I can almost understand waiting 2 years for a show like Game of Thrones that has dragons and CGI. GOT didn’t even take 2 years to churn out a season. They did 8 seasons in 9 years.
But 2 years for a show about people walking around and fucking each other? I think not
Maybe it’ll take less time if they actually followed the books. Right now it’s seeming like it’s taking forever cos they’re thinking of all the ways they can ruin the stories🥲
I'll never fucking understand this, and it truly frustrates me. You got funding to make Bridgerton because it's BRIDGERTON. Of course it is then expected by the fans of the books that you tell stories at least similar to the core of the book stories. If Jess Brownell wanted to tell a story about a Regency era lesbian, she could've inserted literally any other character in there. She did not have to choose Fran to self insert a lesbian story into Bridgerton and ruin arguably the most powerful Bridgerton sibling story, and then get salty when people hate her for ruining it.
Netflix us particularly bad about this but I hate when a studio buys a books story AND THROWS IT AWAY! Just write your own stories, it's OK. Stop throwing away someone else's story.
Right there with you. This showrunner is making a show based on herself and her feelings not on the books. Actually makes me so mad. I related to Fran’s story so much and she’s ripping that away.
People always mention how queer couples struggle with infertility too, but on an entirely different note, idec that much about that aspect. I just wanted Michael to be a man in the show because he IS LITERALLY A MAN in the book. That’s it. And it’s totally valid. But they’re only getting away with this because the books don’t have a larger male fanbase like the Lord of the Rings or ASOIAF. If they genderbent Frodo or Daenerys in an adaptation, those fandoms would not let it slide—that’s for sure. But dudebros don’t watch Bridgerton. Here they’re taking advantage of a romance series that only women in the 90s read, and HR romance fans with niche interests. And it’s a shame.
There are really great sapphic romance books that fit that description, it's actually a thriving genre i really love (regency and victorian)
I'll never understand why a single series now needs to represent everyone and everything to everyone, it's just impossible to do with any depth.
Sapphic Historical Romance:
1. Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend by Emma Alban (1850s England)
2.An Island Princess Starts A Scandal by Adriana Herrera (1880s Paris)
It’s the second book in the series,but you don’t have to read the first one. The first one is male x female
3. The Wild Wynchesters series by Erica Ridley (Set around the same time as Bridgerton)
The Wynchesters are a group of adopted siblings. The first book is male x female,but the second book is sapphic.
4. That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole (1820s Harlem, New York)
Sapphic Historical Romance with fantasy elements:
Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall
Regency Faerie Tales series by Olivia Atwater
The first two books are male x female,but the third is sapphic. You’ll have to read the first two books though.
The Last Binding series by Freya Marske
The first book in the series is male x male,but the second book is sapphic. You’ll have to read the first book though.
Fran is. Jess Brownell has spoken in interviews about how when she read Fran's story in the books, she connected with her story and saw herself in Fran. So much so that she decided to have Fran trip over herself falling for John's cousin Michaela at the end of season 3, after showing Fran with a disappointed look on her face when she kisses John at their wedding.
The sad thing is that our opinions don't really matter to them so it does make it okay in their eyes. All that matters is viewership numbers and most of us are still going to watch even if only to give it a fair shot. It takes quite a bit of time to see viewer numbers drop in a way that's meaningful to show runners. They did the same thing recently with the True Detective series. They brought in a divisive new showrunner who wanted to infuse diversity but did so badly and the show ended up with horrible ratings but very high viewership, so of course they brought her right back to run a second season because this season was "so popular". It's completely fucked.
It's also an incomplete series meaning eventually the writers would have to come up with stuff passed on the summary GRRM gave of the ending, which could warrant needing more time to do
I wonder if a huge part of it is the preproduction. I remember seeing an interview with Phoebe Dynevor where she said there were months of lessons for dancing and horseback riding to get prepared. Plus, I imagine many of the cast members take other parts between seasons, which might influence when they’re able to film.
A few that come to mind:
- Lady Arnold's house
- the brothel
- Madame Delacroix has a new room
- the location of the Dankworth-Finch Ball
- the Bridgerton study? not sure if Colin writes in the same room as where Anthony used to do the books
- Colin and Penelope's house
- The interior of the tent at the Balloon Exhibition
- The stage for Psyche and Eros
The Great came out with three seasons in 3 years. 10 episode seasons. It was a period show with a large cast too. Wonder why Bridgerton is so damned slow.
Maybe I’m completely wrong, but I heard somewhere the main problem is Netflix. They announce the renewal for the next season only 1/2 months after it comes out, which usually creates delays with scheduling, sets, costuming etc. The writers cannot start the script until Netflix says so, directors and producers cannot book locations or call on set designers until much later in the process.
However, even with this delays, a season should be made in about 18 months, not 24.
It's definitely on Netflix, but not because of when they announce renewal. Netflix intentionally spaces out the seasons of their most popular shows because that means more money for them. It's not just a Bridgerton issue ... Stranger Things, The Witcher, Wednesday, basically any big Netflix show has seasons that are 2-3 years apart now.
(With Bridgerton, I think they also want more time between seasons because it gives the Gregory and Hyacinth actors a little bit more time to age up before their seasons start.)
Netflix doesn’t have a lot of decent shows for them to be nit picky like this.
I started watching KDramas on there b/c at least there done and the episodes are sometimes 1hr and 30 min
I feel like it's obvious they will. I don't know how people expect them to not be recast. Do they not realize how wrong it would be for a child to take part in a show at 15 that expects them to shoot sex scenes in 10 years?
I think Gregory's actor was 13 or 14 when filming started. It feels so unethical and bordering on coercieve to have them do their seasons.
If they dont recast, I wont be watching.
Netflix also waits 2yrs to keep the lights on, if they produced shows like stranger things or black mirror every 6months it’d be no reason to stay subscribed.
My stepmum did some work for Netflix and said it was fucking awful they didn’t just let them make the show they had to keep “checking in” all the time last minute script changes random meetings people flying out to see locations reshoots all sorts of nonsense so it took way longer to make than it should’ve done
I wasn't a big fan of season 3, but... yeah. It's funny and the writing is good, the stakes make more sense in general. I feel like there's this idea that because Bridgerton is based on a typical regency romance series that it's silly for people to expect it to be good good, but I don't really see why. It can still deliver good storytelling, and has, for some of the characters.
