I’m starting to see ads for the third season of Bridgerton and I’m not sure if I’m excited or not. I very much enjoyed Season One but struggled with the choices made in Season Two. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton is my favorite in the series and, thus far, the chemistry between Colin and Penelope has been underwhelming.
Additionally, I have another concern: I’m a teeny weeny bit worried that Bridgerton’s world, one invented by Shonda Rhimes and Julia Quinn, won’t make sense to me. It might–it did in the first season. But, in the second season, its viability began to dim and I’ve been thinking about why.
In today’s storytelling–we talk about this in historical romance endlessly–there’s a definite trend: history improved with diversity, worlds that didn’t quite exist in real life. Bridgerton encompasses this perfectly–it’s a wonderful Regency realm with a gorgeous, riveting Black queen who brilliantly rules Regency England, a nation with a kalidescope of faces.
In Bridgerton, every race, in general, lives side by side harmoniously, regardless of historical accuracy.On the surface, that’s a lovely, lovely visage. But, when I think too hard about it–and, yes, I really don’t need to but I just can’t help myself–it makes me uneasy.
The show, for example, acknowledges slavery but doesn’t explain what that means for its multiracial world. I’m happy to live in a fantasy but I’d like to understand what its rules are. And yes, I understand that the lack of historical accuracy is in no small part the point of TV’s Bridgerton, but I don’t quite understand what what the show is trying to imply. Is it upgrading the past? Ignoring it? Are we supposed to think race matters hugely and that by validating a world without racism we are doing the right thing? Is it showing a world with messy world-building because humanity is inherently messy? Or, as will discomfit me, is it inconsistently limned?
I’m not sure.
I’ll be watching the first episode when it drops on May 16th. I do love Nicola Coughlan and I need smart escapism in my life. But, if the world building makes me think I shouldn’t think, I’m not sure I’ll enjoy it as much as I’d like.
Are you excited? Do you think it will work for you?
After they butchered the story in S2? Nope. I find it hard to believe JQ was okay with what they did to her story – but eh, she’s getting a wad of cash and much higher name recognition than she’s ever had. She hasn’t published a new book (I’m not counting the Queen Charlotte adaptation) in years, her last series wasn’t all that, and authors gotta eat and pay bills like the rest of us.
It was so exciting, when the project was announced, to think we were at last getting a costume drama that wasn’t another Austen (etc.) adaptation and that an actual romance novel was going to provide the source material, but it’s been pretty disappointing really. I’m sure it’s found its fans among the TV crowd and those who’ve never read the books, but I won’t be bothering with S3.
Ironically, last night I sat down to rewatch Season 2 (which, and I will argue this soon, I absolutely loved despite many flaws), and my husband happened to take a seat next to me. He noticed the diversity of the cast and asked if this was some kind of “modern take” on a period piece. I said that yes, it did have modern touches such as the contemporary music it uses and the lavishly modern costumes, but that I believed the diversity was more a very well executed effort to be inclusive and make for a richer cast and story. No downside. Personally, I view these series as 1000% escapism/fantasy and have absolutely NO desire to have any of the negatives of that time period put into the story, examined or in any other way recognized. I do understand that this probably marks me negatively in some way (entitled, ignorant, putting my head in the sand), but for me it’s simply a matter of not wanting someone to dump salt on my lovely crème brulée. I just want to watch pretty people fall in love.
I was meh on season 1 of Bridgerton but really liked season 2. (I hear you on the story changes, but I loved the chemistry between Anthony and Kate — those long, smoldering glances from across the room!) I’m definitely going to watch season 3, but I don’t have super high expectations. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton actually wasn’t one of my favorite books in the series (unpopular opinion, I know), and I’m not super impressed so far by the actor playing Colin. But as I said, I’m definitely on board to watch!
Bath and Body Works has a Bridgerton Collection that looks pretty. It’s got candles, soaps, lotions, hand sanitizers and more. (They are at Amazon) I might try the Diamond of the Season or Bridgerton Study Scents. I will probably watch an episode of Season 3 and then we’ll see. I also want to watch Wallbanger by Alice Clayton that’s comes out on Passionflix next week and Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (out now on Showtime)
I just finished, for the first time, Band of Brothers. It was so good–I’m at a loss to think of what to watch next!
