When Bridgerton first sashayed onto our screens, it wasn’t just another period drama. It was a glittering invitation into a world that felt at once impossibly distant – Regency England’s glittering balls, whispered scandals and impossible silks – and disarmingly familiar: gossip that could easily grace today’s social feed, characters who feel modern in their wants and their contradictions, and emotions that resonate long after the credits roll.
Now, with Season 4 streaming and Part 2 on the way (premiering 26 February), it’s worth asking: what is it about this gorgeous, sometimes raucous drama that has captured the imagination of viewers around the world? Why has this tale of love, class and social manoeuvring become not just a hit, but a phenomenon?
A Fairytale You Can Step Into
On the most obvious level, Bridgerton delivers what great escapism should: sumptuous beauty. The settings themselves are a tour through England’s architectural splendour – from the iconic Georgian crescents of Bath to grand estates like Loseley Park, where “My Cottage” provides the romantic heart of much of Season 4. These are real places, steeped in history, but poetically reimagined for a world that feels hyper-romantic and luxurious.
There’s something viscerally satisfying about watching a well-curated world where every ball is grander than the last, every gown seems spun from dreams and every twist feels like a secret whispered under candlelight. It’s a feast for the senses – and for the heart.
Characters Who Feel “Real” Across the Centuries
Perhaps the deeper magic lies in how Bridgerton fractures the notion of period drama as dusty costume and reluctant formality. It speaks in a language we recognise – emotional language, wry humour, vulnerabilities that echo our own. Characters like Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie Baek (played by Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha, respectively) carry us through stories of longing, misunderstanding and, ultimately, connection. In interviews they’ve spoken about the emotional intensity of key scenes – from the now-iconic staircase moment to their genuinely Cinderella-style moments on set.
And Sophie’s presence is itself a key part of Bridgerton’s modern appeal. As the series’ first Korean lead and a character navigating class divides in a way that feels both evocative and accessible, she reflects a more inclusive approach to storytelling that resonates in 2026.
A Modern Heart Underneath Regency Silks
While the clothes, settings and pageantry delight, what propels Bridgerton into cultural phenomenon territory is how it deliberately blends old and new. Its creators have spoken openly about making a series that doesn’t simply recreate the past – it plays with it, using contemporary points of view, emotions and questions of identity to make a bygone era feel recognisable.
That’s most evident in the show’s diversity and in how it engages with modern ideas about agency, desire and social expectation without getting bogged down in strict historical accuracy. Some viewers relish this, finding it liberating and joyful, and others see it as a charming fiction precisely because it isn’t a museum piece. Either way, it taps into a collective yearning for stories that entertain and matter, stories that feel like they were made for right now even as they dress up in ruffles and silk.
So, Do We Dream of Other Times — or Ourselves?
At root, the success of Bridgerton isn’t just about the setting. We don’t watch it for a history lesson – we watch it because it makes us feel something: the thrill of first love, the sting of rejection, the delicious wickedness of whispered gossip and the hope that love – in all its forms – might just triumph.
In a world that often feels rushed, fractious and screen-driven, Bridgerton gives us a world where every glance, every dance, every secret has weight – and beauty. Perhaps that’s the real reason we’re so enchanted. It’s not just romance we’re watching on screen. It’s longing, connection and, at its heart, the age-old desire to be seen and chosen.
And when those timeless feelings are served up with lavish costumes, an irresistible cast and a modern point of view, well – who wouldn’t want to linger at that ball a little longer?
Bridgerton is available to stream on NETFLIX.
Proudly Australian owned and operated