What makes web series 'Bridgerton' so popular?

The third instalment of the period series is due next week. Rashmi Vasudeva writes about how it keeps viewers riveted

As emotional triggers, period dramas are usually sure-fire bets. The audience either goes all heart-eyes or sharpens its claws in ire — there’s no middle ground. Netflix’s recent series ‘Heeramandi’ is a case in point. It has inspired as much hate as love. Fans are yet to recover from all the flutter, and now, there’s already another period drama on the horizon!

The much-anticipated third season of the sensational hit series ‘Bridgerton’, the Regency-era romance that has broken Netflix’s global viewership records, will arrive on May 16. What was initially dismissed as a lockdown hit (the first season was aired in 2020) has surpassed all expectations — laurels have been aplenty but the knives have been out too. If the promos for the third season are anything to go by, it is quite on its way to becoming a phenomenon — call it the 21st-century answer to Georgette Heyer, the British writer who churned out Regency romances by the bushels, eagerly devoured by women (yes, mostly) of a certain age and disposition. Incidentally, ‘Bridgerton’ has been adapted from Julia Quinn’s novels (written between 2000 and 2006) of the same name. Heyer’s popularity was understandable — her books were bestsellers at a time when entertainment was scarce and ways of escapism few and far between. What’s ‘Bridgerton’’s secret sauce?

Is it simply how stunning the overall look of the series is? Its high production values? The elaborate costumes? The attention to detail? The exquisite sets and cinematography? Is it the vicarious appeal of watching intrinsically good souls stumble and fumble into love while struggling with strict social etiquette and learning to expertly twirl in lavish ballrooms? Or is it “just good-looking bonking” as one pithy cynic told me?

While its grandiose outfits and fanciful wigs make the Met Gala extravaganzas look ordinary, its spirited women, err...somewhat-slow-on-the-uptake men, the smooth inclusion of uber-modernity in its music and sensibilities (there’s even a ballroom dance on a ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ instrumental) and its refreshingly candid take on women’s sexual awakening have inspired reams and reams of Reddit debates, fan fictions, theme parties, fashion rejigs, giggly dissections of the deliciously scandalous sex scenes and even confectionery and cookies!

Fans have appreciated its nod to multi-culturalism, racial integration and gender equality but critics have labelled the series set in early 1800s England as frothy, candy-hued drivel, blaming its stilted dialogues and repetitive plots. In fact, the first season’s arguably problematic plot twist where the lead actress seduces her husband and forces him to not use the ‘pull-out’ method of (unreliable) contraception has led to heated online debates on consent, marital rape and sexual assault — something the makers of the historical romance perhaps never anticipated.

That said, the creatives ought to be hailed for their upfront depiction of female masturbation and self-pleasure without being tedious or priggish. Perhaps herein lies the secret to ‘Bridgerton’’s success — its unflinching honesty and belief in the tale it wants to narrate, however flaky it may be to ‘woke’ eyes. You see this conviction play out in several instances — be it in getting a black actor to be a much-sought-after Duke in stiff-upper-lip Regency England or a genteel poor Indian, Kathani ‘Kate’ Sharma, triumphing over all odds to become the Viscountess in ‘Season 2’.

‘Season 3’ is upping its game in more ways than one. Without giving too much away, it is the story of the ‘yellow wallflower’ Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) who is anything but your typical romantic lead. She is witty in private and embarrassingly awkward in public. She lurks around, her dress sense is suspect, her mother and sisters inspire snark and dear Penelope is not svelte (not body shaming here...simply count how many times you have seen a plump leading lady in a swoon-worthy romance). What’s more, at the fag end of the previous season, her long-time crush and friend Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), in typical Bollywood fashion, declared to his friends that he would never dream of dating Penelope. She overhears, of course. And thus will begin ‘Season 3’. Ah, now, dearest gentle reader, you begin to comprehend why the ‘ton’ is so buzzy, do you not?