It is hardly a surprise to anyone with a Netflix subscription, or even those without one who simply pay attention to TV news, that the Regency romance, Bridgerton, would be granted a spinoff. The series became an instant mega-hit after its Christmas 2020 debut, and has inspired everything from much swooning over its dialogue, to new fashion choices for many viewers, and a feverish wait for each new season.
As fans continue to look forward to the upcoming Bridgerton Season 3, we’ll very (very) soon be gifted with Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, when it releases on May 4 as part of the 2023 TV schedule. Luckily, the reviews are in for the new Shonda Rhimes series, and it appears that many audience members will be just as in love with the romantic outing that shows us how the young queen and king’s love story began as they are with the flagship series.
One particular bit of praise that appeared to be universal among the reviews I read went to the performances of the whole cast, none the least of which was for our new, younger royal, cast lead India Amarteifio. It sounds like she’ll let viewers add to their list of the best Queen Charlotte moments pretty easily, as Morgan Cormack of the Radio Times noted how she draws the audience in and gives us everything we’d want in a young and still-learning version of the leader:
For someone so young, you almost instantly are drawn to the young Queen Charlotte, who is fierce, smart, matter-of-fact and a joy to watch. It's a testament to Amarteifio, who shines in her own way as Queen Charlotte, embodying the confidence we know her to have but also the trepidation, loneliness and naivety that really propels this show forward into seeing her become the figure audiences love.
Additionally, Cormack said that fans of the original series don’t need to worry about any loss of the ingredients that have made that show so popular, while still being able to get something new from Charlotte and King George’s (Corey Mylchreest) romantic adventure:
With all the classical pop song covers, breathtaking regal costumes and undeniable on-screen chemistry, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story may seem, on the face of it, to be like the original show it's framed around. But it's taken its time to be more thoughtful, considered, relatable and topical, delivering a delightful series in the process.
One of the many things that people love about Bridgerton are the production numbers and the classical covers of modern pop songs that always go with them. After giving a thumbs up to the “instant, Jane Austen-esque, period-piece rom-com chemistry” that Amarteifio and Mylchreest have “from the get-go,” Richard Roeper from the Chicago Sun-Times had great things to say about how those high society soirées are used in the new show, along with revealing how enjoyable the tale is overall:
Those big-production numbers often make for some of the most emotionally resonant moments as well, with key characters exchanging intimate dialogue, or sharing knowing glances across a room. The costumes are gorgeous, the people are pretty, their problems are sometimes petty, sometimes life-altering. Whether Queen Charlotte is trafficking in frothy gossip or heavy dramatics, it’s never less than enthralling.
However, if you’re reading these reviews and starting to think that Queen Charlotte will simply be more of the same, Kristen Baldwin from Entertainment Weekly is here to set you straight:
There are lavish balls and passionate love scenes; luxurious period fashions and poignant personal tragedy. It could all feel very Bridgerton Lite, but Rhimes — who writes or co-writes five of the six episodes — uses the prequel to explore deeper issues than just romance and heartache…It feels strange to root for a brand extension, but young Queen Charlotte's is a universe worth exploring further.
Fans will know that Charlotte and George have far from a clear-cut happily ever after in the “modern day” of the parent show, and many reviewers also felt the new show did a deft job of handling conversations about the young king’s already declining mental health, in a time when such things weren’t even close to being fully understood, as did CNN’s Brian Lowry. He also noted that while the drama does offer more for those who adore Bridgerton’s sexiest sex scenes, there’s also an “unabashed sense of romance” for those who preferred the slow-burn of Season 2:
Bridgerton flourished as a modernized spin on old costume dramas, a steamier version of Downton Abbey and its ilk that embellished all the soapy, class-conscious shenanigans with sex and tasteful nudity. Queen Charlotte understandably doesn’t bother trying to reinvent that wheel, but rather seems content to deftly embroider another layer beneath it…Summing up the show’s unabashed sense of romance falls to the young king’s trusty servant Reynolds (Freddie Dennis), who at one point muses, “Great love can make miracles.” When it comes to achieving TV success, a just-OK show that lands at just the right time occasionally can too.
Finally, a lot has been said about how the original series has handled race, a Black woman being in England’s royal family (along with her offspring), and her presence leading to a seemingly post-race society. Shania Russell of Slash Film thought that while Queen Charlotte does more to address those topics and how the world we see on Bridgerton came about, it’s not quite a slam dunk for those who want a more thorough examination of such a societal shift and how it impacted politics. However, you’ll be glad to know that her issues with that part of the story didn’t really detract from her enjoyment of the larger series:
There are plenty of missed opportunities within the prequel, but I can't fault Bridgerton for being itself: shallow as ever but a joyous confection all the same. Ridiculous but effective obstacles arise at every corner; sharp words are exchanged; and social status is wielded to entertaining effect…The main couple has plenty of chemistry and the surrounding subplots earn their time onscreen. It's fun and easily breezed through — when the six episodes were done, I was stuck between longing for more and being content with a well-paced drama. Queen Charlotte may share the flaws of its mothership series, but it also offers all the same virtues.
You can see for yourself whether or not the virtues of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story outweigh any flaws when the show debuts as part of the Netflix new releases on May 4.
