Netflix’s newest show in a long line of melodramas has landed, but is it really worth your time watching?

Bridgerton follows families who have eligible daughters who want to be wed as this is set in a time where marriage and honour is everything. We follow the main character Daphne Bridgerton who is very eligible but also seems to have more to her. She is not a simple young woman with class and grace, she is so much more, she is outspoken and strong and of course in times like these that never goes down well.

Alongside Daphne‘s possible marriages we have the families and the parents, especially the women, who are very judgemental and over the top. But that wasn’t the only issue I had with this show. Some of these issues are quite personal so while they may be a problem for me they may not be a problem for yourself.

The biggest issue I have with the show is it is set in London but filmed in Bath. I live near Bath and work in Bath so I know the area very well and I was able to pinpoint exact places where scenes were shot. It did make me wonder how they filmed this show, whether this was done during lockdown or before, although I doubt it was before lockdown as I would drive through these places often and never see any sort of roadworks or road closures. So to suspend my disbelief and believe this was London was very hard to do. If I change the setting of the show from London to Bath it made it a lot easier to watch for me, but yet the constant references to London ruined that as well.

My second issue was the weird culture combination between modern day and historical trauma. This is obviously in the past but whenever music plays, be it classical music, it’s always a remix of a popular song from the modern day. The first one I noticed was Ariana Grande Thank You, Next and it completely threw me out of the moment. I spent most of my time wondering what that song was and once I realised what it was I just couldn’t buy into the storyline anymore. I really don’t understand who the target audience for this show is because it does have some very raunchy scenes that are quite dry but still raunchy to say the least, yet with the musical cues being younger pop songs it didn’t mix well. It was very confusing and so I really couldn’t put my finger on who this show was really made for.

And finally my last point and something I noticed from seeing some other reviews was that people found the acting quite wooden. I think that’s not an issue of the actors and actresses, it is an issue of the piece. Historical dramas are always so proper, cordial, and very dainty and so trying to convey a lot of emotion while being proper and respectful is very hard to do. I am not surprised people found it hard to watch because so did I and I just could not buy into these characters, which is not a fault on the actors or actresses, I believe it is the fault of the show and the way it is written. I also noticed that the editing wasn’t perfect and there were many scenes where the actors lips did not match up to the words they were saying which just shows that the show seem to be quite rushed in that side of the production.

The show is gorgeous so if you’re into period dramas I think you’ll really like it. Especially comparing it to shows like Gossip Girl, this show is basically a Victorian version of that. But unfortunately for me I just could not get into it and from finishing the first episode the ending just remind me of to To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before with the storyline of ‘pretending we’re dating but really we’re actually going to fall in love’ just seems very easy to work out and just not a show that I think I would enjoy.

But of course this review is my own opinion and I would rather you make up your own opinion of the show by watching it yourselves rather than taking on what I have said. Because I am just one person and while the show may not be for me, that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it. Take my words into account to see what you think and if you enjoy the show then please do enjoy!

What do you think of Bridgerton?

Until next time.

Published by shonaharding

Media graduate with a passion for reviewing film and TV. View all posts by shonaharding