It sure has good reviews. I think I saw David Schwimmer (Ross from Friends) in a trailer!
He is in a couple of episodes (as a terrible officer whose men don’t trust him!) – it’s a terrific series all round. We haven’t watched it since it came out but maybe its time for a re-watch.
It is full of stars–if there is a main character, it’s played by a young Damian Lewis. But you’ll see Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender, Jimmy Fallon, Andrew Scott, James McAvoy, Simon Pegg, and more!
we loved it too, just saw it for the first time.
So inspiring. It made me somewhat ashamed to be a boomer–we have not been the Greatest Generation by any mark.
A Gentleman in Moscow got off to an excellent start – we’re getting an episode a week here – Ewan McGregor is superb.
Good to hear! I hope to start it soon.
I think will watch it. I–unpopular opinion here–found the book too twee for me.
Did something happen to Alice Clayton? She hasn’t published a book in a long time, I think. I loved the Wallbanger series.
Her last novella, One More Round, from 2020 is really good – a nice finale to the Wallbanger series. She’s still active on social media and has posts about the new film.
Yes, I liked it too. I hope she writes more in the future.
I’ll definitely watch but I have my reservations. I enjoyed both of the previous seasons but as someone, like many of you, who read the Bridgerton books as they were published, I have to look at the show as an elaborate fan fiction exercise. The books are always going to be canon to me.
I understand why they’ve deviated from the books; the books have enough action for a book where hearing interior thoughts and reading conversations is more than enough to engage us, for a tv show, you need more story and more action. Plus, they cast all these actors, you can’t have them show up for one scene a season but in a book, that’s enough for you to be excited about that sibling’s story.
But I haven’t loved all the choices they’ve made. In the first season, I didn’t understand why Daphne now had to be the diamond of the season, or why poor Nigel Berbrooke became a villain, and I really disliked the addition of Marina as a character. Plus I didn’t love Anthony’s affair with Siena; I wanted his first experience of love to be with Kate. In the 2nd season, like someone mentioned, they got rid of all of Kate’s backstory, which meant they didn’t have the scene where he comforts her during the storm, which I love. (we don’t have her hiding under her desk while he’s flirting with the opera singer either). There was way too much Edwina; I hated how far along Anthony got with her.
That sounds like a lot of things that I dislike for a show I enjoyed a lot. Like I said, I had to put aside the books for the most part.
As far as Season 3 goes, my major issue is that, to me, the actor playing Colin is a complete charisma vacuum when Colin is supposed to be all charisma and charm. It doesn’t feel like he’s going to get anywhere close to the book’s version of Colin. And the way they’ve established the Featheringtons means we won’t have the great scene when Colin brings Penelope to her house and ends up joining the weekly family meeting. Plus, we’re going to see Penelope being courted by other men and Colin helping to train her for husband-hunting (at least that’s what I’ve heard)? That’s now a whole different story! So again, I’m going into it like I’m reading something on AO3 where it’s Penelope and Colin but now it’s present day and he’s a hockey player.
I am looking forward to seeing Anthony and Kate though. 🙂
I wasn’t too bothered by Anthony’s affair with Siena but I do agree with you that the Anthony/Edwina storyline went too far. I think it didn’t leave enough time for Anthony/Kate.
Yes to so much of this. And my problem isn’t even that the show deviates from from the books. It’s that the choices the show made in season two made the love story LESS romantic and it looks as though that will be true in season three.
I also think show Colin has the charisma of adult Annikin. Which is a bummer.
I’m tempted to say that the actor playing Benedict would have made a better Colin.
Did anyone else watch the Queen Charlotte miniseries? I did and enjoyed it, although enjoy is most definitely not the word to use to describe the painful scenes where King George undergoes brutal treatment for his mental issues. The series is a-historical not just for the diversity and other issues people have already commented on but also because George didn’t suffer such complete breakdowns till he was much older than is shown in the series. However, I loved the actor(s) who played him, loved the actress(es) who played her, and thought their relationship was romantic and touching, whether historically accurate or not – especially the first scene where they meet and the final scene under the bed.
