On Dec. 25, a new show called Bridgerton was released on Netflix. Bridgerton shows a romanticized version of what life was like for people in the 1800s. The expectation of marriage and those that accompanied being a princess or a Duke were pressured to marry even if they weren’t in love. At a certain age, they were supposed to be married and or close to marriage. The show had romance elements with a twist of gossip and had a diverse cast.

Bridgerton drew in many people because of the drama and excitement in the show. It also became popular because it is somewhat like Gossip Girl, which is loved by lots of people, especially teenage girls. Bridgerton is also based on the series of books Regency-era London’s Ton by Julia Quinn written in the early 2000s.

Many people have watched this show such as sophomore Olivia White. White didn’t think she would like this show at first, but stated, “I was so wrong. I loved this show so much for various reasons. One of the reasons I like it is because of the whole idea of this mystery Lady Whistledown and how everyone was trying to figure out who this no-face lady is.” The show is based on trying to find out who is telling all the gossip and the person who knows everything about everyone. The entire show keeps you sitting at the edge of your seat.

Another Berkley student, junior Keisha Rehe-Downs, agrees the show does a great job of keeping you entertained. Rehe-Downs also watched Gossip Girl and she thought that they had their similarities and differences.

“I thought that Gossip Girl was a bit repetitive. I would say I liked Bridgerton better because there was way more happening.”
Some people would have to disagree with Rehe-Downs about Gossip Girl. Junior, Skylar Walter, thought that Gossip Girl was more interesting than Bridgerton.

“I liked Gossip Girl better because I felt it had so many aspects of drama and Bridgerton was slow-moving and had too many characters to keep up with. Not as much action as there was in Gossip Girl.”

All in all, both shows have their differences and similarities. Both shows were dramas with a hint of romance and mystery. There was a tweet that said, “Netflix’s Bridgerton is Gossip Girl but in the 1800s and with a diverse cast?” With this being said, Bridgerton had a diverse cast. The show exceeded standards of having a primarily white cast, with casting primarily Black actors to play strong leading roles. Bridgerton was also a show that was supposed to be set long ago, during which time people were segregated because of their skin tone. This makes it very interesting to see that Bridgerton was a mix and no one saw anyone differently. Unlike Gossip Girl, the cast was all white. It is always a good sign when there is diversity throughout the cast because it encourages more people to watch the show.