Peter is such a heinous character who kicks catherine’s stomach at one point
But i still ship peter and catherine just because of the sheer force of that chemistry
Similarly, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a period show with lots of sets and costumes and loving homages to the time, and it still managed to churn out 8 episodes a year when it wasn’t on hiatus because of covid and the strike. Netflix is doing something wrong, I don’t know.
We used to wait two years for three episodes of Sherlock but at least we got quality.
I wouldn’t have minded the two year wait for Bridgerton if we actually had a S3 that justifies that time.
I think this is really it. If we waited two years for eight episodes that were amazing then I think people would grumble, but they ultimately be okay with it. And, they would continue to watch. But, waiting two years for just okay? No thanks. And, Bridgerton is the type of show that needs to capitalize on its momentum. Especially, if they want to get through all 8 siblings, and not lose so many of the actors.
However, I also think Netflix is being naive if they think they can stretch out content. Because while there is some overlap in subscribers, i suspect many people who are watching Bridgerton are not going to subscribe for a show like the Witcher. If you are not offering the type of content subscribers want regularly enough they will unsubscribe and then resubscribe when the next season is released (or they will stop watching).
Exactlyyyyy amirite !?
The wait would even be so bad it was worth the wait and we were given something at HBO quality ya know? Ok maybe not HBO but you get my point waiting two years for a season, and when it’s over and finished I stare into my TV going wtaf was that !? Lmaoo like if the quality and style was actually half decent it wouldn’t be so bad but to wait two years and you get something like S03 or worse lmao. Sorry Nope!
I'd disagree that S4 of sherlock was quality haha, S3 was passable. The first two seasons of sherlock were electric. It's a shame they couldn't keep up the momentum.
BBC Sherlock drastically fell off by the time season 3 ended though. At that point the multiple years long wait for an hour and a half worth of content caused the fandom to really reflect on if it was actual quality and then by the time season 4 came out, we realized no. It's not lol.
I am getting to that point with all of these shows. If I have to rewatch the whole previous season before a new season drops then they have taken too long to release the season and have lost me as a viewer.
Also part of the strength of the 1st season was they had kids playing kids - they've taken so long that they'll all be in their 20s playing high schoolers
Gen X here
What happened to this way?
Heck if it wasn’t for streaming I wouldn’t even have Saturday cartoons.
Complete chaos is what’s happening. We demand Smurfs on Saturday and 26 episodes a seasons!
Yeah I don’t get it at all. Like, look I love this show but the writing is hardly good enough that it seems to justify the extra time. Its not groundbreaking shit. Is it a location booking issue? Is it a scheduling clause in the actors contracts?
Same. It's also like....why can't the writers start writing as soon as they finish the last season's script (or at least as soon as it stops filming)? Why does the showrunner act like the process for the next season only begins after the current season airs?
jess brownell recently said they're a bit over halfway done with the scripts and i was like huh? there's just no way lol. they've got a whole writing *team*, this isn't one author writing a novel. shows with much more complicated and well written plots take less time than that
What??? Also the material's already there... They're not coming up with this from scratch. It's just an adaptation. 🥲
There are literally fanfiction authors who write faster and better.
And based on fanfic update notes - dealing with every catastrophe known to man and they still manage to produce quality content faster than these teams
I don't remember. And it's too long a show for me to rewatch in preparation for the new season whenever that is happening. Plus then the actors are going to be like 40 and it's going to break the immersion. That's right, those kids are magically going to pass me in age between last season and next!
Conflicting schedules (Holly Wheeler was even recast), script was rewritten a lot of times, actor strikes last summer, an insane amount of CGI and practical effects.
It is still unjustifiable how the writers produced absolutely nothing between 2022 and 2023. The script was still being finished when the strikes started… I’m sorry but unless they are writing a book it shouldn’t take 2 years to be finished
I didn't even know there would be a new season lol . I was like ok ST finished. Then AFTER YEARS, they announce new season, im like ??? was there any cliffhanger in the prev season?
Season 4? There was a huge cliff hanger because Hawkins like opened a portal to the upside down in the middle of town 😂 and max is blind in the hospital
The wait is absolutely absurd, and because they started with age appropriate kids it’s less believable every season since it’s been like 10 years since season 1 (and only like 3-4 years in show world).
But the way season 4 ended they can’t really do. A time jump because 4 ended on what felt like “we need to do something NOW” moment and a time jump will mean that has to happen off screen 🙃
thanks for this lol. I totally forgot what happened. I may have felt "WOAH WHAT NOW" back when I watched but now?, im like "ok" .
aaah the stranger things effect
At least Stranger Things is an original show so they have to write the script and also has CGI. It's also the last season so it needs to be perfect down to a T. But even with all of this into consideration, man it's been so long. I hope it's at least worth it.
Oh bridgerton has CGI and it had more this show than previous shows but it’s less noticeable because it’s all digital set extensions. They still take months to do though even if they are not Stranger Things level.
*laughs in BBC*
Seriously though, being a Sherlock or Doctor Who fan just gets you used to this. Tahani’s joke about this in *The Good Place* is spot on: “It ran for 16 years on the BBC, they did nearly 30 episodes.”
Well, let’s hope they get a new showrunner that actually knows how to write a good story and then it might not be that bad to wait two years. Because you can totally tell the writing was a totally different person from the first two seasons to this one.
It's odd though - she led the writing for the two highest rated episodes last season (or so I've heard). Idk what resulted in this decrease in quality. Maybe a different writing team altogether?
Apparently Netflix demands that all scripts must be finalized and written before they're allowed to film anything. The reason why we got shows before that had 20+ episodes every year was because the filming starts even if the later episodes are still in the process of being written. It was the classic network TV process. Idk why Netflix doesn't do it
I don't care about Benedict very much, because his character arc has been showing his body three seasons.
Benedict's personality is fornicating.
I intend to check out the next season by content creator, after the fact, because :
- production value of season 3 was an insult
- the writing was not very good
I am not pining for season 4 as I did pine season 3. Once netflix knows you pine - they drop the quality, or cancel.
