Diving Into Bridgerton

The prequel spinoff has lately proven itself a reliable way for networks to expand both the fictional universes and the financial lifetimes of their most beloved properties. Better Call Saul and House of the Dragon re-engaged fans of Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones after the latter shows came to an end, helping their networks retain those viewers. But other prequel spinoffs are released while the original show is still going ito offer demanding fans something to consume in between seasons — think Fear the Walking Dead and 1923. The upcoming Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story will be one such prequel, and there’s good reason for Netflix to pursue the strategy.

Bridgerton was a huge success when it first premiered on Christmas Day of 2020, winning viewers over with its telling of the Regency Era romance between Simon Basset and Phoebe Bridgerton. But the show and its fans were dealt a punishing blow when star Regé-Jean Page, the actor who plays Basset, announced he would not return for Season 2. The second season arrived more than a year after the first, focusing instead on the love life of a different member of the Bridgerton family, eldest brother Anthony. Though the show is still very popular without its former star, it’s facing more setbacks: earlier this year, rumors circulated that production of Season 3 was being delayed. Already a year out from the last premiere, Queen Charlotte will be pivotal in keeping Bridgerton in the TV conversation.

How beloved is Bridgerton by TV fans today, and why? Is it more or less popular today than it was when it first aired? And what other TV audiences should Netflix be marketing Queen Charlotte to in order to keep excitement for the series alive? We’re taking a deep dive into the show and its fan base to answer all these questions and more.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story premieres May 5 on Netflix.

What Do Fans Love About Bridgerton?

Bridgerton’s a very unique show with plenty of different attributes that might appeal to any given viewer. What’s it best known for? Its sizzling romance? Its cast full of great (and very attractive) actors? Its vibrant aesthetic? Or do people just love a good period romance?

The show’s rankings across Ranker’s thousands of TV lists indicate its a combination of all these factors, but it’s particularly true that the mystique of Regency England appears to have a hold on Bridgerton’s audience. The show is crowded by adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels on our list of The Greatest Period TV Shows Set In The Regency Era (9K votes). It sits at #3 behind British productions of Pride and Prejudice and Sanditon and ahead of the BBC’s 2008 version of Sense and Sensibility. Considering that Austen all but defines this genre of romance for modern viewers, that’s an impressive feat.

But it’s not just the era that appeals to viewers. Bridgerton ranks #2 on The Greatest TV Shows About Love & Romance (5K votes), beating out both long-running classics like Friends and Grey’s Anatomy and more recent hits like Euphoria and The Time Traveler’s Wife. On the more general The Best New TV Dramas Of The Last Few Years list (84K votes), Bridgerton is #6, ahead of both Squid Game and Yellowjackets.

Even though the show was nominated for an Emmy thanks to Page’s acting, the show has a more modest, yet still admirable ranking of #14 on New TV Shows Of The Last Few Years With The Best Overall Acting (10K). But perhaps the most important ranking for the show, at least as far as Netflix is concerned, is its #9 spot on The Best Shows Returning In 2023 (6K votes) — clearly TV fans are still excited for more Bridgerton.

#2 - The Greatest TV Shows About Love & Romance (5K votes)

#3 - The Greatest Period TV Shows Set In The Regency Era (9K votes)

#6 - The Best New TV Dramas Of The Last Few Years list (84K votes)

#8 - The Best New Netflix Originals Of The Last Few Years (55K votes)

#12 - The Best Shows Returning In 2023 (6K votes)

#14 - New TV Shows Of The Last Few Years With The Best Overall Acting (10K votes)

Is Bridgerton Gaining Momentum?

Given the behind-the-scenes hiccups that have stalled this popular show in the past, it seems worth asking whether the second season was more or less buzzworthy than the first. Did the departure of Regé-Jean Page hurt the popularity of the series, or did it soldier on without its star?

