Get your fans out for the hot historical romance: The Netflix series “Bridgerton” is very popular. New figures from the streaming service show how well the series – and especially the third season – is doing.
The American costume series “Bridgerton” is becoming one of Netflix’s biggest successes ever. All three seasons are in the top ten of the most successful English-language series (category “Most Popular TV (English)”).
The third and latest season has already garnered more views than the second season, which was released in spring 2022. Season three focuses on the “wallflower” Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), who has long been known to fans, and her love story with Colin, the Bridgertons’ third son.
All three “Bridgerton” seasons together have already achieved a total of more than 307 million views worldwide (as of July 21). According to the latest figures, the third “Bridgerton” season, released in two parts on May 16 and June 13, has so far achieved 100.3 million views (figure published on Tuesday evening (CEST)).
So-called views are hours watched divided by the total running time. Season two has 93.8 million views, season one 113.3 million views. The fourth season may not be shown until 2026. It is said to be about the love story of the bon vivant and second eldest Bridgerton offspring Benedict (Luke Thompson).
Netflix maintains four top 10 lists for different categories (for “film” – English-language and non-English-language, and for “TV” – meaning series – English-language and non-English-language). They are based on the views in the first 91 days. The international streaming service does not disclose other long-term viewing figures.
“Bridgerton” probably has more fans than “Stranger Things”
For comparison with “Bridgerton”: Of the science fiction mystery hit “Stranger Things”, only seasons three and four made it into the list of the best English-language series, which Netflix, based in Los Gatos, California, last updated on Tuesday. A total of 235.5 million views were registered for these two seasons in the first three months of each. The fifth and final season of the enigmatic retro series is expected for 2025.
In first place in the category in which “Bridgerton” and “Stranger Things” are listed is the 2022 comedy-horror series “Wednesday” with 252 million views. It has only had one season so far. The second season, starring Jenna Ortega, is currently in production and will probably be released in 2025.
“Bridgerton” is also famous for colorblind casting
The first season of “Bridgerton” was released on Christmas 2020. The series, created by Chris Van Dusen and produced by Shonda Rhimes, is set in a fictional 19th century London. It is about love affairs and balls in British high society, which are observed and commented on by the mysterious author Lady Whistledown. The series is based on a series of novels by the American author Julia Quinn.
“Bridgerton” is one of the most prominent examples of the practice of so-called colorblind casting. In other words, non-white actors play roles that would previously have been cast with white people due to supposed historical accuracy.
“Bridgerton” brings Netflix more customers
Just a few days ago, video streaming market leader Netflix was able to announce that it had gained a good eight million customer households in the last quarter – probably also because of “Bridgerton”. Netflix now has around 278 million customer households worldwide.
Since last year, the service has been cracking down on password sharing. This is also driving the growth in user numbers, as many previous free riders have taken out their own subscriptions instead of turning their backs on Netflix.
The streaming giant spends around $17 billion a year on series, films and live broadcasts. Netflix is profitable, while competitors like Disney and Paramount are struggling to get their streaming services out of the red.
Netflix sees an advantage in having films and series produced in different countries. They reach high audience numbers in their home markets – and some even become international hits.
A prime example of this is the South Korean series “Squid Game”, the second season of which is scheduled to air in 2024. In the list of the best non-English language series, the production is by far the most successful with 265.2 million views.
Netflix: Bridgerton
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