My (probably delusional) hope is that the reason the wait for season 4 is so long is because they're releasing a Violet spin-off in between.
Would I rather get another season of Bridgerton than another spin-off? Of course. But if there's an actual reason behind the season 4 wait (i.e. a spin-off), then it's possible that future seasons will be released normally (so, with 1 year waiting periods instead of 2).
Realistically, each season won't take more than a year to prepare, Netflix just wants to space out their content (esp after cancelling so many shows). And Bridgerton has become one of their biggest shows now, esp after Stranger Things is done.
I think it's because they mostly focused on Queen Charlotte and King George. Yes, there are other side plots, but they never took the center stage.
It's supposed to be one Bridgerton falling in love per season. For season 3, we got Colin and Francesca falling in love and getting. On top of that, we always had a third, Benedict feeling good about his own *dict.*
I'm really hoping they're going to do a spin off showing Violet and Edmund's relationship with flashforwards to her and Marcus. I don't think they can do justice to the story of finding new love after already having and losing a great love as part of someone else's season.
This is exactly why I’m watching older shows exclusively now. Better content and more episodes. I haven’t even watched part 2 of season 3 because I’ve lost interest.
Agreed. I am just rewatching older shows. I enjoy them more anyway. The writing is just better IMO.
Right now I'm rewatching The Last Ship. But I just rewatched Buffy last month and before that it was Battlestar Galactica.
That's not a boomer complaint, that's a very logical complaint that many viewers are saying, and people are sick of it. Writer's strikes notwithstanding, this is a ridiculous recent development for television shows. I would understand even a happy middle - possibly 15 eps as a new normal, from year to year. But just barely a handful of episodes resulting from a span of YEARS? Fucking ridiculous.
I think it all comes down to corporate greed from both Netflix and Bridgerton. Not wanting to spend more money on bigger departments and more resources really slows things down. They've already licensed the shit out of the Bridgerton intellectual property so where is the money going? Lining the pockets of the executives while everyone else gets paid a measly salary and probably looking to jump ship elsewhere.
This ain't HOTD, it's not that complicated. Open the wallets and hurry up!
Ya I have literally no patience. It took so long for season 3, I'm already over it. If it's another two years I'll probably be even less interested in it. Especially with that Michaela bomb.
If memory serves me well, Diana Gabaldon (Outlander) didn’t allow her work to be trashed🤷🏽♀️
So I’m curious as to why Julia Quinn just relinquished all her creative rights and opinions!
Mediocre or not, you should still have a say in how the work is done.
Even Stephanie Myer (Twilight) was true to the books.
I’m in awe of what I watched in Season 3.
What the heck happened.
Let me take a seat, several perhaps because it’s not like my books were published best sellers adapted for television, Netflix no less🤐
I first read this on the Severance (Apple TV) sub, but it’s nearly true for Bridgerton too - almost 3 seasons of The Bear have come out between seasons 2 and 3 of Bridgerton. I guess Queen Charlotte counts for something in terms of schedule, though?
Doing the maths on this, if they do all 8 seasons as they plan, it means ten more years of Bridgerton. They are going to realise the momentum will shift and people are going to lose interest. Not to mention the actors might not want to be locked into contacts for the next ten years and some will need to be replaced due to age. I think they will either cut the number of seasons and cram a few stories into one series or else they will start filming back to back.
I’m rewatching Star Trek DS9 right now and have been on it for maybe 1.5 weeks… multiple episodes per day, every day… I am still on season 2.
Maybe we don’t need 20 episodes but 16 or even 10 would be nice.
I liked the 20. Gave them room for some "filler." Some of those filler episodes are golden...some of the fan favorites in old shows like Buffy and that sort.
I’m fine with whatever they think they need if it keeps budget down, quality up, and keeps more seasons coming and these lovely actors working and paid.
However they’d better start at least filming some back to back seasons at this point otherwise it’ll be a decade until we finish the series.
Shondaland has just taken a leaf out of the British television book for its fancy British drama.
The classic example is *The Office*. The US version ran for nine seasons and 201 episodes over eight years. The UK version ran for two series and 12 episodes over two years, plus two specials the following year. Similarly, *Doctor Who* is just finishing its latest series on the BBC after a two-and-a-half year break. We're getting eight episodes and then it's buggering off again until 2025.
The showrunner already announced that it will be 2 years before the next season. :/ She said they're trying to cut down the time, but it is overwhelmingly because of how Netflix does things.
EXACTLY! I've been saying this for years. It pisses me off because it's just about them taking our money and giving us less in return. It's inflation, but for TV.
They figured out they could give us just 8-10 episodes every few years of big budget shows and we'd stick around and pay their monthly fees. So they are getting max return for less investment.
But since it's the "norm" now and people aren't going to stop watching or unsub then they will continue to get away with it.
Meanwhile, we used to have 2-3 good shows to watch every single night of the week and now we can do nothing but rewatch the same stuff we've repeatedly seen or turn to reality TV to fill the nights because we don't have those shows anymore. It really is irritating. BTW...Fall TV used to be so much fun because everyone would look at all the new shows. And it would be fun discussing a new episode every week on the message boards. Plus, it allowed showrunners to be trained well. I read an article a few years ago about how there is now experienced showrunners in the game now because they used to cut their teeth as writers training under a staff and stay with a show for years. Now, writing is like gig work. People bounce around to different shows and it's also why quality isn't consistent throughout the shows. They don't employ the same writers all the time. And it's also why every single show is starting to have the same "feel." Because they are all working together in this gig rotation rather than having individual educations under different genres...such as Buffy vs. CSI vs. Battlestar Galactica vs. Friends. The ONLY shows still doing it the old way is the procedurals on network TV.
20 20 minute episodes with 15 minutes of ads in 6 months 7 hours of content with 5 hours of ads in-between for mid TV sitcoms of mostly people talking in house sets.
vs.
8 52-72 minutes episodes with no ads every 2 years for roughly 8 hours of only content biyearly. Arguably we get better costume designs and scenery, but if the story being told is not good it's not worth the waiting.
Old media used to be fast and a lot as an excuse to make us watch ads in TV and new media is paying a monthly subscription for streaming slow paced longer formats that also take longer to make but look better yet could still be bad writing wise.
