From our friends at PopTonic:
Bridgerton might have been an overnight sensation, but it could turn into an eight-season run — at least according to the creator of the popular show.
The show, produced by Shonda Rhimes, hit Netflix on Christmas Day. The steamy Regency romance tells the story of the Bridgerton clan, a family created by romance novelist Julia Quinn. Although season 1 of the show takes inspiration from Quinn’s whole series of novels, it is mainly focused on the first book, The Duke and I.
Can’t get enough? Check out all of our Bridgerton content here!
As the period drama became an international hit, fans have been clamoring for more. How could they not? It’s flashy, salacious, and — dare I say — a modern take on the “marriage market” that dominated Regency England society.
It’s got all the drama of Gossip Girl, with a touch of Jane Austen-approved dialogue and 19th-century brocade.
Of course, it’s no secret that Bridgerton is a huge hit. Netflix recorded its biggest Christmas week in the streaming service’s history, in large part thanks to Bridgerton. The new Regency-era romance drama has already reached over 63 million households. It even reached the No. 1 spot overall in 76 countries, and reached the top 10 in every country except Japan.
The show is so popular that it’s sparked a renewed interest in Regency-era fashion. Online searches for empire line dresses, corsets, long gloves, and feather headbands are through the roof.
Now, the internet is all abuzz with rumors that we could see more of the books adapted in the series — and hopefully, all eight of them.
Even with how wildly popular Bridgerton has been, Netflix has yet to officially announce plans for a second season. Seems odd, but perhaps they just haven’t had time yet. The show just hit the streaming service last month, after all.
In any case, Bridgerton showrunner Chris Van Dusen has given us all hope that we will see more Bridgerton — possibly seven more seasons.
“This being a family of eight children and there being eight books, I would love to be able to focus and really tell stories and love stories for all the Bridgerton siblings. For each character, for sure,” Van Dusen said during an interview with Collider.
When asked, “So, you want eight seasons?” Van Dusen replied, “I would love that. In success, I would love that.”
Apparently, Van Dusen loves Bridgerton and Quinn’s novels just as much as the rest of us. During the same interview, he revealed that he actually devoured the books in record time.
Van Dusen had been working on another Shonda Rhimes show, Scandal. He knew he wanted to do something completely different for his next project, and that’s when Rhimes introduced him to Quinn’s books.
“Shonda told me about these books, and I took them home that night. I read the first book that night, the second one the second night, the third and fourth and so on,” he revealed.
Van Dusen continued, “I just devoured them. I was immediately addicted and entranced by these books. I fell in love with them. They were funny, they were emotional, they were sexy, they were charming. They had this delightful family at the center of them, but most of all, they afforded me an escape. I think an escape was exactly what I was looking for at the time, and I think it’s also what audiences are kind of creating right now as well.”
So, will we see eight seasons?
It might be difficult, considering some of Julia Quinn’s books happen concurrently for the most part. That means that some of the juicy drama unfolds in the same social season.
Even still, the popularity of the show, paired with 8 books worth of inspiration and a very excited showrunner, points to more Bridgerton on the horizon.
