Is “Bridgerton” all that It’s Cracked Up to be?

By Allison Schroeder
Web Content Contributor

Are you tired of watching the same shows over and over, or are you looking to branch out of your favorite genres into something new? If so, I have a recommendation for you!

This season’s biggest hit, “Bridgerton,” has taken the world by storm and has already been renewed for a second season.

“Bridgerton” combines romance, mystery, 19th century Britain, interesting character dynamics, and many intricate costumes that could make any theatre or costume design major incredibly happy.

The series is an escape from your everyday life, you can watch it in a day, a weekend, or even in a week.  The first season consists of eight episodes, ranging from a minimum of 57 minutes an episode to a maximum time of just over an hour. Beware, this series is addicting, and you might end up watching the entire season in one sitting.

The main premise of the show is based upon Julia Quinn’s book series “Bridgerton.”  The series follows Daphne Bridgerton on her quest to find a suitable husband, but it goes awry when the Duke of Hastings arrives in London while Daphne’s brother has his mindset on a specific kind of husband she should have.

The Netflix official trailer sets the perfect tone for the series’ first season:

As you can see throughout the trailer, the characters have incredibly detailed costumes.  According to Harper’s Bazaar, “there were about 7,500 costume pieces” and over a hundred costume changes for Phoebe Dynevor’s character Daphne Bridgerton. 

Each family has its own style or color scheme. For instance, the Bridgerton family wears blue and the Featherington family wears green.  The colors seem to represent a family’s status, alliance, or even character dynamics.

Each family introduced tends to have its own storyline, as seen throughout the series with the Bridgerton family, the Featherington’s, the Duke’s, and even the Queen and her husband. 

Although this first season focuses on Daphne and the Duke, you can see dynamics between each character, and this is vital for television shows to survive as we can see through the series’ producer, Shonda Rhimes’ earlier work on “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” and “Scandal.”

Rhimes has been consistent in being able to keep her television shows running for extended periods through character developments like introducing characters and their story and tying them into the main picture.  For example, in this show, we watch as the Duke goes from a closed-off and hate-filled persona to a caring and loving man.

I foresee this series lasting for at least a couple more years, considering how quickly this series took popularity amongst many different age groups.  The characters have an extensive amount of growth they can make within the next season and potentially more seasons.

Featured image by Allison Schroeder.