In 2023, Netflix released an engagement report revealing which series had the most hours watched in the year, and was at the top of the list, hinting that the series, and the larger franchise will see even more spinoffs and sequels in its future. is the first-ever spinoff series of the television franchise. It follows the origins of the romance between Queen Charlotte and her husband, George III. Meanwhile, is a period romance, with each season following one of the Bridgerton siblings' Regency era love stories.
According to "What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report," was the fifth most watched television series from January to June of 2023
. In total, it accumulated 503,000,000 hours of watch time. On top of that, both seasons 1 and 2 were in the top 75 of this list. season 1 earned 136,600,000 hours while season 2 earned 133,400,000 hours. Overall, these high numbers are significant because they prove and popularity, and therefore, support the franchise expanding even further.
Since and racked up strong numbers in the first half of 2023, it seems more than likely that the franchise will continue making more spinoffs.
Notably, was first attempt at a spinoff series, which is risky. However, since the series broke the top five of most-watched series in the first half of 2023, it was clearly a success. This means that if wanted to move forward with more spinoffs, there would be less fear about it flopping, because proved audiences have a desire for this type of content.
is not the only member of the franchise that saw success though. Although did not achieve the same incredible numbers as it still did very well considering that neither season premiered in 2023. In fact, season 1 came out three years prior. This time gap indicates that audiences
has staying potential, meaning that audiences are still interested in it, even if it has been a couple years since its release. This is even more of a reason for to create more series under its franchise.
Along with making more spinoff series, can just as easily put effort into sequels as well, namely . However, at this point in time, it is unclear whether that is going to happen. First and foremost, creator Shonda Rhimes has noted that she felt
was "meaning that it would likely be contained in its six episodes. However, that does not mean that the showrunner will not change her mind if there is enough demand. And based on success, that demand could very well be present.
But the more pressing question is whether needs a second season. In many ways, Rhimes was correct in that tells an effective and full story in just one season. There really are not too many loose threads, and those that do exist could easily be tied up in the main series. Then again, if there is a good enough story to be told, then season 2 could not hurt either. If Rhimes creates an interesting chapter of
, then a second season could absolutely be worth it.
There are many directions that could go in the upcoming years. Apart from working on the main seasons, of which there will be eight, the franchise could also follow in footsteps and explore the pasts of other fan favorite characters. In fact, after there is significant interest in exploring the romantic origins of Lady Danbury and Violet Bridgerton. When it comes to the Bridgerton matriarch, it is clear that there is a strong love story to be told, while Lady Danbury has the opportunity to tell a much wilder and unique love story.
The next installment of the franchise will be season 3, which is set to premiere in May and June 2024.
In general, is bursting with interesting characters who could easily hold their own series. An aspect of the universe that has yet to be explored in depth is the population who are not wealthy and part of the social season. This could definitely be an aspect of the franchise that could be interesting to delve deeper into. Either way, and are popular enough that anything they do will likely please its dedicated audiences.
