Bridgerton has only been renewed for six seasons so far, but how long does Netflix see it running for?
Executive producer Shonda Rhimes teased plans for the show’s future while at the Edinburgh Film Festival on Wednesday, August 20. Express reported that when asked “how many seasons” Bridgerton will run for, she replied, “Exactly eight.”
Rhimes, 55, reminded fans that Julia Quinn‘s book series serves as inspiration for the show.
“The Bridgerton series is eight children,” she noted. “Violet Bridgerton and all eight of her children married. So every season is a child.”
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Rhimes also weighed in on whether the franchise could expand when she teased “a possibility for spinoffs” based on characters introduced on the hit Regency series, which debuted on Netflix in 2020.
Season 1 followed Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon (Regé-Jean Page) as the main focus of the show before Page’s shocking departure.
Page became the most memorable exit when he chose to wrap up one season in.
“They’re free to do as they like,” Page, 37, told Variety in July 2022 after being asked about a recasting for Simon. “Shonda and I had a wonderful conversation at the end of season 1. We were quite happy with how we stuck the landing on that one. We did so well on that redemptive arc that people forget that Simon was kind of horrific. He was the best example of a Regency f***boy that any of us had come across.”
Page continued: “And so, because we came around full circle so well, because we stuck that landing, you’re left with this great feeling. You really do have to be brave about ending stories like that.”
While Bridgerton didn’t recast Simon, Page has stood by his decision not to return. Dynevor later confirmed her own exit from the series, which didn’t appear to be her choice.
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Season 2 pivoted to Anthony’s (Jonathan Bailey) love story with Kate (Simone Ashley) before Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) became the focus when season 3 aired in 2024. Netflix also expanded the universe with the prequel series Queen Charlotte, which premiered in 2023.
Now, viewers are on the edge of their seats waiting for season 4, which will explore Benedict’s (Luke Thompson) romance with Sophie (Yerin Ha). Netflix confirmed in May that the show will be returning for seasons 5 and 6. Fans, however, have been concerned about the wait that has taken place between seasons.
“We are working to try and put the seasons out more quickly, but they do take eight months to film and then they have to be edited and then they have to be dubbed into every language,” showrunner Jess Brownell told The Hollywood Reporter in June 2024. “The writing takes a very long time as well, so we’re kind of on a two-year pace. We’re trying to speed up, but somewhere in that range.”
Bridgerton is currently streaming on Netflix.
