'Bridgerton' Breaks The Record As Netflix's Most-Watched Show

This author is delighted to declare that Bridgerton has taken the limelight as the most-watched show in Netflix history. With 82 million households minding the romantic endeavor between the Duke of Hastings and Daphene Bridgerton, the popularity of the Regency drama has surpassed other massively popular shows like The Witcher, The Queen’s Gambit and Lupin. In fact, in merely 28 days, the Netflix sensation exceeded The Witcher‘s 72 million by much more. 

The latest production from Shondaland, Bridgerton has made the top 10 of every single country where Netflix is available, with the exception of Japan. In 83 countries including the US, UK, Brazil, India and South Africa, the series hit number one. Very much like how The Queen’s Gambit has boosted the popularity of chess and Lupin made the sales of Maurice Leblanc’s Arsène Lupin skyrocket, the books on which Bridgerton is based has made it in The New York Times bestseller list for the first time after its original publication 18 years ago. 

Why is the show such a big success? According to Jinny Howe, vice president for Netflix’s original series, it’s a combination of the protagonists’ love affair, the extravagant costumes and the regal settings that has made the show a premium escape during COVID times. Moreover, diverging from the realistic life of the Regency period, the contemporary reinterpretation speaks to modern values of diversity, freedom and empowerment. 

“[As] Shondaland’s fans have come to expect diversity in all her shows, Bridgerton took a seed of truth about Queen Charlotte’s background to reimagine her as a black monarch using her power to affect broader change in British society. The empowerment of people of colour and women made Bridgerton feel accessible and contemporary, resonating with audiences all around the world,” said Howe.