Bridgerton

Prior to the debut of its first season, the show had already commenced pre-production for its second installment, officially confirmed in January 2021. The upcoming season will center on the character of Anthony, drawing inspiration from the book “The Viscount Who Loved Me.” Creator Van Dusen took to Twitter on April 13, 2021, to announce not only the renewal for a third season but also the greenlighting of a fourth season.

Season 3:

In a departure from the previous two seasons, which adhered closely to the book series’ sequence, the third season will shift its focus to Colin, drawing from Julia Quinn’s fourth novel, “Romancing Mister Bridgerton.” Jess Brownell is set to take the reins as the writer and showrunner for both the third and fourth seasons.

Production

Casting

Diverging from the original series of novels, “Bridgerton” unfolds within an alternate historical context, portraying a London where racial integration is prevalent. People of color hold positions within the ton, some even bearing titles conferred by the monarch. Creator Chris Van Dusen drew inspiration from the historical discourse surrounding Queen Charlotte’s contested African ancestry claims in the 1940s.

He envisioned a narrative where Queen Charlotte’s mixed-race heritage not only had widespread recognition but also wielded transformative power for Black individuals and other people of color in England. Van Dusen clarified that the series doesn’t adopt a “color-blind” approach, as it acknowledges and incorporates considerations of color and race into its storytelling.

Filming

Principal photography for “Bridgerton” commenced in July 2019 and concluded in late February 2020. Filming took place in various locations across England, including London and Bath, as well as at numerous estates and parks. While the series is set in London, many street scenes were filmed in Bath, York, and Chatham. Notable locations included Wilton House for Hyde Park, Somerley for Hampstead Heath, and Painshill near Cobham for garden scenes.

Additional filming sites encompassed Ranger’s House, Halton House at RAF Halton, Syon House, Badminton House, Castle Howard, Coneysthorpe, Hampton Court Palace, Lancaster House, Holburne Museum, Hatfield House, No. 1 Royal Crescent, Queen’s House, Dorney Court, and more. Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens was recreated using Castle Howard and Stowe Park, while Chatham Dockyard served as the backdrop for various scenes, including Lady Featherington’s visit to the slums.

The production featured authentic venues such as the Reform Club on Pall Mall, Chatham Dockyard, Normansfield Theatre, Hackney Empire, Pickled Greens café in Bath, and more. The costume department, led by Ellen Mirojnick, crafted over 5,000 costumes with the help of a team of over two hundred individuals, preparing for five months. Filming for the second season began in March 2021, with additional locations including Wrotham Park, West Wycombe Park, Wrest Park, Ivinghoe Beacon, Ashridge, the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club, Old Royal Naval College, Windsor Great Park, Goldsmiths’ Hall, Wilton’s Music Hall, and others.

Release

The inaugural season of Bridgerton, comprising eight episodes, debuted on Netflix on December 25, 2020. A glimpse of season 2 was unveiled during Netflix’s Tudum: Extended Talent Panel in September 2021, followed by the release of first look stills. The first teaser trailer for the second season premiered on February 14, 2022. The season’s world premiere took place at Tate Modern in London, England, on March 22, 2022, preceding the release of its eight episodes on March 25, 2022.

Jonathan Bailey, due to his three-month commitment as the lead in the acclaimed West End play Cock, was unable to participate in various promotional activities for the show, including press events, talk shows, FYC events, and the Met Gala.

Audience viewership

On January 27, 2021, Netflix revealed that 82 million households had tuned into at least two minutes of the season, accumulating a staggering 625 million hours viewed. This milestone marked Bridgerton as the most-watched original series launch on the platform at the time of its premiere, though it was later surpassed by Squid Game in October 2021. According to Caroline Framke of Variety, the series’ immense popularity was attributed to its well-timed release on Christmas Day 2020, offering a blend of light-hearted and captivating entertainment amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Season 2 made its debut on March 25, 2022, claiming the top spot in 92 countries on Netflix and dominating television screens in the United States for three consecutive weeks, as per Nielsen Media Research. The season garnered 193 million viewing hours in its opening weekend, setting a new record for any English-language Netflix series. It continued to break records, accumulating 251.74 million viewing hours in a single week from March 28 to April 3, while the first season re-entered Netflix’s top ten rankings. By April 19, the second season had surpassed its predecessor, becoming the most-watched English-language television series on Netflix with 627.11 million hours viewed since its launch. This figure climbed to 656.16 million by the 28-day mark.

Nielsen Media Research reported that Bridgerton’s audience composition was diverse and widespread, with one-third of viewers identified as Hispanic or African American. The series displayed popularity across various age demographics, with an even distribution among the 18–34, 35–49, and 50–64 age groups. Female viewers constituted the majority, comprising 76% of the audience. In its second week, the series accumulated an additional 3.2 billion minutes viewed, retaining its dominance on the charts for a third consecutive week with 1.6 billion minutes viewed.