On Christmas Day, the new Netflix drama Bridgerton was released. The show was produced by Shonda Rhimes, who you may know as the brilliant mind behind shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. The show was based on a book series by Julia Quinn.
The first season has a total of 8 episodes, ranging from about 45 minutes to an hour. The series itself takes place in Regency in 1818, during the reign of King George III and his wife, Queen Charlotte. It is centered around Daphne Bridgerton as the main character, who is the daughter of Lord and Lady Bridgerton.
The premise revolves around the idea of debutante balls and early marriages. Daphne is the oldest female in her family, and the show begins with her coming of age to start looking for a husband. The twist of the show is that there is someone in London who is writing anonymously about all of the town’s drama. Think Gossip Girl, but for high society Brits in the 1800s instead of high society New Yorkers in the 2000s. The author of the newsletters going around town goes under the pseudonym Lady Whistledown, who is voiced by Julie Andrews, by the way.
Half of the show is dedicated to Daphne trying to find the most acceptable man to marry, while also looking for a true emotional attachment. I don’t want to go into details, but Daphne finds herself with many men at her fingertips, but none of them seem to stick.
Since vacation was pretty boring for me, I watched this show in its entirety. Okay, to be fair, the show was actually one of the most interesting watches of 2020 for me. It was really good. I love period dramas, and Gossip Girl is one of my favorite shows to date, so how could I resist? It truly did feel like a scandalous romance novel, which of course, it was, and I was really upset once I finished the last episode. It wasn’t a bad ending or anything of the sort, I am just ready for more. I would recommend this show to anyone who enjoys romance and drama, it really is worth at least watching the first episode. If you’re anything like me, you’ll get invested pretty quickly.