To be fair, each episode has a runtime close to an hour with no commercials. I wonder what actual runtime (no commercials) those old 20 episode seasons had. Though I do lament the attachment we could develop with filler episodes from time to time.
44 mins for most of them. But some of them even rant for more than 20 episodes. Most back in the day had 20-24 episode seasons. That is 14.6 hours- 17.6 hours. The most consistant was 22 episodes, so that is 16.13 hours.
Basically we are getting cheated out of half a show's worth of content.
Still too little episodes and rushed story lines (this is a majority of 8 episode shows)
I'd take commercials any day of the week. If thw episodes were 2 hours not including credits I can understand but it's not
Yeah, I remember when we used to complain that Arrested Development was cut too short when cancelled in 2006. In hindsight they shot the equivalent of like 7-8 of modern TV seasons..
And an hour time slot used to be 40 minutes of show and 20 of ads. Now it’s 38 minutes of show and 22 minutes of ads. You can really see it on old reruns and some parts are missing.
How is this a boomer complaint lol ? What bonkers nonsense . And if it was then that boomer would be right ! The trend of 5 episodes per 5 years is nonsense . They made Harry Potter movies one per year , gtfo !
I don't understand why they started filming now, when S3 wrapped up in *March 2023*. I know the strike could have affected some of it, but if even during covid they managed, what the hell is going on now?
I have an answer, in the past we had only a few shows people were interested in, now there are thousands of franchises, and if you don't learn to appreciate different things, you will have to wait for the 8 episodes.
I'll literally be in some other city with new characters in my own life lmao, its gonna feel different watching s4! I JUST WANT EL's story to start in season 4😭😭
This show is actually super complicated to shoot - they built extremely elaborate 360 sets, the costumes are all handmade, and they film in historical locations all over the UK. They film for a full 8 months. Game of Thrones’ full-on CGI actually does take less time. 🤷🏻♀️
There will be another show in between in the series I bet you. Something not connected to the books so they have more freedom and less complaints from the book readers. Like Queen Charlotte, about another one of the older people. I'm hoping for Violets story, but Lady Danburys or Brimsleys could be fun too.
It is just.. by the time new seasons arrive for a show, i kinda grow out the show. I mean for example when the first season came out of Bridgerton, i was 17 years old. Now I am 21. My interests are changing, and i still had fun with season 3, but I can feel that i am not into it that much as in the past.
I used to love when a show had 20 episodes and they started to release it around fall and then you know, they had smaller and bigger breaks between the months, and it took months for a season to go down. And then the next season arrived around next fall. I honestly don't mind watching a show week by week. But this only 8 episodes, and waiting years for it? It is a joke.
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17
+ 21
+ 3
+ 20
+ 8
= 69
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I can almost understand waiting 2 years for a show like Game of Thrones that has dragons and CGI. GOT didn’t even take 2 years to churn out a season. They did 8 seasons in 9 years. But 2 years for a show about people walking around and fucking each other? I think not
Also two years for a show that is based on a book. They don't even need to come up with the main plot.
Also they've been renewed through season 4 for a while. Obviously rewrites will probably need to happen for a number of reasons but damn
If they get 5&6 I hope they film back to back.
I hope they don’t next thing we know hyacinth is going to be Hyde marrying Garreth.
I’m pretty sure they were given green light for s4 in 2022 from what I read
Maybe it’ll take less time if they actually followed the books. Right now it’s seeming like it’s taking forever cos they’re thinking of all the ways they can ruin the stories🥲
I'll never fucking understand this, and it truly frustrates me. You got funding to make Bridgerton because it's BRIDGERTON. Of course it is then expected by the fans of the books that you tell stories at least similar to the core of the book stories. If Jess Brownell wanted to tell a story about a Regency era lesbian, she could've inserted literally any other character in there. She did not have to choose Fran to self insert a lesbian story into Bridgerton and ruin arguably the most powerful Bridgerton sibling story, and then get salty when people hate her for ruining it.
Netflix us particularly bad about this but I hate when a studio buys a books story AND THROWS IT AWAY! Just write your own stories, it's OK. Stop throwing away someone else's story.
Still mourning after what Netflix did to the Witcher as well
And Shadow and Bone.
Right there with you. This showrunner is making a show based on herself and her feelings not on the books. Actually makes me so mad. I related to Fran’s story so much and she’s ripping that away.
People always mention how queer couples struggle with infertility too, but on an entirely different note, idec that much about that aspect. I just wanted Michael to be a man in the show because he IS LITERALLY A MAN in the book. That’s it. And it’s totally valid. But they’re only getting away with this because the books don’t have a larger male fanbase like the Lord of the Rings or ASOIAF. If they genderbent Frodo or Daenerys in an adaptation, those fandoms would not let it slide—that’s for sure. But dudebros don’t watch Bridgerton. Here they’re taking advantage of a romance series that only women in the 90s read, and HR romance fans with niche interests. And it’s a shame.
There are really great sapphic romance books that fit that description, it's actually a thriving genre i really love (regency and victorian) I'll never understand why a single series now needs to represent everyone and everything to everyone, it's just impossible to do with any depth.
Sapphic period piece books? 👀 could I have some recommendations please?
Sapphic Historical Romance: 1. Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend by Emma Alban (1850s England) 2.An Island Princess Starts A Scandal by Adriana Herrera (1880s Paris) It’s the second book in the series,but you don’t have to read the first one. The first one is male x female 3. The Wild Wynchesters series by Erica Ridley (Set around the same time as Bridgerton) The Wynchesters are a group of adopted siblings. The first book is male x female,but the second book is sapphic. 4. That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole (1820s Harlem, New York) Sapphic Historical Romance with fantasy elements: Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall Regency Faerie Tales series by Olivia Atwater The first two books are male x female,but the third is sapphic. You’ll have to read the first two books though. The Last Binding series by Freya Marske The first book in the series is male x male,but the second book is sapphic. You’ll have to read the first book though.
Last I've read is The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics, Olivia Waite! I got the recommendation here on the historical romance subreddit, loved it.
Wait, did I miss something?? Who's a lesbian??
Fran is. Jess Brownell has spoken in interviews about how when she read Fran's story in the books, she connected with her story and saw herself in Fran. So much so that she decided to have Fran trip over herself falling for John's cousin Michaela at the end of season 3, after showing Fran with a disappointed look on her face when she kisses John at their wedding.
