Produced by Shonda Rhimes, the acclaimed period drama Bridgerton recently broke Netflix’s record for most-watched original series.
This dreamy show reimagines contemporary music and the Regency era in a way that has touched the hearts of worldwide viewers.
The Bridgerton series has procured over 82 million views from Netflix members within its premiering 28 days. This news surprised very few as the series has become a major trending topic in popular culture.
What is Bridgerton?
The in-demand series Bridgerton was created by Chris Van Dusen (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal) and premiered last December. It is based on a series of novels by Julia Quinn.
Over its eight episodes, Bridgerton draws a close look into the scandalous lives of the titular family.
The Bridgertons consists of a large nine-people immediate family; widowed mother Violet (Ruth Gemmel) and her four sons and four daughters. The Bridgerton children are thrown into grand romances and schemes as the show is set in the 1800s, during a time of arranged marriages and exacerbated social statues.
Which characters are fan favorites?
In direct competition with the Bridgertons is the Featherington family, despite the thriving friendship among the two families.
The shy youngest child of the Featherington clan Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and the Bridgerton’s misfit middle child Eloise (Claudia Jessie) share an incredible relationship— one that has quickly become a fan-favorite aspect of the show.
The two women come from opposite sides of the tracks: the Bridgerton’s family is more laid back and ruled by their emotions whereas the Featheringtons are purely concerned with social status and wealth.
Beyond all of the show’s lies and petty drama, the friendship between Penelope and Eloise perseveres as the women ignore the marriage-seeking pressure brought on by their family to instead work to uncover a mystery: Who is Miss Whistledown? — the saucy Gossip Girl-like narrator of a local newsletter.
Bridgerton’s popularity
As confirmed by Netflix, Bridgerton managed to become a global sensation, seemingly overnight.
The streaming service shared to Variety: “The series is its most-watched show in 83 countries, including the U.S., U.K., Brazil, France and South Africa. The program has made Netflix’s top 10 list in every country except Japan.”
Clearly, Bridgerton will not be going away anytime soon. Less than a month after the show’s debut, it was renewed for a second season!
Bridgerton season one has eight episodes and is available for streaming on Netflix.