From ‘Queen Charlotte’ to ‘Gossip Girl,’ here are some offerings to help fill the void until the hit Netflix series returns with season four.
When Bridgerton season three showrunner Jess Brownell told The Hollywood Reporter that fans would most likely have to wait another two years for season four, fans on social media were — understandably — in a frenzy.
“We are working to try and put the seasons out more quickly, but they do take eight months to film and then they have to be edited, and then they have to be dubbed into every language,” she explained. “And the writing takes a very long time as well, so we’re kind of on a two-year pace. We’re trying to speed up but somewhere in that range.”
That may seem like too long for fans to have to wait to get their next chapter of juicy gossip, intimate scenes and gorgeous costumes. But, in the meantime, there are other binge-worthy current and period dramas that are filled to the brim with romance and drama, for those who lust for more of the Shondaland hit.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’
India Amarteifio as Young Queen Charlotte
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There are few shows as much like Bridgerton as, well, a Bridgerton prequel: Queen Charlotte. The Netflix series, written by none other than Shonda Rhimes, takes place in the first days of Queen Charlotte’s (India Amarteifio) rule over the ‘Ton and her marriage to the mysteriously dashing young King George (Corey Mylchreest). The series is told in two timelines: the past, before the events of Bridgerton; and what’s unfolding in the present day between seasons two and three of the flagship series.
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‘The Crown’
From left: Olivia Colman, Imelda Staunton and Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II in ‘The Crown.’
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While Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte shine a fictionalized light on Queen Charlotte and King George III’s life together, The Crown focuses on a more recent royal family: Queen Elizabeth II’s. The Emmy-winning series’ six seasons tell the story of Britain’s present-day royals, starting with the early days of Queen Elizabeth’s reign to when Princess Diana entered the family and up until Prince William and Kate Middleton met at university.
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‘The Great’
Nicholas Hoult as Peter and Elle Fanning as Catherine in ‘The Great.’
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The Great may have occurred before the Regency era of Bridgerton, but the Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult-starring series is still a period piece featuring a strong woman in the forefront. The Hulu project follows Fanning’s Catherine the Great as she’s sent to 1700s Russia from Germany to marry Hoult’s Peter III, eventually plotting to kill her husband and becoming Russia’s longest-running female ruler. Though loosely based on the true story of Catherine the Great, the Emmy-nominated series is highly fictionalized.
04
‘Outlander’
Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan in ‘Outlander.’
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Outlander, like Bridgerton, is based on a series of historical romance novels and features steamy scenes aplenty that give the Bridgerton siblings a run for their money. The eight-season Starz show follows Caitríona Balfe’s Claire Randall, a former World War II nurse who is on her second honeymoon in Scotland with her husband when she is mysteriously taken back in time to the mid-1700s. There, she meets Sam Heughan’s Jamie Fraser, a Scottish Highland warrior, with whom she begins a passionate relationship, finding herself caught between two men. Thus far, the series based on Diana Gabaldon’s novels is the longest-running original in Starz history.
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‘Dickinson’
Hailee Steinfeld in ‘Dickinson.’
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Dickinson may be far from historically accurate, considering it features Hailee Steinfeld’s Emily Dickinson twerking to modern-day rap music and Wiz Khalifa appearing as Death, but the clothing is at least time-appropriate. Through the eyes of the now-famous poet, the Apple TV+ series explores themes of gender roles, sexual identity and artistic expression — taking place at the same time as Bridgerton but in America, instead of London. While Dickinson does incorporate some aspects of its time period, it also features modern music, language and references in its portrayal of historical events.
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‘Downton Abbey’
Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley in ‘Downton Abbey.’
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While Bridgerton takes place a century before Downton Abbey, the Britsh drama series follows the fictional elite Crawley family and their servants, complete with plenty of scandals, classism and historical references. It premiered in 2010 to immediate acclaim and has since spun off into two movies — Downton Abbey and Downton Abbey: A New Era — with another one in the works. The story begins with the 1912 sinking of the Titanic, leaving the family’s future in jeopardy, as their heir died aboard the ship and the search for a new one.
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‘Gossip Girl’
‘Gossip Girl’ cast
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Hey, Upper East Siders: Lady Whistledown may be the gossip columnist everyone is familiar with now, but before she came along, there was one who stood out ahead of the rest: Gossip Girl. The CW series launched the careers of stars like Blake Lively, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Leighton Meester and more. It follows six Upper East Side teenagers at an exclusive prep school, as an anonymous columnist constantly puts their lives on blast, starting in high school and all the way through their early 20s. Sound familiar?
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‘The Gilded Age’
Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon in ‘The Gilded Age’ in season two.
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While Bridgerton explored the rich in London, The Gilded Age takes a look at how the one percent lived in New York City’s high society that same century. The HBO series stars Cynthia Nixon, Christine Baranski, Carrie Coon, Morgan Specter, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton and more. It follows the conflicts surrounding the new-money Russell family and their old-money neighbors, the van Rhijn family, in the 1880s.
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‘Vanity Fair’
Johnny Flynn and Claudia Jessie in 2018’s ‘Vanity Fair.’
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There’s nothing like seeing the beloved actors behind the Bridgertons prior to their roles in Regency London. Claudia Jessie (Eloise Bridgerton) co-stars in Vanity Fair, the 2018 series based on the William Makepeace Thackeray novel of the same name. Vanity Fair follows Becky Sharp, portrayed by none other than House of the Dragon star Olivia Cooke, as she attempts to claw her way out of poverty into English high society amid the Napoleonic Wars in the early 1800s.
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‘Sanditon’
Rose Williams and Theo James in ‘Sanditon.’
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YA-heartthrob-turned-Emmy-contender Theo James stars alongside Rose Williams in Sanditon, the USA series based on Jane Austen’s final novel of the same name that was written only months before her death. The period drama follows Charlotte Heywood (Williams) as she moves to the quiet fishing village of Sanditon for a fresh start and meets Sidney Parker (James), who has ambitions to turn the seaside town into a luxury resort. Like Bridgerton, Sanditon also takes place in Regency-era England.
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‘Reign’
Will Kemp and Adelaide Kane in ‘Reign’ season four.
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Rose Williams also takes on a main role in The CW’s Reign, starring alongside Grey’s Anatomy star Adelaide Kane, Toby Regbo, Megan Follows, Torrance Coomb and more. The series follows Mary, Queen of Scotts (Kane), as she travels to France to secure her politically strategic engagement to the king’s son, Prince Francis (Regbo). While the two are attracted to each other, Mary also finds herself drawn to Francis’ brother, Bash (Coomb), further complicating matters.
