows what audiences want and offers the dream combination of attributes as she brings stories to screen: She’s both brilliantly creative and prolific.
As her “How to Get Away with Murder” filmed its final episodes for its finale in 2019, and with that, Rhimes’ empire is expanding. Her first scripted show for Netflix is “Bridgerton,” and it made IndieWire’s list of most anticipated TV shows of 2020. And, after a number of social media teases, we got a release date: December 25, 2020. Wait, that’s tomorrow!
The first teaser for the show dropped on Nov. 2 and certainly did plenty to whet appetites. With Julie Andrews voicing our Regency-era “Gossip Girl” narrator, audiences were able to get their first glimpse at the bright and brilliant world Shondaland has created. The colorblind casting is absolutely amazing to see — but it’s coupled with some breathtaking party sequences complete with aerialists, fireworks, and plenty of dancing. Oh, and did we mention sex? Yep, the teaser certainly emphasized that this is Netflix, people, not network TV, and these characters may be wearing layers of fabric but they’ll be getting down and dirty.
Next up on the promotional calendar was the release of the full trailer, which debuted on Dec. 14:
In her spoiler-free review of “Bridgerton,” IndieWire’s Ann Donahue wrote: “Based on Julia Quinn’s bestselling series of romance novels, “Bridgerton” takes the tropes of the Regency romance — The fancy husband-hunting balls on glamorous estates! The pushy mothers desperate to pair off their daughters! The old ‘Oh, let’s PRETEND to fall in love so people leave us to our own devices’ scheme! The men with more money than sense! — and knocks them sideways, all set to a soundtrack of orchestral arrangements of Ariana Grande songs.”
“Bridgerton” is at the same time a safe choice for the streamer — something that is based on existing and beloved book series — and innovative, featuring a race-blind cast in a romance set during England’s early 1800s Regency period. While official details have been tricking out from Netflix, some careful Instagram sleuthing has revealed an additional trove of key details about the production.
As of early March 2020, production has officially wrapped, and, frankly the wrap party looks like it was a hell of a time. Several of the cast and crew posted heartfelt tributes to their time on set, including Phoebe Dynevor, who wrote on Instagram “love you all you ridiculously marvellous humans.” Bessie Carter lovingly described it as “what a madness” and Nicola Coughlan cheered “high five if you finished filming Bridgerton Series One.” (Is that….a hint or a wish for Season 2? We shall see.)
Now that filming is in the can and it’s up to the gods in post production to make the finishing touches on the show, here’s everything you need to know about “Bridgerton”, including several first look photos released by Netflix:
-
“Bridgerton”
Image Credit: LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX Adjoa Andoh and Rege-Jean Page in “Bridgerton”
-
“Bridgerton”
Image Credit: NICK BRIGGS/NETFLIX From left: Ben Miller, Polly Walker, Bessie Carter, Harriet Cains, Luke Newton and Ruby Barker in “Bridgerton”
-
“Bridgerton”
Image Credit: LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX Phoebe Dynevor and Ruth Gemmel in “Bridgerton”
-
“Bridgerton”
Image Credit: LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX From Left, Nicola Coughlan, Polly Walker, Harriet Cains, Ben Miller and Bessie Carter in “Bridgerton”
-
“Bridgerton”
Image Credit: LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX Jonathan Bailey and Rege-Jean Page in “Bridgerton.”
-
“Bridgerton”
Image Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix Phoebe Dynevor and Rege-Jean Page in “Bridgerton”
-
“Bridgerton”
Image Credit: LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX Claudia Jessie and Nicola Coughlan in “Bridgerton”
-
“Bridgerton”
Image Credit: LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX From left, Luke Newton, Will Tilston, Claudia Jessie, Ruby Stokes, Luke Thompson and Florence Hunt in “Bridgerton.”
-
“Bridgerton”
Image Credit: LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX Golda Rosheuvel in “Bridgerton”
-
So what is “Bridgerton” based on?
Image Credit: Roberto Filho “Bridgerton” is based on a series of historical romance novels written by Julia Quinn. Quinn is a big, big deal in the romance community: Her sharp comedies of manners have led her to be compared to her heroine, Jane Austen; she’s one of only 16 authors inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame; her books have sold 10 millions of copies in the U.S. alone; and they’ve been translated into 32 languages. The first book in the “Bridgerton” series was published in 2000 and by 2006 the eighth and final book in the series was published, although there have been compilations of various epilogues and novellas to the initial books that add to that total. The first in the series, “The Duke and I,” celebrated its 20th anniversary of publishing on Jan. 5.
As filming goes on, she’s been posting some fun photos from set, including one with star Jonathan Bailey.
-
Wait, eight books? Eight? “Lord of the Rings” is, more or less, three. What on earth goes on in this story that it takes eight books to tell it?
Image Credit: AFF-USA/Shutterstock The Bridgerton series focuses on the romantic entanglements of the eight — yep, you get it now — Bridgerton children: Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth. They are an immense, well-off, smart-mouthed, profoundly well-intentioned family with residences in London and others scattered around the English countryside. They also share an unerring sense of falling in love with people who are…complex, like Duke Simon Basset, played by Regé-Jean Page, above. (For some behind-the-scenes shots of “Bridgerton” while filming, check out his Instagram @RegeJean.) Their antics are overseen and judged by the straitlaced ton, the social circle of debutantes and desperate mothers looking to make good (read: wealthy) matches for their offspring. The whole mix of honorable and catty in the milieu is very, very Shonda.
