‘Bridgerton’ First Trailer: Shonda Rhimes’ Netflix Debut Is a Sexy, Scandalous Period Romance

Kristen Lopez
·2 min read
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If you’ve been yearning to return to a time of empire waists and Jane Austen-esque dialogue then look no further. The first trailer for Netflix’s “Bridgerton” has dropped and with it comes first look footage for the streaming giant’s sexy and edgy spin on the “Downton Abbey” period format. “Bridgerton” is an adaptation of Julia Quinn’s best-selling series of novels following the eight siblings of the titled family. Well-respected and closely tight-knit, the quest is for each of the Bridgerton kids to find their true love.

Netflix’s official synopsis for “Bridgerton” reads: “Inspired by the bestselling novels, the series follows Daphne Bridgerton, the eldest daughter of the powerful Bridgerton family as she makes her debut onto Regency London’s competitive marriage market. As her pursuit of love unravels, the high society scandal sheet written by the mysterious Lady Whistledown casts criticisms on Daphne who has caught the eye of London’s most desirable duke…”

“Bridgerton” marks the first series in super-producer Shonda Rhimes reportedly $150 million dollar deal with Netflix. The “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” creator is producing, with Chris Van Duesen acting as showrunner. The series finished filming in March, right before the pandemic started closing production down everywhere.

What sticks out the most is this being a Regency-set drama with characters of color. Rhimes is no stranger to opening doors for actors of color and this looks to be a fantastic way to highlight how actors of color can and should be in any genre.

Several of the cast and crew posted heartfelt tributes to their time on set, including lead actress Phoebe Dynevor, who wrote on Instagram “love you all you ridiculously marvellous humans.” Bessie Carter lovingly described it as “what a madness” and Nicola Coughlan cheered “high five if you finished filming Bridgerton Series One.” It’s easy to see why “Bridgerton” was listed as one of IndieWire’s Most Anticipated shows of 2020.

“Bridgerton” debuts December 25 on Netflix. Watch the first trailer for the romance drama in the video below.

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