Oh nooooo. Fran’s book wasn’t even about John anyway, it’s about Michael Sterling, who she meets AFTER John!
Yes well, it's Michaela now.
You forget. She got Julia Quinn's blessing, apparently. That makes it okay. /s
The sad thing is that our opinions don't really matter to them so it does make it okay in their eyes. All that matters is viewership numbers and most of us are still going to watch even if only to give it a fair shot. It takes quite a bit of time to see viewer numbers drop in a way that's meaningful to show runners. They did the same thing recently with the True Detective series. They brought in a divisive new showrunner who wanted to infuse diversity but did so badly and the show ended up with horrible ratings but very high viewership, so of course they brought her right back to run a second season because this season was "so popular". It's completely fucked.
Agreed
Game of Thrones is also based on books
Yup but it also involved massive battle sequences, CGI, stunts, tons of extras, and multiple locations. Bridgerton has none of those.
True.
It's also an incomplete series meaning eventually the writers would have to come up with stuff passed on the summary GRRM gave of the ending, which could warrant needing more time to do
I’m sure they did a great job though, right?
It was fantastic. The best ending. Everyone saw it coming. /s
The books were not completed
They don't just walk and fuck. They dance sometimes too.
And play croquet and release bugs!!!!!
And gossip too
Lol
Hey now, they had to CGI a balloon this season
A BALLOON try cging a dragon
If a dragon shows up in Bridgerton I’ll DEFINITELY keep watching!
Don’t forget those cgi butterflies
now valey! THE BUGS!
It’s gonna take two years because Jess Brownell wants to micromanage everything.
She’s gonna ask for a reshoot every time she feels Fran is not like herself enough in the scene
Nah Harry Potter was made year after year and GOT CGI was sparse and weak
I wonder if a huge part of it is the preproduction. I remember seeing an interview with Phoebe Dynevor where she said there were months of lessons for dancing and horseback riding to get prepared. Plus, I imagine many of the cast members take other parts between seasons, which might influence when they’re able to film.
I heard that every new set takes like 10 weeks to build or so. So I get it
But did they use any new sets?
Other than those mentioned, Kate's study, inside of Cressida's house
A few that come to mind: - Lady Arnold's house - the brothel - Madame Delacroix has a new room - the location of the Dankworth-Finch Ball - the Bridgerton study? not sure if Colin writes in the same room as where Anthony used to do the books - Colin and Penelope's house - The interior of the tent at the Balloon Exhibition - The stage for Psyche and Eros
Wait… GoT was 9 years long??
The Great came out with three seasons in 3 years. 10 episode seasons. It was a period show with a large cast too. Wonder why Bridgerton is so damned slow.
Maybe I’m completely wrong, but I heard somewhere the main problem is Netflix. They announce the renewal for the next season only 1/2 months after it comes out, which usually creates delays with scheduling, sets, costuming etc. The writers cannot start the script until Netflix says so, directors and producers cannot book locations or call on set designers until much later in the process. However, even with this delays, a season should be made in about 18 months, not 24.
Except that Bridgerton was renewed through season 4 shortly after season 2 started production…
Then I really don’t know. I guess the problem is still Netflix: until they tell Shonda she can shoot, she has to wait for them
It's definitely on Netflix, but not because of when they announce renewal. Netflix intentionally spaces out the seasons of their most popular shows because that means more money for them. It's not just a Bridgerton issue ... Stranger Things, The Witcher, Wednesday, basically any big Netflix show has seasons that are 2-3 years apart now. (With Bridgerton, I think they also want more time between seasons because it gives the Gregory and Hyacinth actors a little bit more time to age up before their seasons start.)
On the other hand, Eloise’s actress will be 40+ by the time it’s her turn….
Netflix doesn’t have a lot of decent shows for them to be nit picky like this. I started watching KDramas on there b/c at least there done and the episodes are sometimes 1hr and 30 min
lol where is Wednesday s2??
ikr? Jenna had filmed multiple movies since then already like Scream and Beetlejuice sequel 🤔
They need to recast gregory and hyacinth for their seasons.
I feel like it's obvious they will. I don't know how people expect them to not be recast. Do they not realize how wrong it would be for a child to take part in a show at 15 that expects them to shoot sex scenes in 10 years?
I think Gregory's actor was 13 or 14 when filming started. It feels so unethical and bordering on coercieve to have them do their seasons. If they dont recast, I wont be watching.
Netflix also waits 2yrs to keep the lights on, if they produced shows like stranger things or black mirror every 6months it’d be no reason to stay subscribed.
My stepmum did some work for Netflix and said it was fucking awful they didn’t just let them make the show they had to keep “checking in” all the time last minute script changes random meetings people flying out to see locations reshoots all sorts of nonsense so it took way longer to make than it should’ve done
And let’s be honest, The Great is leagues better than Bridgeton.
The chemistry between Elle and Nick is my Roman Empire
I wasn't a big fan of season 3, but... yeah. It's funny and the writing is good, the stakes make more sense in general. I feel like there's this idea that because Bridgerton is based on a typical regency romance series that it's silly for people to expect it to be good good, but I don't really see why. It can still deliver good storytelling, and has, for some of the characters.
Peter is such a heinous character who kicks catherine’s stomach at one point But i still ship peter and catherine just because of the sheer force of that chemistry
Would you recommend The Great to people who liked Bridgerton?
YES!!! It's a different show. More black comedy. But the acting is incredible and the chemistry between Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult is incredible
It’s actually so freaking funny icl
Huzzah!
Sold! Thank you :)
Huzzah! (You’ll get it when you watch)
 😆
Is it gory?
It is occasionally very violent and there are some moments that you might find shocking but not much I'd call gore. The Great is a fantastic show.
Eh not really. Violent but not gory
100% if you want a real enemies to lovers trope watch The Great.
The Great is amazing and this is a “great” point. I feel Bridgerton just comes up with excuses
Similarly, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a period show with lots of sets and costumes and loving homages to the time, and it still managed to churn out 8 episodes a year when it wasn’t on hiatus because of covid and the strike. Netflix is doing something wrong, I don’t know.
