By: Makayla Cook
By now, most people have at least heard of Netflix’s new show, Bridgerton. On Christmas day of 2020, the now popular show made its premiere. However, it was not until recently that it has become well-known and recommended by word of mouth, through social media, and by reviews of it flooding the web.
Some may question if this show is really worth their time, after all, there’s only one season out. Shows on the platform such as Sense8, Between, and Chambers were also extremely hyped up but then turned out to be a flop. Will Bridgerton have the same fate and is it worth binge-watching?
Now sitting on Netflix’s top 10, the show has also earned a 7.4 on IMDb, 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 96% “liked this TV show” on Netflix. Taking place during the Regency Era in England, Bridgerton focuses on one well off family consisting of eight siblings and a widowed mother.
Specifically, it follows the life of Daphne, the oldest female Bridgerton, and her journey to find love. Due to her father’s death, her older brother, Anthony, takes on the duty as the man of the house while helping Daphne pick a suitable spouse.
Throughout the show, the audience is taken through all of the gossip and drama mostly stirred up by a mysterious writer known as Lady Whistledown. This writer, an unnamed lady of which no one in the town knows the true identity, seems to be everywhere all of the time.
Lady Whistledown’s articles are distributed routinely, having all of the townsmen waiting anxiously to read up on the latest scandal. It leaves the audience playing detective; trying to piece together the puzzle in order to reveal the instigator’s identity.
In a review by the New York Times, James Poniewozik, takes on the task of assessing the show’s fun, modern, twists on everyday things that happened during this era in England.
“It adds up to a reliable story in fancy modern packaging. But the old-newness of ‘Bridgerton’ is a kind of statement in itself. On the one hand, this is not your great-great-great grandmother’s Regency romance. On the other, it suggests that maybe your great-great-great-grandmother was not as different from you as you think,” wrote Poniewozik.
In another review by author Linda Holmes of NPR, the show is described as “a delicious, raunchy tale of one very hot family.” The review additionally points out how Bridgerton earned its TV rating of TV-MA. This content rating was given to the show due to its depiction of sex, nudity, language, and smoking, making it suitable only for mature audiences.
“If you are the kind of person who is uncomfortable watching enthusiastic sex scenes with members of your family, be forewarned about a holiday sit-down with this one. Let it be known I warned you about all the butts, if this causes problems with your household,” Holmes wrote.
Bridgerton is sure to leave the audience on the edge of their seat, possibly holding a box of tissues. The experiences of death, marriage, scandals, and mystery have made the show a perfect series to binge in all of two days.
To put it simply, this show is definitely worth watching. I finished the eight-episode series in less than a day and when I did finish I was disappointed and sad. I had finished such a great show in such a short time and now, like many others, I have to wait for its continuation.
I am not usually a big fan of romance or gossip but because of the eloquent manner in which this show was directed, I made an exception. Not to mention Regé-Jean Page, the British actor that plays the Duke of Hastings, is a joy to watch on screen with both his acting and handsome appearance.
Fans of the show will be pleased to know that it has been confirmed that there will be a second season. According to the Forbes website, filming for the next season will begin this upcoming Spring. As the show is based on Julia Quinn’s book series, it is rumored that the second season will correlate with the second book, “The Viscount Who Loved Me”.
In the meantime, fans are able to start and catch up on other popular Netflix series such as You, Stranger Things, 13 Reasons Why, Shameless, and All American, to name a few. Waiting for the next season in such a captivating show can be complete torcher,but as Lady Whistledown may have put it, “desperate times may call for desperate measures”.