Shonda Rhimes is a visionary TV mogul who is the mind behind megahits like Grey's Anatomy (streaming with a Hulu subscription), Scandal, How To Get Away with Murder, and most recently the Bridgerton franchise (which is available with a Netflix subscription). The latter is one of the best Netflix shows to binge watch, and was even given a spinoff. And she recently responded to criticism about the show being "woke."
Rhimes has a uniquely captivating way of writing, including her famous Shondalogues. Bridgerton is a book-to-screen adaptation, where she's putting her own spin on the source material. In a recent interview with Deadline, she was asked about claims the show's casting is "woke", offering a simple "that's so cute." She further expanded her feelings, saying:
How people react and take in the show is none of my business.
Honestly, this sounds like a pretty healthy way to approach being an artist. One can't create when they're focusing on outside voices, which is why I think the hate watching discourse surrounding And Just Like That contributed to it ending after Season 3. As such, it doesn't seem like Rhimes is taking stock in folks who criticized Bridgerton for being woke.
This backlash is likely related to the fact that Bridgerton is set in an alternate reality of 19th Century London, where racial equality is passed and Black citizens are able to rise to High Society. Queen Charlotte is a black woman (played to perfection by Golda Rosheuvel), and even her own prequel to show how she and King George fell in love. Bridgerton boasts a diverse cast, which has seemingly resulted in it taking some heat online. But Rhimes seemingly isn't engaging in the noise.
Bridgerton has lots of steamy scenes, and in some ways it's like seeing a romance novel come to life... especially back in Season 1. Funny enough, Rhimes said in the same interview that she had a "disdain for romance novels", but that the Bridgerton books captured her attention while she was ill and stuck in a hotel. She actually sees the series as more of a "workplace drama", where the women of the show are finding independence through love.
Still, it's hard not to see the connection between the show and romance novels, which typically feature love scenes. While Bridgerton has pumped the breaks in regards to this in the second and third seasons, these sequences still do occur. Season 3 saw Penelope and Colin get busy in the back of a carriage, and have more love scenes as their coupling was made official.
Bridgerton's first three seasons are streaming now on Netflix, as is Queen Charlotte. Season 4 is expected sometime in 2026, although it doesn't have a concrete release date at the time of writing this story.
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