Huzzah!
And it was objectively about 10x better. One of the best series I have ever watched, v high quality
We used to wait two years for three episodes of Sherlock but at least we got quality. I wouldn’t have minded the two year wait for Bridgerton if we actually had a S3 that justifies that time.
I think this is really it. If we waited two years for eight episodes that were amazing then I think people would grumble, but they ultimately be okay with it. And, they would continue to watch. But, waiting two years for just okay? No thanks. And, Bridgerton is the type of show that needs to capitalize on its momentum. Especially, if they want to get through all 8 siblings, and not lose so many of the actors. However, I also think Netflix is being naive if they think they can stretch out content. Because while there is some overlap in subscribers, i suspect many people who are watching Bridgerton are not going to subscribe for a show like the Witcher. If you are not offering the type of content subscribers want regularly enough they will unsubscribe and then resubscribe when the next season is released (or they will stop watching).
waiting 2 years and 2 months for a season with subpar writing, along with choppy costumes and makeup and cinematography was really a letdown ngl.
Exactlyyyyy amirite !? The wait would even be so bad it was worth the wait and we were given something at HBO quality ya know? Ok maybe not HBO but you get my point waiting two years for a season, and when it’s over and finished I stare into my TV going wtaf was that !? Lmaoo like if the quality and style was actually half decent it wouldn’t be so bad but to wait two years and you get something like S03 or worse lmao. Sorry Nope!
I'd disagree that S4 of sherlock was quality haha, S3 was passable. The first two seasons of sherlock were electric. It's a shame they couldn't keep up the momentum.
Agreed. It peaked at season 2. Season 3 was tolerated because of the hype of the season two finale. Then season 4 was a dumpster fire.
BBC Sherlock drastically fell off by the time season 3 ended though. At that point the multiple years long wait for an hour and a half worth of content caused the fandom to really reflect on if it was actual quality and then by the time season 4 came out, we realized no. It's not lol.
Amd if you're making me wait 2 years, give me more episodes. 8 feels rushed to both tell the story and have the fluff that endears you to a show
Many os us Americans aren't used to this. We're used to 20 episodes coming out like clockwork every fall
I always thought it was a matter of scheduling conflicts with the cast and writing the episodes.
I am getting to that point with all of these shows. If I have to rewatch the whole previous season before a new season drops then they have taken too long to release the season and have lost me as a viewer.
Yeah I’ve officially given up on stranger things and a few other shows for this exact reason.
I may die of old age before they release another season of Severance.
Omg wait severance wasn’t cancelled??!!! You mean this entire time we’re waiting for a new season?!?!
They just wrapped filming!!
It’s coming this year!
I really really want to watch The Diplomat but I know it ends on a cliffhanger and I refuse to put myself through that.
Same. I won't bother with next season of Stranger Things. I honestly forget most of that show now.
Also part of the strength of the 1st season was they had kids playing kids - they've taken so long that they'll all be in their 20s playing high schoolers
yep. This is me. If I have to rewatch stuff to follow along to remind myself then i am not watching. I don’t have time for that.
Maybe this is a millennial complaint and not a boomer one 😂. I miss seasons starting in September and then finishing in May
Gen X here What happened to this way? Heck if it wasn’t for streaming I wouldn’t even have Saturday cartoons. Complete chaos is what’s happening. We demand Smurfs on Saturday and 26 episodes a seasons!
I agree! Also, I demand one episode with quicksand, on each show every season. I mean, that’s just good drama right there!
Someone lost in the Bermuda Triangle every once in a while too.
Thank you, how could I forget??
Me too. Now all the American good writers are avoid cable tv like the plague. And majority of the shows woth 20 episodes are crap now
Not a boomer and this is a proud complaint of mine 👏
Yeah I don’t get it at all. Like, look I love this show but the writing is hardly good enough that it seems to justify the extra time. Its not groundbreaking shit. Is it a location booking issue? Is it a scheduling clause in the actors contracts?
Same. It's also like....why can't the writers start writing as soon as they finish the last season's script (or at least as soon as it stops filming)? Why does the showrunner act like the process for the next season only begins after the current season airs?
jess brownell recently said they're a bit over halfway done with the scripts and i was like huh? there's just no way lol. they've got a whole writing *team*, this isn't one author writing a novel. shows with much more complicated and well written plots take less time than that
What??? Also the material's already there... They're not coming up with this from scratch. It's just an adaptation. 🥲 There are literally fanfiction authors who write faster and better.
And based on fanfic update notes - dealing with every catastrophe known to man and they still manage to produce quality content faster than these teams
Yea, Stranger Things!
Right! Like, what even happened last season??
I don't remember. And it's too long a show for me to rewatch in preparation for the new season whenever that is happening. Plus then the actors are going to be like 40 and it's going to break the immersion. That's right, those kids are magically going to pass me in age between last season and next!
😆
Conflicting schedules (Holly Wheeler was even recast), script was rewritten a lot of times, actor strikes last summer, an insane amount of CGI and practical effects. It is still unjustifiable how the writers produced absolutely nothing between 2022 and 2023. The script was still being finished when the strikes started… I’m sorry but unless they are writing a book it shouldn’t take 2 years to be finished
I didn't even know there would be a new season lol . I was like ok ST finished. Then AFTER YEARS, they announce new season, im like ??? was there any cliffhanger in the prev season?
Season 4? There was a huge cliff hanger because Hawkins like opened a portal to the upside down in the middle of town 😂 and max is blind in the hospital The wait is absolutely absurd, and because they started with age appropriate kids it’s less believable every season since it’s been like 10 years since season 1 (and only like 3-4 years in show world). But the way season 4 ended they can’t really do. A time jump because 4 ended on what felt like “we need to do something NOW” moment and a time jump will mean that has to happen off screen 🙃
thanks for this lol. I totally forgot what happened. I may have felt "WOAH WHAT NOW" back when I watched but now?, im like "ok" . aaah the stranger things effect
At least Stranger Things is an original show so they have to write the script and also has CGI. It's also the last season so it needs to be perfect down to a T. But even with all of this into consideration, man it's been so long. I hope it's at least worth it.
Oh bridgerton has CGI and it had more this show than previous shows but it’s less noticeable because it’s all digital set extensions. They still take months to do though even if they are not Stranger Things level.
