Hi, I’m Josh. I wrote this.
Dearest Readers —
If you were to picture your typical Bridgerton viewer, I’m going to hazard a guess that it wouldn’t be me who comes to mind. I’ve come to grips with that fact and that I likely won’t be invited to Bridgerton book clubs or soirees which is a shame because the desserts look incredible.
I arrived in The Ton via my wife who really wanted to watch the show when it first started due to buzz from her orbit. You see, in our Draper-esque household, I pick what we watch 99% of the time as a) I have impeccable taste and b) she doesn’t make me watch reality TV.
So, when she asked to check out Bridgerton, I acquiesced and you know what? It’s not so bad. Perhaps you have been in this same position as I was but have been ashamed to pull the trigger dare you get written about in your local version of Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers.
With the season four now in the books, let’s get to why I think you should let your corset loose and go for it.
Should You Watch Bridgerton (Netflix)?
How many seasons?
Four. There’s also a spinoff show (Queen Charlotte) I’ll tackle another time.
How many episodes?
32.
What type of show is it?
A romantic drama period piece.
What years?
2020-current
Where to watch it?
Netflix.
Who is it for?
Fans of spicy romance novels/love stories and/or spouses that have to bite the bullet on a show that might not be their top choice (raises hand).
What’s the commit level (without ads)?
Through 32 episodes, you’re looking at 1989 minutes which is a shade under 33 hours. If you skip the credits (roughly four minutes, 16 seconds per), you knock off about two hours. It’s a healthy commitment.
Is there a bailout episode?
If you’re really not feeling this after one or two episodes, pull the escape hatch.
Any interesting background in the show’s creation?
This is based on a series of eight books by author Julia Quinn that were published from 2000-2008, then adopted by TV production goddess Shonda Rhimes in a deal announced in 2019. The Shondaland production company has pumped out shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and Scandal in addition to the good ship Bridgerton.
What’s the reaction been?
It’s an all-caps MASSIVE HIT for Netflix which is the reason it’s getting eight seasons when it’s all said and done, While it’s been nominated for plenty of awards, it hasn’t consistently taken home any of the big ones.
It’s averaging a decent 71 on Metacritic (75 for s1 and slowly downward every season afterward) with an 83/72 split on Rotten Tomatoes.
Are there actors the average TV watcher would recognize?
Jonathan Bailey and Julie Andrews (voice). The show features essentially all British actors so I’m sure there’s plenty of fans across the pond or stateside that adore the BBC that others would quickly recognize.
What’s the main plot in a sentence?
The evolution of a wealthy British family in the early 1800s among many other wealthy British families who are all trying to get their kids married in a very hoighty toighty manner (aka “society”).
How about another sentence?
A pulpy show about extremely attractive and extremely wealthy Brits having a lot of sex whilst drinking tea and plotting to get hitched despite not initially wanting to. Oh, and lots of gossip.
What’s the rewatchability factor?
Low, but when a new season drops, the numbers for the other seasons jump into the Netflix global top ten. I would assume there’s a decent rewatch rate for mega fans and shut-ins.
If you like these shows, you’ll like this one:
The Hunting Wives, The Great, any daytime or nighttime soap opera
Is this a first or second screen show?
For me, primarily second screen but there are plenty of episodes as each season closes that I leaned into more.
Should You Watch Bridgerton?
I’m a big proponent of palate cleanser shows, especially if you really lean in to a specific type of show a lot like I do. For me, Bridgerton is exactly that and couldn’t be any more different than my usual fare.
Part of that is the show looks like a million bucks or $7 million to be more precise as has been reported/rumored for the cost per episode. I saw one article list a $168 million budget, but have no idea if that’s accurate and if so, that’s a lot more than $7 million per. Regardless, it’s high end with no visible seams in terms of cutting corners.
Do I lean into the romantic aspects? No, I do not. But, it’s fun to see how they eventually get to the end goal which we all know is coming (marriage between that season’s focus) and the barriers put up between that couple to get there. Season four was pretty interesting in how they tackled the topic of nobles falling in love with staff help which is forbidden outside of a designation as a mistress and yes, I’m typing more on this subject than I ever thought I would.
There is plenty of eye roll moments, but those aren’t me for me, but the true romance heads that take this series in like warm biscuits and tea in the afternoon (IYKYK). There was a lot of that for me in season three which was my least favorite as it was hard to get into.
The world is also set in a bit of an alternate reality where everyone speaks in a British accent regardless of where they are from in the world and there is racial harmony. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it is interesting they haven’t tackled the topic of same-sex marriage…yet.
I write this all only as an observation and not of judgment as it doesn’t affect the viewing at all. I know when I watched Chernobyl and read where some viewers were hung up on how Russians all spoke with a British accent. There’s Scottish representation in Bridgerton, but there’s no traditional accents to be heard, for example.
There’s also the weird case of the couple from s1 that kicked this whole thing off, actors Rege-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor, just disappeared from the series altogether after that first season. Dynevor returned for five episodes in s2, but Page has never been seen from since and the couple was never referred to after s2. It’s bizarre, but Page has blown it off as that he did a job and then it was done. Dynevor has also pretty much done the same.
So, should you watch Bridgerton?
Yes. Depending on your favorite type of show, it might not be your cup of tea but with the right viewing partner(s), it’s not so bad.
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