Prepare your best porcelain! Bridgerton is roaring back for the second season, Netflix announced on Thursday.
The streamer confirmed the long-awaited renewal with a “letter” from the infamous gossip on the show Lady Whistledown, which notes that the 2nd season’s production of the exuberant period drama – created by Chris Van Dusen and adapted from Julia Quinn’s bestselling novels – start this spring. The letter also provokes that “Lord Anthony Bridgerton intends to dominate the social season”, a hint that the second season will follow book 2 of the series of Quinn, The viscount who loved me, which focuses on the romantic exploits of Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey).
The sassy and racially inclusive drama of the Regency era drew the eyes of 63 million projected families in its first four weeks, making it the fifth largest original Netflix series behind The magician Season 1, Lupine Season 1, part 1, Money Heist Part 4 and Tiger King. The inaugural series of the Shondaland / Netflix deal by executive producer Shonda Rhimes, Bridgerton launched on Christmas Day and quickly reached the Top 10 of the streaming service.
Just like Quinn’s books, Bridgerton follows eight attractive and wealthy brothers and their loving widowed mother, Viscountess Violet (Ruth Gemmell), as they lean on each other and seek romance and a life of their own. The Bridgertons’ plans – good, bad or ugly – are obsessively monitored and reported on by Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews), the writer hidden behind London’s ravenously consumed gossip rag. Viewers found out who she really is at the end of the first season’s eight episodes, but the nobles within this fictionalized version of 19th century London are still no wiser.
The first season was based on book 1, The duke and me, and followed the initially feigned and eventually fiery courtship, love affair and marriage between Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor, Younger) and the Duke of Hastings, Simon Basset (Rege-Jean Page).
But don’t just take our word for it. Feel free to read the Whistledown scandal sheet yourself:
TVLine’s Streaming Scorecard has been updated to reflect the news. Bridgerton fans, access the comments below and share your thoughts on the renewal.