Bridgerton (2020) Review: Regency Romance With a Pop Beat

Is Bridgerton worth watching?

Yes. Bridgerton is lavish, knowing and very entertaining romantic escapism, a Regency drama that swaps stiff-collared restraint for colour, wit and string-quartet covers of pop songs. Its anthology-style structure, with a different sibling’s love story each season, keeps it fresh, and its strongest couples are genuinely swoony. The reservation is consistency: some seasons are much stronger than others, and the scandal-sheet framework that once felt playful now shows its seams.

What is Bridgerton about?

In an alternate, racially integrated version of Regency-era London, the eight Bridgerton siblings, raised by their widowed mother, Violet (Ruth Gemmell), navigate the marriage market of high society, known as the ton. Each season centres on one sibling’s courtship, while an anonymous gossip writer, Lady Whistledown, voiced by Julie Andrews, publishes a scandal sheet that can make or ruin reputations. Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) and the formidable Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) preside over the season’s intrigues, and Nicola Coughlan’s Penelope Featherington, a wallflower from a neighbouring family, becomes one of the series’ most important figures.

The central couples change as the series goes on. The first season follows eldest daughter Daphne; the second, eldest son Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley); the third, Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope; and the fourth, artistic second son Benedict (Luke Thompson), whose encounter with a mysterious woman at a masquerade ball leads him to Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), a maid with everything to lose.

Bridgerton was created by Chris Van Dusen for Shondaland, adapted from Julia Quinn’s novels. It is an American production in English. This review covers four seasons and 32 episodes; the series is ongoing, but each season’s romance is largely self-contained.

A period drama that refuses to be dusty

Bridgerton’s great achievement is tone. It treats its romances seriously while never pretending to be historically accurate, and its casting, costumes and set design create a candy-coloured fantasy of Regency England. The music, full of orchestral arrangements of contemporary pop hits, signals from the start that this is a modern fairy tale in period dress.

The show is also frank about desire, which set it apart from many period dramas when it arrived. Its romances focus on consent, longing and the pressures that shape women’s choices in a society that prizes reputation above all, and that gives the froth some bite.

Stronger couples, stronger seasons

The best seasons are the ones with the best chemistry. Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley’s enemies-to-lovers slow burn in the second season is a highlight, and the fourth season’s cross-class romance between Luke Thompson’s Benedict and Yerin Ha’s Sophie is among the show’s most tender, giving the familiar formula real ache. Nicola Coughlan brings wit and vulnerability to Penelope, whose storyline runs through the whole series.

The ensemble around the couples is a pleasure. Adjoa Andoh’s Lady Danbury is a scene-stealer, Golda Rosheuvel plays Queen Charlotte with imperious flair, and Claudia Jessie’s Eloise, a young woman impatient with the marriage market, provides a sharp counterpoint to the romance.

Where the formula shows

The show’s structure brings problems. Each season must introduce a new couple, and some pairings simply generate less heat than others. As the family grows, subplots multiply, and several seasons feel overstuffed, with secondary storylines that dilute the central romance. The gossip-sheet device that drives much of the intrigue has become predictable, and some storylines are resolved with contrivance rather than character.

Who should watch Bridgerton?

It suits romance fans, lovers of lush period drama and viewers who want warm escapism with a knowing wink. Four seasons of eight episodes on Netflix is a substantial but easy binge, and viewers can skip straight to a favourite couple, though the family story is best watched in order. It contains frequent sex scenes and nudity, so it suits adults and older teenagers.

If you want more like it:

• The Vampire Lestat, for lavish costume drama and romance with a more gothic, operatic streak.
• Succession, if the family power games are what hook you, though its wealthy dynasty is far colder.

Browse more romance series for similar escapism.

The verdict

Bridgerton is glamorous, witty and deeply romantic entertainment, a period drama that knows exactly what it is. Its seasons vary and its gossip machinery is showing its age, but its best couples and warm ensemble keep the formula alive.

Rating: 4/5