I just can’t watch a George/Charlotte love story. The real one is just too sad. I feel, about that show and others that redoing a real person’s life, telling a story about them that has far removed from the truth, is iffy.
While I would usually agree with you Dabney on having an issue with the rewriting of the real lives of historical figures, I found I enjoyed the Queen Charlotte series. I wasn’t planning on watching it when it came out but all the hype on twitter piqued my curiosity so I gave it a try. I can’t decide if it’s because I didn’t know a lot about the real George and Charlotte prior to watching or the actors playing them were so good but I loved it. Like Susan/DC, I found their story romantic and I cried at their final scene under the bed.
I have too many dementia terrors to watch a show with that for fun!
Oh I see, I’m sorry about that
I am looking forward to Bridgerton S3. Usually I am a stickler for movies/TV series based on books to follow the books closely. However, I am compartmentalizing TV Bridgerton in my mind as something entirely different from the books. Like AAR Jenna, I’m enjoying the world being created for what it is and accepting that storylines will differ from the books and be done out of order (book 3 is one of my least favorites anyway). I encourage watching the Queen Charlotte series because it actually provides a lot of backstory for TV Bridgerton. I wasn’t initially that interested in Queen Charlotte but once I started, I was hooked and like Susan/DC, I loved the younger actor and actress playing the leads and found the series very romantic. I also agree with Ruth that I’m not that excited about the actor playing Colin. However, Anthony annoyed me in S1 then I grew to like him in S2 so I am keeping an open mind (BTW, Jonathan Bailey was fantastic in Fellow Travelers, as was Matt Bomer, and I highly recommend that series).
Honestly, I’m just happy to see a TV series where the focus is purely romance!
I was doubly upset to hear that many of the writers for S2 didn’t even read Anthony and Kate’s story and the EP had no problem with it – he might even have loved their having no knowledge about the characters whose stories they were adapting. How an adaptation described as ‘based on the books of JQ’ is done without reading said books will never make sense to me. Romancing Mr Bridgerton is nowhere near my favourite of the whole series but even if it was, I would be staying far away from S3 as it’s most likely to get the S2 treatment.
I am, like a lot of romance readers (at least here at AAR) all for adaptation of HR for tv as it’s long overdue that genre romance gets the recognition it deserves, but if it’s all going to go in the direction that Bridgerton has gone, then I’d rather there be no more adaptations. I’d have conniptions if my favourite Sherry Thomas or Joanna Bourne books to mention but a few were done this wrong
Q what are your favourite Sherry Thomas and Joanna Bourne books?
For me, favorite Sherry Thomas is either Private Arrangements or His At NIght. For Bourne, either The Black Hawk or My Lord and Spymaster.
Off topic here, but am I mistaken or was Private Arrangements not on the list you posted of top 25 most voted books for inclusion in the top 100?
So, what I posted is what is in our current poll to include from our 2018 poll on our next poll. I’m thinking I’ll include the top 50. (We will have a first round where readers can nominate books.)