We used Ranker’s Renewability Scale to answer this question, looking at the few months following the release of both seasons to compare how many votes the show was getting during both periods. The results suggest that while Bridgerton remained a worthwhile use of Netflix’s formidable budget, the show became less renewable after the release of Season 2.

Both Seasons 1 (released December 2020) and 2 (released March 2022) saw big increases in total votes cast for the show during the first full month of their release, then saw those totals taper downward in the following months. That’s typical for shows that release all episodes of new seasons at once, like many Netflix series do, as opposed to one episode a week. But what Season 1 lacked in month-over-month growth it made up for in total vote volume, getting nearly 1,000 votes across 14 different lists in January 2021. Season 2 also had impressive vote totals, but not the same levels enjoyed by the series debut. The first season also was viewed more positively by voters, with 79% of all votes cast during the first three months of Bridgerton’s time on the air indicating positive sentiment; the first three months after the Season 2 premiere, votes for the show were 62% positive.

Does this mean Bridgerton’s future is in trouble? Absolutely not: rhe series still boasts impressive standings on competitive lists, even though it’s been more than a year since we saw anything new from the Bridgerton universe. But it does put more pressure on Queen Charlotte to engage viewers who have never been quite as excited about the show as they were when it premiered.

Who’s Reaching Bridgerton Fans?

Though Bridgerton hasn’t been reaching fans with new episodes in the last year, many other shows have. Using Ranker Insights, we’ve pulled a few shows that appeal to Bridgerton fans in the hopes of helping Netflix identify the audiences most likely to check out Queen Charlotte as we approach the spinoff’s premiere.

HULU

One of Netflix’s biggest competitors, Hulu has plenty of original series that often steal the attention of Bridgerton fans. One of those shows is another period drama with a modern twist: The Great, the series that tells the mostly true story of Russian empress Catherine the Great and is 4X more likely to appeal to Bridgerton fans. Also of interest to those who adore Shondaland’s adaptation of the Bridgerton novels is Little Fires Everywhere, a dramatic miniseries starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington that Bridgerton fans are 3X more likely to love. Finally, the wildly popular dystopia The Handmaid’s Tale is 2X more likely to appeal to Bridgerton’s audience.

These viewers love Bridgerton and… The Great, Little Fires Everywhere, The Handmaid’s Tale

AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

Among the properties of Amazon’s video streaming platform that appeal to Bridgerton fans is Upload, the inventive comedy from The Office creator Greg Daniels — a significant number of people who upvoted Bridgerton on The Best Original Streaming Shows Of The Last Few Years also upvoted Upload. The same goes for Carnival Row, though our target audience also voted up the fantasy noir show starring Orlando Bloom on The Best New Series That Have Premiered In The Last Few Years (254K votes). The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is another Amazon show that’s more likely to get positive attention from Bridgerton fans, and is likely getting a lot of it this very moment — the show is currently in the midst of its fifth and final season.

These viewers love Bridgerton and… Upload, Carnival Row, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

HBO

The fact that HBO, which has a reputation for highbrow programming, offers so many shows that appeal to Bridgerton fans indicates our target audience has sophisticated taste. Those who love Bridgerton are 3X more likely to love Big Little Lies, the drama that shares a star with Little Fires Everywhere in Reese Witherspoon. Two other critically acclaimed HBO dramas with plenty of A-list starpower are 2X more likely to be beloved by those who like Bridgerton: Mare of Easttown, a mystery series fronted by Kate Winslet, and The Undoing, a miniseries that stars Hugh Grant and Nicole Kidman. All these shows were “Liked” by users of our Watchworthy app who also like Bridgerton.

These viewers love Bridgerton and… Big Little Lies, Mare of Easttown, The Undoing

These stories are crafted using Ranker Insights, which takes over one billion votes cast on Ranker.com and converts them into actionable psychographics about pop culture fans across the world. To learn more about how our Ranker Insights can be customized to serve your business needs, visit insights.ranker.com, or email us at [email protected].