How Did Bridgerton Become A Top US Streaming Hit?

From the enchanting and whimsical dialects and tales narrated by the infamous Lady Whistledown, to the extravagant gowns and romanticised scenarios carried out by the characters, Netflix’s Bridgerton soared in streaming records. It remained at the top of the streaming charts for three weeks in both 2021 and 2022, with seasons 1 and 2 encapsulating a thrilling and captivating storyline that left audiences craving for more. Additionally, after its 28 day release, it had become Netflix’s most streamed English-language show.

Around the period of late December of 2021, Christmas chatter was replaced by the hot, fanatical and eloquent series that would not even dare to leave family dinner conversations! Who else had witnessed such a diverse cast in a historical drama set in the 1800s come to life on our screens, along with a classical orchestral score that was remixed with a medley of 21st century pop hits? ‘Tis done by the extraordinary masterminds, that are Chris Van Dusen, Sarah

Dollard, Shonda Rhimes and Joy C. Mitchell that had brought the romance novels by Julia Quinn to such vast popularity. Their artistic and creative approaches have won the hearts of generations and statistically, create astonishing records in streaming history.

Streaming popularity has not been achieved only by word of mouth. We must consider that, as we are living in a truly hyper-technological and digital society, there are platforms and forums, where audiences share and discuss their thoughts on a show such as Bridgerton. A notable example is the app TikTok. It didn’t take long for the community to spark discourses on the drama and literally inform the world what had to be seen. As the series had been placed on the

streaming platform Netflix, the streaming platform caught wind and began to drive more traffic towards the drama. Putting it front and centre on the app and using clips in any upcoming Netflix trailers . This helped to fuel widespread interest as fans wanted more! The show (a fairytale centered within the upper class of the 18th Century but subconsciously highlighting multicultural representation) was so good that it did not matter to some people if they had to pay for a subscription.

The aim was to stream Bridgerton without a doubt and join the widespread forum that took place on Tiktok, on Twitter, on a school run, and even to your neighbour! This prolonged buzz of Bridgerton being that show really highlighted that for a show to be a streaming hit, there must be components of the curation of the show being, of course, exceptional but simultaneously having universal popularity across the public sphere, no matter the communicative medium.

Contrary to the typical drama you might watch on Takeaway Tuesday, Bridgerton possesses that special quality that will unquestionably compel you to watch it repeatedly. We all know that popularity is correlated with streaming numbers, and numbers have always been genuine.