Bridgerton season 3 is off to a royally good start on Netflix, as the upcoming Prime Video rival gets a raunchy first trailer
Bridgerton Season 3 only made its Netflix debut last Thursday (May 16), but is already setting records on the world’s most popular streamer.
Per Netflix’s Top 10 TV Chartin the first week, Bridgerton‘s latest installment – Season 3 Part 1 – was viewed a whopping 45.1 million times and streamed 165.2 million viewing hours.
Not only that, but BridgertonThe period drama’s third season has its biggest opening weekend yet. If The Hollywood Reporter explains that season 2 only managed 22.7 million views in its first weekend on the world’s best streaming service, so the sequel is certainly off to a royally solid start.
There are a few caveats to keep in mind when comparing Bridgerton“The last two seasons, though. First, Season 2’s early ratings were spread over a slightly shorter period – three days instead of the four from which Season 3’s data was collected. Since the second season of one of the best Netflix shows aired in March 2022, Netflix has also changed the way it calculates its viewership data. While Bridgerton Season 3 is outperforming its predecessor, but Netflix’s recasting of what constitutes a “vision” means it was always going to deliver more impressive ratings than Season 2.
With Season 3 Part 2 arriving on June 13, Bridgerton is sure to see another spike in ratings next month as fans flock to watch the next batch of episodes or watch Season 3 in its entirety.
That said, it won’t be the only period drama that will leave your little body shaking this June. Yesterday (May 21), Prime Video released the official trailer for My lady Jane, an irreverent, funny, and nasty reinterpretation of history that many observers have described as a “romance.” Here’s the plot summary: “Inspired by the best-selling book, My lady Jane is a radical retelling of English royal history, in which King Henry VIII’s son Edward does not die of tuberculosis, Lady Jane Gray is not beheaded, and neither is her villainous husband Guildford.
“At the center of this swashbuckling new series is the brilliant and headstrong Jane (played by newcomer Emily Bader), who is shocked to be crowned queen and finds herself the target of nefarious villains coming for the crown (and her head) … My lady Jane is an epic story of true love and adventure.”
We already knew that Prime Video’s royally fun twist on Netflix’s was Bridgerton was on its way on June 27, but the first images – which you can see above – suggest it will be even more vulgar and rip-roaring fun than its period sibling. One to keep an eye on on our list of the best Prime Video shows in the coming weeks.
Bridgerton season 3 is a huge hit, no matter what the critics say
Social season is in full swing again… Watch Bridgerton S3: Part 1 now, only on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/0JKD58NvYJMay 20, 2024
But back to Bridgerton. Season 3 not only broke the show’s viewership record, it also logged the highest weekly views of any Netflix series since mid-2023, when the streamer began ranking shows by ratings and hours. Clearly, none of us can get enough of the historical and scandal-laden romantic drama.
The most impressive thing about season 3 is that despite mediocre reviews, it has once again become a commercial hit with viewers. The independent said that while lead actor Nicola Coughlan is “fantastic” as Penelope Featherington, the show “loses its bite” with a production design that looks like AI created it. In sharp contrast, Variety particularly praised the chemistry between Colin Bridgerton (played by Luke Newton) and Penelope – the pair affectionately known as ‘Polin’; the reviewer opines: “There’s something about seeing Colin and Penelope’s bond move from comfortably platonic to longing and passionate that takes this journey to the next level.
The Variety reporter added: “Coughlan and Newton have always had a good relationship, but watching Colin realize his sexual desire for Penelope, manifested by his fixation on her lips and a newfound fascination with everything she does, there is a sparkling tension throughout the story. Season 3 part 1 that almost happens during a carriage ride after a ball at the end of episode 4, ‘Old Friends’ 2 has enough to build on the wild success of its predecessor, or will that be the case My lady Jane usurp it as the best period drama around? We’ll know in June.