Queen Charlotte Might Not Get A Season 2 - But There Could Be A Spinoff
Shonda Rimes has dominated Netflix with her Bridgerton universe, as "Bridgerton" Season 2 smashed Netflix records. The franchise expanded with the "Queen Charlotte" spinoff series, consisting of six episodes that chronicle the early life of the titular monarch, played by India Amarteifio. That show received similar praise, and fans are curious if "Queen Charlotte" Season 2 will ever materialize. For now, no one should hold their breath.
Rimes told Variety that she doesn't want the quality of "Bridgerton" and its spinoffs to deteriorate for the sake of more episodes. "I don't want to tell a story that doesn't need to be told — do you know what I mean?" she asserted. "I don't want to make a [2nd] season of 'Queen Charlotte,' and you're going to be, like, 'Well, that was not that great.'" The statement doesn't limit the possibility of "Queen Charlotte" Season 2, but the narrative has to make sense and be high-quality.
Otherwise, other types of spinoffs can always flesh out this world. Director Tom Verica told TV Line that there's a lot of potential with Lady Danbury, played by Adjoa Andoh on "Bridgerton" and Arsema Thomas on "Queen Charlotte." He said, "I think there's a whole area to explore with that character ... That character has really landed with a lot of people and strikes a chord of wanting to dive deeper into what her journey is."
What's next for the Bridgerton franchise?
Tom Verica also cast doubt on "Queen Charlotte" Season 2 ever occurring, telling TV Line that he always saw the project as a limited series. The audience knows what becomes of Queen Charlotte from "Bridgerton," so another season could run the risk of feeling superfluous or tacked on for the sake of expanding the franchise. Fortunately, fans won't have to wait much longer to get more of this universe into their lives.
A 2024 release date has been confirmed for "Bridgerton" Season 3, which will be split into two parts. The first set of episodes will come out on May 16, while the remaining ones will debut about a month later on June 13. While no other shows are confirmed as of this writing, Lady Danbury isn't the only character where a spinoff is on the table. Entertainment Weekly asked Shonda Rimes in May 2023 if any other characters caught her eye, and Rimes explained, "I am obsessed with Violet too. She's very interesting as a character and has a lot of layers to her life that we don't quite know yet. It's also another complicated love story." Ruth Gemmell plays Violet on "Queen Charlotte," so there could be more of her at some point.
There are plenty of ideas for spinoffs up in the air. Plus, with the mainline "Bridgerton" series still going strong, this franchise should continue its reign for quite some time.