-
Who is starring in “Bridgerton”?
Image Credit: Stuart Forster/Shutterstock Well, good news: Shondaland has aggregated every actor you’ve ever liked in a small role and elevated them to a lead, put them in glorious costumes and filmed them in some of the most scenic parts of England, like Bath. Dr. Hannah Greig, senior lecturer in early modern history from the University of York, is serving as a consultant on “Bridgerton” to ensure all the Regency-era details are accurate. If there is one show next year that is going to push costume drama glam and production design to the max and make stars out of its cast, it is this one.
-
Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury
Image Credit: Piers Allardyce/Shutterstock You know how every Jane Austen story has a terrifying, domineering aunt who leaves a trail of cowering young people in her wake? That’s Lady Danbury in the world of the Bridgertons. Andoh is a veteran of British TV, including appearances on “Doctor Who” and “EastEnders.”
-
Lorraine Ashbourne as Mrs. Varley
Image Credit: Shutterstock Every great house needs a housekeeper — and, well, even the mediocre houses like the Featheringtons need one, too. Mrs. Varley takes on the thankless duty for the social climbers. Ashbourne has extensive theater credits, including “Othello” and “She Stoops to Conquer”; in both those productions, she acted alongside husband Andy Serkis.
-
Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton
Image Credit: Dan Wooller/Shutterstock The eldest of the Bridgerton brothers, Anthony is the head of the family after the untimely passing of his father at a young age. The weight of legacy falls heavily on him — not only to follow in the footsteps of his father, but to find a suitable bride who can put up with the Bridgerton circus. Bailey is probably best known to American audiences for his work in “Broadchurch” and he has appeared on London’s West End.
-
Ruby Barker as Marina Thompson
To say too much about Marina from the books is to verge deeply into spoiler territory; let’s just say that it’s a role that should give Barker plenty of room to delve into an emotional character. Barker starred as Daisie in the British fantasy series “Wolfblood.”
-
Sabrina Bartlett as Siena Rosso
Image Credit: Nick Harvey/Shutterstock Siena Rosso is an opera singer — and, frankly, has an opera singer character ever brought anything but over-the-top diva drama to anything? “Game of Thrones” fans take note: Remember when Arya stole the face of a member of House Frey to serve up that Frey revenge pie? Before the (ew) unmasking, that Frey character was played by Bartlett.
-
Harriet Cains as Philippa Featherington
Image Credit: ITV/Shutterstock The dumb Featherington sister. Really! There’s no other way to put it! Sometimes you can’t be nice! Thankfully, there are probably some dumb men in the ton who would find her a perfect match. Cains was a standout in the second season of Netflix’s crime drama “Marcella.”
-
Bessie Carter as Prudence Featherington
Image Credit: Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP/Shutterstock The mean Featherington sister. Perhaps that is why she’s (sniff!) approaching her sell-by date on the shelf, now entering her third season without a marriage. Carter was in the miniseries adaptation of “Howard’s End” and the TV series “Beecham House.” She’s also descended from acting royalty as the daughter of future “Crown” QE2 Imelda Staunton and Jim Carter.
-
Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington
Say it with me: “Being a Derry Girl is a state of mind!” “Derry Girls” beloved Coughlan will play Penelope, the only delightful daughter of the Lady Portia Featherington, the most overt and grotesque of the ton’s social climbers. Penelope will very much give Coughlan a chance to show off the comic chops she displayed as “Derry Girls’” freakout-prone Clare Devlin.
In the teasiest tease yet teased from this cast on Instagram, she posted this emoji-laden secretive shot of Penelope with a character that you should read the books to identify.
-
Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne Bridgerton
Image Credit: Kyle Christy The eldest of the Bridgerton daughters, Daphne is being pushed down the matrimonial warpath by her mother in the hopes of setting a good example for her younger sisters. One problem: Her sisters are even more willful than she is, and she’s not a shrinking violet. Dynevor can be seen playing Clare in TV Land’s “Younger”.
-
Ruth Gemmell as Lady Violet Bridgerton
Image Credit: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock The matriarch of the Bridgerton brood, Lady Violet doesn’t have the financial pressures that many in the ton do to marry her children off well (read: wealthy). She does, however, have societal need to maintain her reputation as one of the ton’s great families — and, on a more personal level, she wants to see her children as happy in their marriages as she was. A well-regarded character actor in the U.K., Gemmell has been in everything from “Father Brown” to “Midsomer Murders.”
-
Florence Hunt as Hyacinth Bridgerton
Hyacinth is the youngest of the Bridgerton family, but do you think she is learning anything from watching the romantic entanglements of her elder siblings? Hunt is a newcomer, besides “Bridgerton”, her previous credit is playing young Nimue in “Cursed.” And she seems to just be having a wretched, wretched time on set, between all the high-flying jumps and bonding with directors.