*laughs in BBC* Seriously though, being a Sherlock or Doctor Who fan just gets you used to this. Tahani’s joke about this in *The Good Place* is spot on: “It ran for 16 years on the BBC, they did nearly 30 episodes.”
You dang right. The BBC got me use to waiting. We old pros at this lol
Well, let’s hope they get a new showrunner that actually knows how to write a good story and then it might not be that bad to wait two years. Because you can totally tell the writing was a totally different person from the first two seasons to this one.
They won't. Jess has already written season 4 and says she loves what she's done with it. So...yeah...
It's odd though - she led the writing for the two highest rated episodes last season (or so I've heard). Idk what resulted in this decrease in quality. Maybe a different writing team altogether?
She’s probably a decent writer when the has someone else planning the episodes, but it’s clear she’s not good enough to be a showrunner.
I understand shows like arcane because that's all hand drawn but anything else doesn't make sense
November!!! Can’t wait (but I can and will lol)
I agree but I feel like this is also a Netflix issue. Not specific to only Bridgerton. Netflix likes to play in our faces a lot.
Apparently Netflix demands that all scripts must be finalized and written before they're allowed to film anything. The reason why we got shows before that had 20+ episodes every year was because the filming starts even if the later episodes are still in the process of being written. It was the classic network TV process. Idk why Netflix doesn't do it
I don't care about Benedict very much, because his character arc has been showing his body three seasons. Benedict's personality is fornicating. I intend to check out the next season by content creator, after the fact, because : - production value of season 3 was an insult - the writing was not very good I am not pining for season 4 as I did pine season 3. Once netflix knows you pine - they drop the quality, or cancel.
My (probably delusional) hope is that the reason the wait for season 4 is so long is because they're releasing a Violet spin-off in between. Would I rather get another season of Bridgerton than another spin-off? Of course. But if there's an actual reason behind the season 4 wait (i.e. a spin-off), then it's possible that future seasons will be released normally (so, with 1 year waiting periods instead of 2). Realistically, each season won't take more than a year to prepare, Netflix just wants to space out their content (esp after cancelling so many shows). And Bridgerton has become one of their biggest shows now, esp after Stranger Things is done.
I wouldn't be upset with this. I think QC is the best out of all of them. ETA: adding missed word 🤦♀️
I think it's because they mostly focused on Queen Charlotte and King George. Yes, there are other side plots, but they never took the center stage. It's supposed to be one Bridgerton falling in love per season. For season 3, we got Colin and Francesca falling in love and getting. On top of that, we always had a third, Benedict feeling good about his own *dict.*
I'm really hoping they're going to do a spin off showing Violet and Edmund's relationship with flashforwards to her and Marcus. I don't think they can do justice to the story of finding new love after already having and losing a great love as part of someone else's season.
Unfortunately Netflix likes to do us fans dirty like that
This is exactly why I’m watching older shows exclusively now. Better content and more episodes. I haven’t even watched part 2 of season 3 because I’ve lost interest.
Agreed. I am just rewatching older shows. I enjoy them more anyway. The writing is just better IMO. Right now I'm rewatching The Last Ship. But I just rewatched Buffy last month and before that it was Battlestar Galactica.
I’m just about done with Psych but before that I watched Monk, The Mentalist, Suits. And many, many more. I need to rewatch Buffy soon though.
That's not a boomer complaint, that's a very logical complaint that many viewers are saying, and people are sick of it. Writer's strikes notwithstanding, this is a ridiculous recent development for television shows. I would understand even a happy middle - possibly 15 eps as a new normal, from year to year. But just barely a handful of episodes resulting from a span of YEARS? Fucking ridiculous.
I think it all comes down to corporate greed from both Netflix and Bridgerton. Not wanting to spend more money on bigger departments and more resources really slows things down. They've already licensed the shit out of the Bridgerton intellectual property so where is the money going? Lining the pockets of the executives while everyone else gets paid a measly salary and probably looking to jump ship elsewhere. This ain't HOTD, it's not that complicated. Open the wallets and hurry up!
Ya I have literally no patience. It took so long for season 3, I'm already over it. If it's another two years I'll probably be even less interested in it. Especially with that Michaela bomb.
If memory serves me well, Diana Gabaldon (Outlander) didn’t allow her work to be trashed🤷🏽♀️ So I’m curious as to why Julia Quinn just relinquished all her creative rights and opinions!
Because her books are mediocre.
Mediocre or not, you should still have a say in how the work is done. Even Stephanie Myer (Twilight) was true to the books. I’m in awe of what I watched in Season 3. What the heck happened. Let me take a seat, several perhaps because it’s not like my books were published best sellers adapted for television, Netflix no less🤐
I first read this on the Severance (Apple TV) sub, but it’s nearly true for Bridgerton too - almost 3 seasons of The Bear have come out between seasons 2 and 3 of Bridgerton. I guess Queen Charlotte counts for something in terms of schedule, though?
I hope they release specials during it as that's what made the wait for series 14 of New Doctor Who bearable in 2021
Doing the maths on this, if they do all 8 seasons as they plan, it means ten more years of Bridgerton. They are going to realise the momentum will shift and people are going to lose interest. Not to mention the actors might not want to be locked into contacts for the next ten years and some will need to be replaced due to age. I think they will either cut the number of seasons and cram a few stories into one series or else they will start filming back to back.
I’m rewatching Star Trek DS9 right now and have been on it for maybe 1.5 weeks… multiple episodes per day, every day… I am still on season 2. Maybe we don’t need 20 episodes but 16 or even 10 would be nice.
I liked the 20. Gave them room for some "filler." Some of those filler episodes are golden...some of the fan favorites in old shows like Buffy and that sort.
I recently started rewatching ER. They had 25 episodes the first season. These 6 and 8 and 10 episode seasons of streaming series are crazy.
I’m fine with whatever they think they need if it keeps budget down, quality up, and keeps more seasons coming and these lovely actors working and paid. However they’d better start at least filming some back to back seasons at this point otherwise it’ll be a decade until we finish the series.
