When Bridgerton first began in 2020, Daphne was the main character. Viewers quickly became hooked on her beauty and grace, and her steamy love story with the Duke of Hastings. Yet, following the end of Bridgerton season 1, Daphne was essentially shoved under the rug. She became a background character in season 2, and season 3 didn’t feature her at all. Regardless of whether it is Bridgerton or Daphne’s actress who made this decision, the situation highlights an ongoing problem for Bridgerton that will only intensify the longer the show goes on.
Netflix’s Bridgerton Show Can Only Have So Many Main Characters At Once
How Bridgerton Has Managed Its Main Character Problem
The unspoken truth about Bridgerton is that the series can only have so many main characters. Bridgerton thrives on its ensemble cast full of rich and exciting characters. Not only are their eight Bridgerton siblings to contend with, but audiences also become invested in their parents, their friends, and their enemies. Despite this, not everyone can share one single spotlight. The Bridgerton at the center of the season must come first, and everyone else will have to make do with however much screen time they get. For Daphne, this meant leaving the series altogether.
Three seasons in, Bridgerton has mostly gotten away with having so many characters. In the first season, Francesca was away with an aunt, and the younger Bridgertons, Hyacinth and Gregory, were too young to have much of a plotline. Season 2 gave Daphne a smaller role and kept Francesca in the background. However, Bridgerton season 3 is where the seams began to show, as Anthony and Kate struggled to stay relevant and Daphne disappeared without a trace. With every Bridgerton that gets married, there is an even greater risk of them being forgotten.
It’s Much Harder For A TV Show To Bring Back All Bridgerton Siblings
The Big Thing Hurting Bridgerton’s Married Characters Explained
It is bad enough that Bridgerton has eight siblings to focus on, but the problem is emphasized by the fact that each sibling gets their own season, then must try to remain important afterward. To use Daphne as an example again, she started off the series as the main character, which made her pivotal. However, once her love story was confirmed, the only path forward was for her to start a family, which isn’t particularly glamorous or exciting. In this way, her storyline fell to the wayside, simply because it wasn’t riveting enough to dedicate time to.
Arguably, this is Bridgerton’s biggest problem of all. It isn’t completely impossible for the show to manage eight main characters, but it is much harder when their stories simply end with their season. Once the Bridgerton siblings find their true love, the show seems to have nothing left to say about them. While love and family are exciting and relatable, they clearly aren’t enough to sustain a character beyond their season. Bridgerton should focus more on the characters themselves and their personal development rather than whether they are having kids or not.
Netflix’s Bridgerton Siblings Problem Will Only Get Worse
How Bridgerton Can Help Itself
Though eight main characters are a lot to handle, they can all shine if they have good stories.
Of course, this does not mean that Bridgerton is doomed. The show always has the ability to fix the aspects that have been lacking in prior seasons. For example, Phoebe Dynevor has said that she would be open to returning to Bridgerton, and perhaps this would be a good choice. If Bridgerton can give Daphne a truly interesting storyline, then it will show that the series isn’t completely clueless about its married characters. The same goes for Anthony and Colin. Though eight main characters are a lot to handle, they can all shine if they have good stories.
How Bridgerton Can Solve Its Returning Actors Problem
What Bridgerton’s Future May Look Like
Of course, the odds of Bridgerton bringing back Dynevor may be slim, so another solution may be necessary. If Bridgerton is inevitably going to lose out on its actors once their season is done, then the show will have to make its remaining cast members’ stories even better. Bridgerton season 3 did lose out on Daphne, but there was still plenty of juicy drama with Francesca’s new love story and Eloise’s friendship with Cressida. It is a shame to lose beloved characters, but Bridgerton does have the ability to distract from these losses with other amazing plots.
Bridgerton season 4 is going to be centered on Benedict, who has long been a fan favorite, yet this does not guarantee that the season will be well-liked. Bridgerton cannot keep ignoring the absence of Daphne, and it certainly can’t do that if other actors begin to fade away as well. In the end, Bridgerton needs to own up to its biggest failure and try to fix it in whatever way they can. If they don’t, then Bridgerton may lose out on the success it started with, and become yet another show that couldn’t live up to its own expectations.
