Love is in the air which means its a war out there. Or at least it is in the trailer for the new Netflix show, Bridgerton. From Shondaland, the production company behind Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How To Get Away with Murder, and Station 19, comes a new show set in regency England, where the goal is to get married off and avoid appearing Lady Whistledown’s gossip column as much as possible.
There’s a lot going on in the trailer and in the show so we’ll let the synopsis do the talking:
From Shondaland and Creator Chris Van Dusen, Bridgerton follows Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor), the eldest daughter of the powerful Bridgerton family as she makes her debut onto Regency London’s competitive marriage market. Hoping to follow in her parent’s footsteps and find a match sparked by true love, Daphne’s prospects initially seem to be unrivaled. But as her older brother begins to rule out her potential suitors, the high society scandal sheet written by the mysterious Lady Whistledown casts aspersions on Daphne. Enter the highly desirable and rebellious Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), committed bachelor and the catch of the season for the debutantes’ mamas. Despite proclaiming that they want nothing the other has to offer, their attraction is undeniable and sparks fly as they find themselves engaged in an increasing battle of wits while navigating society’s expectations for their future.
Bridgerton is a romantic, scandalous, and quick-witted series that celebrates the timelessness of enduring friendships, families finding their way, and the search for a love that conquers all. The series also stars Golda Rosheuvel, Jonathan Bailey, Luke Newton, Claudia Jessie, Nicola Coughlan, Ruby Barker, Sabrina Bartlett, Ruth Gemmell, Adjoa Andoh, Polly Walker, Ben Miller, Bessie Carter and Harriet Cains and Julie Andrews as the voice of Lady Whistledown.
The series is based on Julia Quinn’s beloved and popular Bridgerton romance series, which featured eight books where each book focused on a different Bridgerton child finding love and getting married (laid, they get laid). The show’s first season seems to focus on the first book The Duke and I.
Quarantine’s been weird for everybody and I got really into romance novels. (What? You had your baking phase. Let me live.) Knowing about the adaptation and that my Derry Girl fav Nicola Coughlan would be in it, I decided to check out the series. While the books aren’t Shakspeare, they are very steamy and entertaining.
Like most tv shows based on books, I doubt the series will follow its source material closely if at all, past the basic story set up. Which is a real bummer as my favorite character, the very sweet and plump sad sack Penelope has a wonderful transformation story in the fourth book Romancing Mr. Bridgerton. It looks like her love interest (no spoilers) is getting a different story which will only impact Penelope as well. Don’t you hate when that happens?
Bridgerton will premiere on Netflix December 25th. Watch the trailer below.
