“Bridgerton” creator Chris Van Dusen has boarded Netflix’s “Calabasas” as its new showrunner, replacing “Pretty Little Liars” showrunner I. Marlene King, TheWrap has learned.
The showrunner swap was prompted by King’s departure from the series on her own accord, according to an individual with knowledge. Van Dusen will take over as writer and showrunner, collaborating with Netflix for the first time since “Bridgerton,” which he ran through Season 2 before Jess Brownell was named as showrunner for Season 3 and beyond.
The news comes over a year after Netflix landed the rights to the series, which is executive produced by Kim Kardashian and Emma Roberts, in a competitive bidding war. “Calabasas” is based on Via Bleidner’s book “If You Lived Here You’d Be Famous By Now,” which follows 16-year-old Via, a young Catholic girl whose life is changed after her family moves from the Midwest to Calabasas, California.
Van Dusen will executive produce through his CVD Productions alongside Kardashian, Roberts, who EPs for Belletrist Productions, Karah Preiss, Matt Matruski and Alexandra Milchan, who holds the rights to the book.
“Bridgerton” Season 1, which debuted in December 2020, stands as the No. 6 most popular English-language Netflix TV series with 113.3 million views to date, the biggest audience of any “Bridgerton” season. Van Dusen remains attached to “Bridgerton” as a producer.
Beyond “Bridgerton,” Van Dusen has produced and written several Shondaland series, including “Scandal,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice” and “The Catch.”
The series is set in the exclusive neighborhood where the Kardashians reside, which is also the topic of another Kardashian project, unscripted series “Calabasas: Behind the Gates” over at Hulu. Netflix is also gearing up to launch a Calabasas-centric reality show, titled “Calabasas Confidential,” which follows a group of childhood friends, exes and rivals after graduating college.
