Netflix developing ‘Bridgerton’ spinoff focusing on one of the show’s most popular characters

The love stories of the British aristocracy have long become one of Netflix’s biggest successes. With lavish costumes, romantic entanglements, and a family that seemingly never runs out of marriage candidates, Bridgerton has garnered an impressive global audience.

The streaming giant has no plans to bid farewell to the universe anytime soon, as several media outlets, including Deadline, confirm.

On the contrary, Netflix has now officially greenlit another series that will explore the past of one of the characters viewers already know very well.

This time, however, it’s not about another one of the Bridgerton children, but about the woman who brought them all into the world.

Lady Violet Gets Her Own Love Story

According to the American media outlet Deadline, Netflix has ordered a new limited series about Lady Violet Bridgerton’s youth and her relationship with Edmund Bridgerton, who later becomes the family’s viscount.

Violet is played in the original series by Ruth Gemmell, where the character appears as the family’s loving, yet quite determined, matriarch.

Viewers have followed her efforts to help her children find love over several seasons.

Now, audiences will have the opportunity to experience how she found it herself.

The story will explore the relationship between Violet and Edmund, long before their children began creating romantic chaos in London’s high society.

Netflix has not yet announced who will play the younger versions of the main characters.

Shonda Rhimes Returns to Scriptwriting

Behind the project is a very familiar name.

Shonda Rhimes, who created Grey’s Anatomy and is behind the production company Shondaland, will both write and produce the upcoming series.

She will also share the showrunner responsibility with Nicholas Nardini, with whom she previously collaborated on Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.

This will be the first time since Queen Charlotte that Rhimes herself writes a series script.

She was behind almost all episodes of the popular 2023 limited series, while Nardini wrote one episode and co-wrote another.

Director Tom Verica also returns.

He directed Queen Charlotte and will now both direct and serve as executive producer on the new production.

Shondaland’s Betsy Beers is also attached as executive producer.

The Story Already Exists in Books

While Queen Charlotte told an original story based on characters from Julia Quinn’s romantic universe, the upcoming series already has a literary source.

The author has written the novella Violet in Bloom, which tells the story of Violet and Edmund’s love.

This gives the screenwriters the opportunity to draw inspiration from an existing work, although it has not yet been announced how closely Netflix will follow the book’s plot.

The choice of Violet is also not entirely surprising.

Already after the premiere of Queen Charlotte in May 2023, speculation began about which other characters could get their own backstories.

Both Lady Danbury and Violet were mentioned as obvious possibilities.

But while Queen Charlotte already gave audiences a glimpse into Lady Danbury’s romantic experiences, Violet’s previous marriage has been more of a background story in the main series.

Several Series Have Long Been in the Pipeline

Plans to expand the Bridgerton universe have been underway for several years.

Back in January, Tom Verica told Deadline that the production was working on additional spin-off series with existing characters.

Since then, work on the Violet series has apparently moved forward.

According to Deadline, development accelerated several months ago, and the project was quickly identified as a likely candidate to be the first new series under Shonda Rhimes’ latest deal with Netflix.

The parties extended their collaboration in August with a new multi-year agreement.

The upcoming limited series will thus be another important project in the collaboration between the streaming service and Shondaland.

Netflix Has Big Plans for Bridgerton

Interest in Bridgerton now extends far beyond the TV series itself.

The universe has also developed into an extensive business with merchandise, experiences, and events that generate revenue for Netflix outside the streaming platform.

The series’ popularity is also reflected in its streaming figures.

According to Deadline, the first and third seasons remain on Netflix’s list of the most popular English-language series ever, ranking seventh and tenth respectively.

Netflix has also invested in special studio facilities in the UK for Shondaland’s productions.

This underscores that the company views the universe as a long-term venture rather than a series to be concluded after a few seasons.

While Violet prepares to get her own story, work continues on the original series.

The fifth season of Bridgerton is currently being filmed in London.

Here, attention shifts to the more introverted Francesca Bridgerton, played by Hannah Dodd, and her relationship with Michaela Stirling, played by Masali Baduza.

Netflix has not yet announced a premiere date for the Violet series.

This article is made and published by Nicolai H, who may have used AI in the preparation