When the first season ofBridgertonhit Netflix in December 2020, it was exactly what we needed. After a nightmarish year, to be gifted the lightest, silliest romantic TV show was perfectly timed. Set in the Regency era, we were first introduced to the large Bridgerton family through Daphne, played by Phoebe Dynevor, a dazzling young debutante entering the marriage market. Her love story with Simon (Regé-Jean Page) progresses as the first season plays out, all while there is amysterious Gossip Girl-esque figurereporting on London’s rumors. Each subsequent season — including the recent limited seriesQueen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story— follows a new Bridgerton sibling (or other popular supporting character) on their own romantic adventure.
With Shondaland, the production company behind several hit shows such asGrey’s AnatomyandHow to Get Away With Murder, at its helm,Bridgertonis in good hands. It gracefully walks the line between drama that is entertaining and amusing but never becomes overly campy to the point that it’s hard to care about the outcome. One of the important factors in this balancing act is the show’s combination of classic period drama sensibilities that have been updated and combined with forward-thinking preferences. This expert blend of tradition and modernity results in a show that is both deeply romantic and binge-able.
Diverse Casting Allows Escapism for All
One of the most obvious ways in whichBridgertonhas been updated for our 21st Century preferences is the casting of actors of color despite the context of the show, and its source material. This is not to say there were no people of color in England at this time — this is a common misconception — but theBridgertonuniverse has imagined a history in which they would face little to no racism. Additionally, the source novels were a lot less diverse than the show. One example of this is Kate Sharma, played bythe wonderful Simone Ashley, who was white in the book and her name was originally Kate Sheffield.
This is significant because it enables the show to be the same source of escapism and joy for all its viewers rather than just its white audience, which is so often presumed to be the default. Speaking toNetflixabout the decision to make the Sharmas an Indian family, Shonda Rhimes explains, “I wanted to ensure that if you are watchingBridgertonfrom another country, you’re not thinking to yourself, ‘Well, this has nothing to do with me.'” It’s a simple adjustment but one that makes a huge difference to countless viewers.
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It Understands the Romantic Power of Dance
Bridgertonwouldn’t be what it was if it didn’t also emphasize certain period elements of its story. Significantly, the show understands the intoxicating way dance can be used to display conflict, tension, and romance without words. Of course, we still do plenty of dancing in today’s society, but the set structure that Regency-era balls had comes with its own set of rules and consequences. The selection of a dance partner, the ability to touch more intimately, and forced (or desired) proximity all bring pre-existing tension into brighter light.
Romances require some kind of obstacle between the central couple to work, if they could get together right away there would be no story. The beauty of period dramas is that historical settings provide a bounty of limitations for love interests that don’t exist in the present day. With this, comes the importance of dances and balls, which are a way to cut through the layers of social propriety. The fact that dances inBridgertonare often paired with their orchestral reimaginings of modern pop songs exemplifies the past and present combination that makes it work so well.
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Just the Right Balance of Modern Humor
Another way in whichBridgertonuses Recency social conventions to its advantage is with its humor. The constraints of politeness and duty make for easy moments of sarcasm and manners-based comedy. A similar style can be seen in thework of Jane Austen, whose humor is sharp and witty. She used her comedy predominantly to critique the Regency era’s social conventions, but here marks the difference between Austen andBridgerton. Their vantage points for what they’re writing about are vastly different, with Austen living in the time and theBridgertonwriters being in the present day.
From a modern perspective, it’s clear that there’s humor in such a mannered and structured society, soBridgertonis able to make its comedy broader and more obvious. Additionally, there are major differences between Austen’s stories and the show in terms of content,Bridgertonis a lot more explicit and this also opens up new avenues of comedy. By building upon the familiar Austenian style,Bridgertonis also able to appeal to those who are less familiar with decoding her sly wit. There are jokes for bothfans of period dramasas well as viewers who tend to watch modern media. By combining the two, the show’s sense of humor is fresh to both sides of its audience.
