At a glance…
- Netflix has announced a new Bridgerton spin-off exploring the early romance between Lady Violet Bridgerton and her late husband, Edmund.
- The new Shondaland series follows in the footsteps of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, which introduced audiences to a young Violet Ledger.
- Casting (and title) are yet to be announced. Here’s what we know.
Since the first season of Bridgerton, there was one woman quietly steering the characters in ways seen and unseen. No, that wasn’t Lady Whistledown, aka Penelope Bridgerton (Nicola Coughlan), and no, it wasn’t Queen Charlotte (though she may have believed so). It wasn’t even Adjoa Andoh’s Lady Danbury (although she did move them like chess pieces around the board). It was the matriarch of the family: Violet Bridgerton. Now, we are finally going to see more of her story.
Netflix announced today that Shondaland was working on another spin-off series akin to Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story but with Violet as the leading lady. She’s a worthy character. We’ve seen Violet (played by Ruth Gemmell) mourn her first great love and husband, Edmund, who died before the series; we’ve seen her open up about wanting to move on and the guilt she feels, and we’ve seen her start to fall in love again in this new stage of life.
Bridgerton has long been lauded for giving agency to its female characters – Queen Charlotte is not a figure in the original novels, but is a massive presence in the Netflix adaptation.
“Well, I mean, you know, women are over 50 per cent of the world, and they come in all ages and stages,” said Adjoa Andoh to The Weekly ahead of the fourth season. “So I think it’s great to see stories that reflect all the ages and stages of our lives.”
“They have agency, and they have appetite, and they have energy, and they have rage and joy and challenges. They have complicated lives and complicated backstories.”
In Queen Charlotte, we don’t only see the backstory of Golda Rosheuvel’s character, but we also see how Lady Danbury came to be such a powerful figure in the ton. Additionally, we meet a young Violet Ledger (played by Connie Jenkins-Greig). We learn more about her upbringing, particularly her relationship with her father, Lord Ledger, and his affair with Lady Danbury and how that impacted their friendship in adulthood.
According to Netflix, the as-yet-unnamed spin-off series is going to follow the young Lady Violet as she falls in love with Viscount Edmund Bridgerton. We haven’t seen too much of Edmund in the series. He has appeared in flashbacks in season two of Bridgerton, portrayed by Rupert Evans. Those scenes explore his relationship with his eldest son, Anthony and his tragic death, which left Anthony as head of the household.
As Queen Charlotte included flash-forwards to the Bridgerton timeline, we can safely assume that this spin-off series will do the same. Therefore, it’s possible that we will see a mirror of Violet as a young woman fall for Edmund and Violet as a mature widow falling in love again with Lord Marcus Anderson, Lady Danbury’s brother, portrayed by Daniel Francis.
In season four of the series – which starred Australian actress Yerin Ha in the leading lady role – Violet and Marcus become engaged in a secret (and very passionate) romance. Sadly, by the series end, the two are apart.
Following the death of her daughter Francesca’s (Hannah Dodd) husband, Lord John Stirling (Victor Alli), Violet begins reconsidering Marcus’s marriage proposal. She realises that she values her newfound independence and isn’t ready to become someone’s wife again.
Violet suggests continuing her relationship with Marcus without marrying, but he wants a more permanent commitment. Ultimately, he ends their relationship, leaving Violet single once again. Could we see them rekindle their romance in the spin-off series? Or perhaps, will this spin-off reaffirm her decision to remain independent and unmarried? Only time will tell. But much like how Queen Charlotte set up season four’s character journey of Lady Violet, Lady Danbury and Queen Charlotte, we can assume that this spin-off could lay the groundwork for their plotlines in season five.
Violet’s relationship and growth in the series have long been one of our favourite aspects of Bridgerton. We don’t often get to see stories exploring women’s lives beyond marriage, motherhood and middle age; particularly their sexuality, independence, friendships and second chances at love. Local drama Dalliance is starring Heather Mitchell and Georgie Parker as they navigate new friendships, grief and unexpected changes in their 60s; Dying for Sex focuses on female desire and autonomy following a cancer diagnosis, and Sharon Horgan’s latest series Youth follows a recently divorced literary agent as she navigates dating, sex, ageing parents and a son approaching adulthood.
“It’s a rarity that women are driving the story,” Golda Roshuevel told The Weekly of Queen Charlotte and Bridgerton. “We as older statesmen, you know, in our 50s and older, can be the centre of attention, can drive the storylines. It doesn’t diminish anything; if anything, it empowers.”
And with Violet Bridgerton finally taking centre stage, perhaps it’s time we discovered that the greatest love story in the Bridgerton family was the one that started it all…
Watch the previous seasons of Bridgerton and the Queen Charlotte prequel here.