The top 50 there–in our current poll–are these:
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, Classic Fiction, 1983
67.05%
118
–
Devil in Winter, Lisa Kleypas, Historical Romance, 2006
57.95%
102
–
Lord of Scoundrels, Loretta Chase, Historical Romance, 1995
55.68%
98
–
Slightly Dangerous, Mary Balogh, Historical Romance, 2005
48.86%
86
–
Persuasion, Jane Austen, Classic Fiction, 2003
46.59%
82
–
What I Did for a Duke, Julie Anne Long, Historical Romance, 2011
43.75%
77
–
Flowers From the Storm, Laura Kinsale, Historical Romance, 2003
39.77%
70
–
The Duke of Shadows, Meredith Duran, Historical Romance, 2008
37.50%
66
–
The Spymaster’s Lady, Joanna Bourne, Historical Romance, 2008
36.36%
64
–
Mr. Impossible, Loretta Chase, Historical Romance, 2005
35.80%
63
–
Act Like It, Lucy Parker, Contemporary Romance, 2015
35.23%
62
–
Lord Perfect, Loretta Chase, Historical Romance, 2006
34.66%
61
–
The Hating Game, Sally Thorne, Contemporary Romance, 2016
34.09%
60
–
The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie, Jennifer Ashley, Historical Romance, 2009
33.52%
59
–
A Week to Be Wicked, Tessa Dare, Historical Romance, 2012
32.95%
58
–
Marrying Winterborne, Lisa Kleypas, Historical Romance, 2016
32.39%
57
–
Ravished, Amanda Quick, Historical Romance, 1992
32.39%
57
–
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte, Classic Fiction, 2004
31.82%
56
–
Bet Me, Jennifer Crusie, Contemporary Romance, 2004
31.25%
55
–
The Black Hawk, Joanna Bourne, Historical Romance, 2011
30.68%
54
–
The Viscount Who Loved Me, Julia Quinn, Historical Romance, 2000
30.11%
53
–
Dreaming of You, Lisa Kleypas, Historical Romance, 1994
28.98%
51
–
The Duchess Deal, Tessa Dare, Historical Romance, 2017
28.98%
51
–
Outlander, Diana Gabaldon, Time Travel Romance, 1992
28.41%
50
–
More than a Mistress, Mary Balogh, Historical Romance, 2001
27.84%
49
–
The Bride, Julie Garwood, Medieval Romance, 1991
27.27%
48
–
Duke of Sin, Elizabeth Hoyt, Historical Romance, 2016/06
27.27%
48
–
When He Was Wicked, Julia Quinn, Historical Romance, 2004
27.27%
48
–
Love in the Afternoon, Lisa Kleypas, Historical Romance, 2010
26.70%
47
–
Not Quite a Husband, Sherry Thomas, Historical Romance, 2009/06
26.70%
47
–
The Raven Prince, Elizabeth Hoyt, Historical Romance, 2006
26.70%
47
–
The Rake, Mary Jo Putney, Historical Romance, 1998
26.14%
46
–
A Summer to Remember, Mary Balogh, Historical Romance, 2003
26.14%
46
–
Devil’s Cub, Georgette Heyer, Historical Romance, 2003
25.57%
45
–
It Happened One Autumn, Lisa Kleypas, Historical Romance, 2005
25.57%
45
–
The Luckiest Lady in London, Sherry Thomas, Historical Romance, 2013
25.57%
45
–
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, Sarah MacLean, Historical Romance, 2010
25.00%
44
–
Romancing Mister Bridgerton, Julia Quinn, Historical Romance, 2002
25.00%
44
–
The Governess Affair, Courtney Milan, Historical Romance, 2012
24.43%
43
–
Mine Till Midnight, Lisa Kleypas, Historical Romance, 2007
24.43%
43
–
Private Arrangements, Sherry Thomas, Historical Romance, 2008
23.86%
42
–
Welcome to Temptation, Jennifer Crusie, Romantic Suspense, 2004
23.86%
42
–
Something About You, Julie James, Contemporary Romance, 2010
23.30%
41
–
Duke of Midnight, Elizabeth Hoyt, Historical Romance, 2013
22.73%
40
–
Frederica, Georgette Heyer, Historical Romance, 2000
22.73%
40
–
His at Night, Sherry Thomas, Historical Fiction, 2010
22.73%
40
–
Devil’s Bride, Stephanie Laurens, Historical Romance, 1998
22.16%
39
–
A Seditious Affair, K.J. Charles, Historical Romance, 2015
22.16%
39
–
Any Duchess Will Do, Tessa Dare, Historical Romance, 2013
21.59%
38
–
Beard Science, Penny Reid, Contemporary Romance, 2016
I’m surprised to see Devil in Winter with more votes than Flowers from the Storm, I guess readers love it a lot. Thank you
It has always been one or two over the years on this poll.
I too would take FftS over DiW any day.
I haven’t participated in the past surveys so I’m really looking forward to this whole process.