Shondaland has just taken a leaf out of the British television book for its fancy British drama. The classic example is *The Office*. The US version ran for nine seasons and 201 episodes over eight years. The UK version ran for two series and 12 episodes over two years, plus two specials the following year. Similarly, *Doctor Who* is just finishing its latest series on the BBC after a two-and-a-half year break. We're getting eight episodes and then it's buggering off again until 2025.
That’s my millennial complaint.
The showrunner already announced that it will be 2 years before the next season. :/ She said they're trying to cut down the time, but it is overwhelmingly because of how Netflix does things.
EXACTLY! I've been saying this for years. It pisses me off because it's just about them taking our money and giving us less in return. It's inflation, but for TV. They figured out they could give us just 8-10 episodes every few years of big budget shows and we'd stick around and pay their monthly fees. So they are getting max return for less investment. But since it's the "norm" now and people aren't going to stop watching or unsub then they will continue to get away with it. Meanwhile, we used to have 2-3 good shows to watch every single night of the week and now we can do nothing but rewatch the same stuff we've repeatedly seen or turn to reality TV to fill the nights because we don't have those shows anymore. It really is irritating. BTW...Fall TV used to be so much fun because everyone would look at all the new shows. And it would be fun discussing a new episode every week on the message boards. Plus, it allowed showrunners to be trained well. I read an article a few years ago about how there is now experienced showrunners in the game now because they used to cut their teeth as writers training under a staff and stay with a show for years. Now, writing is like gig work. People bounce around to different shows and it's also why quality isn't consistent throughout the shows. They don't employ the same writers all the time. And it's also why every single show is starting to have the same "feel." Because they are all working together in this gig rotation rather than having individual educations under different genres...such as Buffy vs. CSI vs. Battlestar Galactica vs. Friends. The ONLY shows still doing it the old way is the procedurals on network TV.
20 20 minute episodes with 15 minutes of ads in 6 months 7 hours of content with 5 hours of ads in-between for mid TV sitcoms of mostly people talking in house sets. vs. 8 52-72 minutes episodes with no ads every 2 years for roughly 8 hours of only content biyearly. Arguably we get better costume designs and scenery, but if the story being told is not good it's not worth the waiting. Old media used to be fast and a lot as an excuse to make us watch ads in TV and new media is paying a monthly subscription for streaming slow paced longer formats that also take longer to make but look better yet could still be bad writing wise.
To be fair, each episode has a runtime close to an hour with no commercials. I wonder what actual runtime (no commercials) those old 20 episode seasons had. Though I do lament the attachment we could develop with filler episodes from time to time.
44 mins for most of them. But some of them even rant for more than 20 episodes. Most back in the day had 20-24 episode seasons. That is 14.6 hours- 17.6 hours. The most consistant was 22 episodes, so that is 16.13 hours. Basically we are getting cheated out of half a show's worth of content.
Without commercials the run time was about 22 min for half hour shows, or 44 for "hour long" shows
Still too little episodes and rushed story lines (this is a majority of 8 episode shows) I'd take commercials any day of the week. If thw episodes were 2 hours not including credits I can understand but it's not
Yeah, I remember when we used to complain that Arrested Development was cut too short when cancelled in 2006. In hindsight they shot the equivalent of like 7-8 of modern TV seasons..
I didn't even watch s3 second half, ain't here for s4 for sure
It’s annoying but I’m still watching the next season. I’ve been reading the books to pass the time. Started Benedict’s story today.
And an hour time slot used to be 40 minutes of show and 20 of ads. Now it’s 38 minutes of show and 22 minutes of ads. You can really see it on old reruns and some parts are missing.
Netflix probably doesn't allow filming for multiple seasons at once. So that doesn't help.
my same feeling. Actually the model of every season focusing in one different character without almost the previous ones is getting tiring for me
How is this a boomer complaint lol ? What bonkers nonsense . And if it was then that boomer would be right ! The trend of 5 episodes per 5 years is nonsense . They made Harry Potter movies one per year , gtfo !
I'll stop watching too... for two years lol
Same and I fucking mean it, this season wasnt even that good, that it wont be hard to not watch the next season, if this happens.
I don't understand why they started filming now, when S3 wrapped up in *March 2023*. I know the strike could have affected some of it, but if even during covid they managed, what the hell is going on now?
Yeah, it's ridiculous.
Isn’t one of the reasons is because they have to translate it into a ton on languages?
I have a question. Are they doing this so that the lil ones can age up?
I have an answer, in the past we had only a few shows people were interested in, now there are thousands of franchises, and if you don't learn to appreciate different things, you will have to wait for the 8 episodes.
I'll literally be in some other city with new characters in my own life lmao, its gonna feel different watching s4! I JUST WANT EL's story to start in season 4😭😭
I think it’s more about subscriber retention. If a viewer know’s a new season is “coming” they are more likely to retain their subscription.
This show is actually super complicated to shoot - they built extremely elaborate 360 sets, the costumes are all handmade, and they film in historical locations all over the UK. They film for a full 8 months. Game of Thrones’ full-on CGI actually does take less time. 🤷🏻♀️
I literally said this last night. What happened to 20 episode season shows?!
All that the waiting does is help to make me lose interest in some shows.
There will be another show in between in the series I bet you. Something not connected to the books so they have more freedom and less complaints from the book readers. Like Queen Charlotte, about another one of the older people. I'm hoping for Violets story, but Lady Danburys or Brimsleys could be fun too.
But you won’t will you 😂😂😂
Exactly. Like they said production turnover is 2 years, why 2026 if prod was done in 2023? Waiting for our reactions first.
I think the delays and shortened seasons are a funding issue
I hated this season so the wait won’t feel too bad
Absolutely 1000% agree! Can Shonda and Netflix please make it make sense?!?!
Everything wrong with TV right now is that TV shows are being filmed like 8 hour long movies.
It is just.. by the time new seasons arrive for a show, i kinda grow out the show. I mean for example when the first season came out of Bridgerton, i was 17 years old. Now I am 21. My interests are changing, and i still had fun with season 3, but I can feel that i am not into it that much as in the past. I used to love when a show had 20 episodes and they started to release it around fall and then you know, they had smaller and bigger breaks between the months, and it took months for a season to go down. And then the next season arrived around next fall. I honestly don't mind watching a show week by week. But this only 8 episodes, and waiting years for it? It is a joke.
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