-
Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton
Image Credit: Steve Meddle/Shutterstock Fully dedicated to life as a spinster, Eloise makes some very, very — let’s call it … abrupt — choices when she finally decides to look for a suitor. Jessie can be seen in the ITV version of “Vanity Fair.”
-
Ben Miller as Lord Featherington
Image Credit: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock With a brood of daughters, Lord Featherington must withstand Lady Featherington’s various eyerolling plots to get his family married and out the door. Miller is half of the stalwart British TV comedy duo Armstrong and Miller.
-
Martins Imhangbe as Will Mondrich
Image Credit: Dan Wooller/Shutterstock Even a duke needs a best mate, and up-and-coming boxer is that for Simon Basset, a royal who gets entangled with the Bridgerton family. Imhangbe is best known for his role in this year’s “The Tragedy of King Richard the Second.”
-
Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton
The most easygoing of the elder Bridgerton brothers, Colin is equal parts charm and grace and, at No. 3 on the family masthead, feels very little responsibility to settle down. Newton is a Disney kid, having starred as Ben Evans in the Disney Channel’s “The Lodge”.
-
Regé-Jean Page as Simon Basset
Simon Basset is a — wait for it — Duke! (Read: wealthy.) Gasp! Flutter! It is also not a coincidence that the first book in the Bridgerton series is entitled “The Duke and I.” And, well, if you’re going to start out a series, you might as well have people who look like this embody the two lead characters.
Page is a Shondaland regular; he starred on Rhimes’ “For The People.”
-
Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte
Image Credit: Dan Wooller/Shutterstock Of course a period piece set in the early 1800s in London has to have some sort of royal influence: Queen Charlotte was the wife of King George III. Another stage veteran, Rosheuvel was most recently seen on TV in the series “Silent Witness”.
-
Ruby Stokes as Francesca Bridgerton
Image Credit: Keith Mayhew/SOPA Images/Shutterstock The quiet Bridgerton daughter — in as much as any of them are quiet, so bear that in mind as a comparison — Francesca is, in the books, the only one as an adult to take herself out of the tangle of the London social scene. Stokes played the lead in “Annie” in the West End in 2017 and 2018.
-
Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton
Image Credit: Shutterstock The second-born Bridgerton son, Benedict finds himself torn between his duty to support his older brother, Anthony, and his desire to pursue a career in art. After starring in numerous Shakespeare productions in London, Thompson appeared onscreen in “Dunkirk”.
-
Will Tilston as Gregory Bridgerton
Image Credit: Invision/AP/Shutterstock Gregory is the youngest Bridgerton son and honestly cannot fathom what all this marriage market talk is about, plus it gets in the way of his life goal of annoying younger sister Hyacinth. Tilston played 8-year-old Christopher Robin in 2017’s “Goodbye Christopher Robin”.
-
Polly Walker as Lady Portia Featherington
Image Credit: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock Domineering and tasteless Lady Portia needs to get her daughters married off, stat — and her air of desperation permeates the ton. It is a classic Austen character as reimagined by Quinn; she would be pitied if she weren’t so mean. Walker is a perfect casting for this role, as seen by her edgy work in “Pennyworth”, “Caprica,” and “Rome.”
-
Capping it all off is Julie Andrews as Lady Whistledown
Image Credit: LAURENT LAURENT VU/SIPA/Shutterstock The icon will portray the plummy voice of the all-seeing, all-knowing, anonymous society grand dame who publishes a biting, incisive gossip sheet that everyone reads. A kind word — or a mean one — can make or break a family’s reputation in the Bridgerton world, and it’s hard to imagine anyone better than Andrews to intone those kind of verdicts.
-
Are they adapting the Bridgerton books in order?
Image Credit: Can Nguyen/Shutterstock Right now the show has only been picked up by Netflix for one season, but judging by who is identified as leads in the cast, it appears as though the first season is going to focus on “The Duke and I,” focusing on Simon Basset and his relationship with the Bridgerton family, and “Romancing Mr. Bridgerton”, focusing on Luke Newton’s Colin Bridgerton. Coughlan’s Penelope is a recurring character in a number of the novels; in a much-deserved clapback to a troll on Twitter, she noted she plays a major part in the series.
-
Where are they filming?
Image Credit: Historia/Shutterstock There is no greater gift to an Instagram snoop than a production with a giant cast and crew who are dedicated to getting those 1800s details just right — and then sharing them on social media. “Bridgerton” has been filming in London and Bath, England and the table read for the final episode just happened this month, according to Executive Producer Chris Van Dusen. Van Dusen has been pretty secretive on social media so for — but hey, at least we know there is going to be a green screen.
-
OK, I’m sold. How long am I going to have to wait for this to air?
Image Credit: Rob Latour/Variety/Shutterstock “Bridgerton” will hit Netflix next year with eight one-hour episodes, although a specific release date has yet to be announced, and alongside Van Dusen and Rhimes, Shondaland vet Betsy Beers also will executive produce. In the interim, the cast and crew have been posting using the hashtag #Bridgerton — check it out for a ton of behind-the-scenes looks if you can’t wait.
Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
