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Is Bridgerton based on a book?

Bridgerton is based on a series of period romantic novels by American author, Julia Quinn, and each season is based on a volume of the novel series.

Overview

When Bridgerton was first announced in 2020, the period romance series was lauded for its ability to create a period series more diverse than any other period series or film in the past. While the matter is now a contentious one, the series did take leeway in terms of the original content.

The series is based on a series of period romantic novels by Julia Quinn. Both seasons, so far, of the Netflix original series focus on each of the Bridgerton children, similarly to how the novels do. However, there were some liberties taken by the series that veer from the novel, which we share below.

What is Bridgerton?

Bridgerton is a period romantic series which is in the same vein as beloved romantic period films such as Pride and Prejudice.

The series was created by Chris Van Dusen and was executively produced by Shondaland – owned and founded by Grey’s Anatomy creator, Shonda Rhimes.

The premise of the series is shared as, “Wealth, lust, and betrayal set against the backdrop of Regency-era England, seen through the eyes of the powerful Bridgerton family.”

As such, each season will focus on one of the Bridgerton children finding love. To date, we have seen Daphne and Anthony find love through 2020’s season one and 2022’s season two, respectively.

Is Bridgerton based on a book?

As highlighted before, the Bridgerton Netflix original series is based on the series of period romantic novels written by Julia Quinn.

Bridgerton season one, which premiered in 2020 and was at the time the most popular series in Netflix’s history, was based on the first book in the series of novels – The Duke and I, released in 2000.

It goes without saying that the series aimed for racial diversity in terms of the casting of the characters, an example of which is the lead character, The Duke, who was played by Black English actor, Rege-Jean Page.

There are other liberties that the series has taken in terms of the plot, which differs from that of the original text.

Considering that Bridgerton season two has just concluded, let us look at the liberties that the series took in terms of variation from the book, which inspired the season, with 2001’s The Viscount Who Loved Me.

1. The love triangle

The biggest liberty that the series seems to have taken with season two is how long the story of the love triangle between Anthony, Kate, and Edwina was drawn out.

The series waited until the last episode of season two to finally have the couple together, and the rest of the season before that, we watched in anticipation for when the two would finally confess their feelings.

In the book, the relationship between Anthony and Kate is not as drawn out, and Edwina is not deceived as she is in the series.

Instead, in the book, she encourages Kate to fall in love with the viscount, arguably, a better plot than the one in the series.

2. The bee scene

The bee scene in the series where the two characters get to hold each other for the first time as Anthony has a panic attack when Kate is stung by a bee, happens differently in the book.

In the book, Anthony, who is still traumatised by his father’s death caused by a bee sting, attempts to draw the venom out of Kate.

During this awkward moment, the two are discovered by their mothers, who call for them to marry in order to preserve Kate’s honour.

This plot device was used in the first season, which is probably why the writers opted to modify this scene.

3. Main characters backstory

The backstories of the main characters were slightly modified in the series, like how in the series Anthony witnessed his father being stung by the bee, while in the book he only heard about it.

Additionally, the Sheffields in the book were the Sharma-Sheffields in the series, as the title characters in the film are from India. Moreover, Edwina was blonde and blue-eyed in the book and played a less active role than she did in the series.

Final thoughts

Bridgerton is based on the series of novels by American author, Julia Quinn, with the series taking liberties in veering away from some exact details in the book, as well as with the racial diversity promoted by the series.

To date, in the series we have watched two of the book instalments, namely The Duke and I, and The Viscount Who Loved Me, books one and two of the series, respectively.

There are still six more book instalments of the novels, with each of the Bridgeton children having a novel dedicated to their love story.

Since seasons three and four of Bridgeton have already been confirmed by Netflix, fans are expecting that An Offer From A Gentleman and Romancing Mister Bridgerton will be the next instalments of the series.