With ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 around the corner, showrunner Shonda Rhimes answered everyone’s burning question.
All eyes are on the Ton as Bridgerton’s third season quickly approaches. While fans are anxiously awaiting Penelope and Colin’s story, showrunner Shonda Rhimestalked with Variety ahead of the third season about the future of the franchise. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’s massive success coupled with Bridgerton’s means that things look promising. According to Variety, Rhimes’s longtime producing partner, Betsy Beers says “I’ll be a granny gumming my food,” if that what it takes to bring all eight of Julia Quinn’s novels to screen. Beers adds, “we want to make sure that there’s ‘Bridgerton’ for all of us who love it.”
Could that also go for the prequel series, Queen Charlotte? The 2023 series gives fans a backstory to the fictionalized Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz that we see later in life during Bridgerton. The series is depicted in dual timelines: one contemporary with the Bridgerton series and one set during the late 18th Century as fans watch Queen Charlotte and King George fall in love.
Rhimes Wants a “Reason” to Tell a New ‘Queen Charlotte’ Story
When asked if Queen Charlotte would be getting a season 2, Rhimes told Variety, “I don’t want to tell a story that doesn’t need to be told — do you know what I mean? I don’t want to make a second season of “Queen Charlotte,” and you’re going to be, like, ‘Well, that wasn’t that great.'” Rhimes says this despite her highly acclaimed career already with television. Before Queen Charlotte, before Bridgerton, Rhimes was the mind behind the long-running medical drama Grey’s Anatomy with 19 seasons under its belt and a 20th currently airing. Rhimes was also the creator of the political drama Scandal that ran for seven seasons from 2012-2018.
Rhimes says that when she had three shows airing the same day on ABC it was “exhausting.” While Grey’s is still on, the move to the slower paced rollout of a Netflix streaming show has probably provided some respite from a routine like that. She says, “I loved the storytelling. But I feel like it almost killed me. It was too much. Getting to slow down was probably the best thing for my creativity.”
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is available to stream on Netflix. Bridgerton season 3 will premiere in two parts: Part one on May 16 and the second part June 13.
