Prepare to see much more of the Bridgerton family siblings in “Bridgerton” Season 2, which premieres this coming Friday on Netflix.
After establishing the Regency era world of the ton and introducing audiences to each of Lady Violet’s eight children – Daphne, Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth – in Season 1, the new run of episodes will dive deeper into the storylines of London’s society.
“It’s a big show,” executive producer, creator and showrunner Chris Van Dusen told TheWrap. “There’s a lot of characters and part of the challenge in writing a series like this is knowing when to pop in on certain characters and [when to] pop out. And just writing the scripts with my writers room, we always have long discussions about the flow of an episode, and when are we with our main love story? When are we with Anthony and Kate? When are we Kate and Edwina? When are we opening up the world outside of Mayfair with Will Mondrich and Queen Charlotte, and also, the other Bridgertons.”
For second sister Eloise (Claudia Jessie), she’ll follow in Daphne’s (Phoebe Dynevor) footsteps and make her ton debut, which for anyone who knows her character, won’t be easy.
“Eloise – this is her first official season out, and to say that she doesn’t like it would be the understatement of the century, I think,” Van Dusen said. “She has no interest in any of this stuff.”
Eloise, of course, remains much more interested in reading and expanding her mind, than ballgowns and dance steps, even if the ton has traditional expectations of her.
“She has really big shoes to fill this season being Daphne’s younger sister,” he continued. “The expectations on her are that much higher. People are looking at her as Daphne’s younger sister. So it’s been fascinating to watch Eloise come to terms with that.”
After a failed romance with Featherington cousin Marina Thompson in Season 1, Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) took some time away from society. As he returns to London, he’s hoping people view him in a different light.
“Colin, last season, left to go on this big grand tour, and now he’s come back a changed man. Or so he likes everyone to think. And he’s still reeling from what went down with Marina Thompson last season and I think this year is very much about him coming back to prove himself and to prove that he’s not, you know, a young, clueless, aimless, young man,” Van Dusen said.
Second son (or as Regency romances like to call them, “the spare”) Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) will also have his own storyline, however, his world also remains entwined with the that of the Bridgerton heir, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), who is seeking the perfect woman to be his Viscountess.
“I love the Anthony/Benedict relationship, this brotherly bond these two have. It’s so funny and and Luke Thompson does such an amazing job with that aspect,” the EP told TheWrap. “And with Benedict, I was always interested in opening up this world and expanding the world from the books and I wanted to see what happened outside of Mayfair and outside … of Grosvenor Square. And Benedict is still up to some really interesting things outside of this world. He’s involved in a whole other subset of a whole other world.”
In the run up to Season 2, Netflix confirmed the show had cast actor Rupert Evans as Edmund Bridgerton, the late patriarch of the family. Trailers for the new season show Edmund alongside a younger-looking Anthony. Van Dusen explained that having Edmund on the show will help explain more about why the Viscount is the way he is.
“I think the story of Anthony and his father Edmund, I think that, that history and that story is essential to Anthony’s story in the present. One of the themes we’re looking at this season is grief and Anthony was exceptionally close to his father,” Van Dusen explained. “And I think his grief over his dad’s death is something we’re exploring in great detail. Not just for him, but for the entire Bridgerton family — for all those Bridgertons. And I think it’s very illuminating and really emotionally satisfying for a character like Anthony because you really come to understand why he’s done what he’s done in the past, why he’s acted in certain ways and also why he’s doing what he’s doing right now.”
For more from our interview with showrunner Van Dusen, visit TheWrap later in the week. And to read part 1 of the interview, which dives into this season’s romance, click here.
“Bridgerton” Season 2 begins streaming March 25 on Netflix.
