Bridgerton renewed for Seasons 3 and 4

Variety

Netflix announced the two-season renewal via Lady Whistledown's Society Papers. “Bridgerton swept us off our feet,” said Bela Bajaria, vice president of global television at Netflix. “The creative team, led by Shonda (Rhimes), knew the material and delivered a beautiful, emotional, romantic drama for our members. They have some exciting plans for the future, and we think audiences will continue to swoon for this show. We’re planning to be in the Bridgerton business for a long time to come.” Rhimes added in her own statement: “From the first time I read Julia Quinn’s delicious Bridgerton series, I knew these were stories that would captivate a viewing audience. But the evolution of this adaptation would not be a success without the many significant contributions of the entire Shondaland team. This two-season pickup is a strong vote of confidence in our work and I feel incredibly grateful to have partners as collaborative and creative as Netflix. Betsy (Beers) and I are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue bringing the world of Bridgerton to a worldwide audience.”

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• Shonda Rhimes was taken aback by Bridgerton's success -- and the shocking reaction to Regé-Jean Page's exit: "We didn’t even kill him!" Rhimes protested with a laugh in a Vanity Fair interview with producing partner Betsy Beers, dismissing the idea of creative differences with the actor. Were they expecting Bridgerton to be this huge? "With the pandemic and all the stuff that got postponed, I honestly don’t know that I was thinking about how it was going to do. We were more truly focused on wanting the show to be really good," says Rhimes. "The hard thing over the pandemic was actually really understanding the number of people who were watching. It felt very abstract to me," added Beers. Rhimes also noted: "Because we were trapped in our houses! I also think for us, we don’t focus on the things that we can’t control. We could drive people crazy in marketing, but we couldn’t have any control over who watched." Beers and Rhimes also spoke about the two-season renewal. "Well, this is a complicated show to make," said Beers. "Although it's period, it's an invented world in a lot of ways, with very subtle, relatable, modern aspects. To build that world up season after season takes a lot of preparation. Developmentally, it's amazing because you can start to plant flags as you go." Rhimes said of the renewal: "Having come from a different model of making television—doing 24 episodes a season with Grey's Anatomy, for instance—the idea that you make eight episodes of something... It’s great, but it also just felt like: That's it? We're just going to pull down all the sets?! We spent all that money and that's all we're going to do? The Midwest girl in me was like, But we've cut coupons! (Both women burst out laughing.) When you have multiple season orders, it allows you to plan in a creative way, storytelling wise. You can plan a long arc character, for instance." Beers pointed out: "It's also great for the fans, because I think you invest in a show differently if you know there's more coming."