Thank you!
Private Arrangements, Not Quite A Husband and Ravishing The Heiress are my favourite Sherry Thomas books. Favourite Joanna Bourne books are The Black Hawk and The Forbidden Rose
I do ADORE The Forbidden Rose. A perfect book.
Right!? Maggie and Doyle are all kinds of wonderful
He is the rare HR alpha hero I’d happily wed. And she is so smart and witty. I lurve them.
Not if I wed him first lol
Well, I’ll be generous–you can have Doyle and I’ll settle (not really) for Sebastian from My Lord and Spymaster.
Much obliged
I couldn’t finish even the 1st season because of reasons you mentioned above. While I’m not a stickler when it comes to my historical fiction, I do draw the line when it completely leaves the realm of historical and lands deeply in fantasyland.
To be frank, I did not find the Bridgerton books particularly engaging. So, did not even watch the series 1&2 for a while. Then on one long boring weekend watched both in one go.
I did not particularly enjoy Season 1 mainly because I found both the main female character and the actress who played her unappealing. But the mixed race casting was brilliant and in doing so Shonda Rhimes brought onto global stage some of the best talent among non-white actors in the British television world. And she outdid herself in Season 2. She again took creative liberties to great effect in casting Asian actors in lead roles while retaining many of the black actors from Season 1. I would also say that the entire cast of Season 2 was made up of excellent actors, especially Jonathan Bailey who took a nitwit aristocrat and made him into a complex sexy tragicomic hero and I could not take my eyes off him.
I do not care if the tv series did not hew close to the novels or to historical facts—it was great entertainment, powered by excellent acting and stunning visuals. I hope Bridgerton 3 is able to keep up.
Couldn’t agree more Indira! Although, I do care about historical accuracy: I want characters to behave and speak appropriate to their time and place. Accuracy in the settings and costumes and dances makes for more interesting viewing, although Rhimes use of modern music was really mind-bending. But what the actors look like (skin color, facial features, etc.) is irrelevant.
To be honest, I have completely given up on expecting historical accuracy in period romances. Especially, in recent crop of historical romances, the period details are so airbrushed or so anachronistic that after a while your mind goes numb to the point that even outrage becomes a wasted emotion. But on silver screen, such implausibilities make for great entertainment, I think. Enola Holmes, for example. Somehow, Enola kicking ass with Tai-chi was both entertaining and believable. But a Mary Balogh hero, a short duke, learning Tai-chi to fight bullies at Eton and on the streets of London was risible.
I will be watching because my daughter scheduled a watch party. LOL I’m not all that thrilled because as Caz mentioned my expectations after they butchered S2 is very low. Anthony and Kate’s story was my favorite and now that I read in the comments that they didn’t even read the books before writing the script, that makes a lot of sense. I was looking forward to the bee sting scene, the scene where Kate is hiding under the desk during the storm, the scene in bed where she starts crying because she thinks he’s imagining he’s making love to her sister. All of those scenes would have been gold and they all disappeared and had them staring longing across a ballroom instead. They wanted to sell sex instead of emotion! It was infuriating! It also would have been so easy to use the diversity angle with Kate being Indian and her sister being a blonde, blue eyed English diamond. It would have allowed them to bring in their diversity and make the fact that Kate didn’t feel pretty or good enough easy peasy!
I have absolutely no problem with the diversity aspect and the modern music angle. My whole problem is I felt CATFISHED! They touted it as being a series “based” on JQ’s Bridgerton books and then CHANGED all the storylines! The storylines, dialogue and characterizations are why I liked the books. If you didn’t want to stick to what she wrote, then write your own historical drama and call them the Stantons or Richardsons or Winchesters!
The only series that I think has been accurately adapted is Outlander. As far as I can see every other series they’ve claimed to base on a romance author’s books has been to just use the author’s name to suck in their fan base and then let the writers do whatever the hell they wanted. Virgin River is another one I absolutely hate! I’m over it all. I will never believe or look forward to another adaptation of a favorite book or author. Now I know why SEP says she will never let them do the Chicago Stars series.