• Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2025 ABC News
  • Culture

Review: 'Bridgerton Season 2' brims over with smoldering romance and unexpected edge

2:49
What to look forward to in 'Bridgerton’ season 2
Liam Daniel/Netflix
Peter Travers.
ByPeter Travers
March 25, 2022, 8:07 AM

Not so fast. That's my answer for "Bridgerton" doubters who think season two -- now streaming on Netflix -- doesn't stand a chance in hell without the presence of season-one sex magnet Regé-Jean Page as the impossibly beautiful Duke of Hastings whose fiery affair with Bridgerton daughter Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) kept 82 million COVID shut-ins panting for more.

Though the now-married Daphne shows up in the latest "Bridgerton," along with her infant son, the duke does not. I know it hurts, but suck it up.

Julia Quinn wrote eight romance novels about this Regency-era family of Londoners who, from 1813 to 1827, hopped from opulent balls to bedrooms with gossip queen Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews) keeping score.

Take my word, dear reader, that producer Shonda Rhimes and showrunner Chris Van Dusen do not disappoint, making sure that season two, entitled "The Viscount Who Loved Me," brims over with sumptuous spectacle, eye-popping costumes, smoldering romance and unexpected edge.

Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma, Charithra Chandran as Edwina Sharma in an episode of "Bridgerton."
Liam Daniel/Netflix

The focus now falls on Daphne's elder brother, Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, played by hunk-in-waiting Jonathan Bailey, a dynamite actor equally adept at drama ("Broadchurch") and musicals -- his recent stage role as a nervous groom-to-be in "Company" won him an Olivier Award for navigating the show-stopping tongue-twister "Not Getting Married Today."

Marriage also has Anthony in a twist. Though once a frequenter of London's finer brothels, the viscount needs a proper wife to suit his nobility. So he pays careful attention when Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) picks her favorite, the "diamond," for the upcoming social season.

Related Articles

MORE: Nicola Coughlan dishes on 'Bridgerton' season 2

The jewel is beautiful Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran) in from Bombay and a protégé of the queen's confidante, Lady Danbury (the imperious Adjoa Andoh). But first Anthony must get past Edwina's overprotective older sister, Kate (Simone Ashley), deemed a spinster at 26.

Kate, right out of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," takes an instant dislike to the viscount after overhearing his toxic, masculine views on marriage as a strictly financial proposition. Suddenly, Kate and the viscount are doing their own version of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice," falling in love even while they're hating on each other.

PHOTO: Scene from season two of "Bridgerton."
Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton, left, and Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma, in a scene from "Bridgerton."
Liam Daniel/Netflix

OK, you've seen it before. Opposites also attracted Daphne and the duke last season. But none of it matters when you're having this much fun.

Whether Kate and the viscount are dancing to orchestral arrangements of Madonna's "Material Girl," one-upping each other on horseback or getting sweaty in a croquet match, Bailey and Ashley ignite their own brand of fireworks.

The best subplot involves the viscount's rebellious sister Eloise (a terrific Claudia Jessie), a fledgling feminist who bolts from her debutante debut and talks women's rights with her bestie, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan). We know from last season that Pen is the real Lady Whistledown. But no one else does, and Eloise is determined to play detective.

Related Articles

MORE: 'Bridgerton' star Nicola Coughlan asks fans to stop commenting on her body

Kudos to season two for digging deeper into the emotional lives of its characters and continuing the colorblind casting that creates a utopia in which diversity is so ingrained it's hardly worth a mention. Everyone, however, is still vying for money and position, so no one is perfect.

And so, this second helping of "Bridgerton," despite a few lags in its midsection, offers up more than a deliciously pretty surface. By satirizing the modern implications of a predatory society, from the fat-shaming of Pen to the rise of the one-percenters, this series knocks the stuffing out of costume drama to reflect the best and worst of human behavior through the ages.

Up Next in Culture—

What Simone Biles said backstage after winning 2 ESPYS

July 17, 2025

Blake Lively's deposition in legal battle against Justin Baldoni gets postponed

July 17, 2025

'Harry Potter' star Emma Watson temporarily banned from driving in UK after speeding violation

July 16, 2025

Pete Davidson expecting 1st child with girlfriend Elsie Hewitt

July 16, 2025

Shop GMA Favorites

ABC will receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Sponsored Content by Taboola

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • Shop FAQs
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2025 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2025 ABC News