Bridgerton Season 2 Just Smashed A Major Netflix Record
It's an understatement to say that "Bridgerton" is one of the most successful TV shows of the 2020s. The series, from creator Chris Van Dusen and mega-producer Shonda Rhimes, follows the eight Bridgerton siblings navigating Recency-era London. After it premiered on Christmas Day 2020, it went on to set Netflix's record for the most-watched English-language program in its first 28 days. In that time, viewers watched Season 1 a staggering 625.49 million hours (via IndieWire).
Given that success, it was guaranteed that Netflix would renew "Brigerton," which it did the following month (via Deadline). Then in April 2021, Netflix picked up "Bridgerton" for two more seasons after that (via Deadline).
"Bridgerton" Season 2 finally arrived on March 25, 2022, more than a year after Season 1 dropped. Right away, it was clear that the followup was a worthy successor, as "Bridgerton" Season 2 became Netflix's most-watched English-language TV series in its first week, at 251.74 million total hours. Since then, Season 2 has continued to dominate, and now it's set yet another Netflix viewership record
Bridgerton Season 2 is now the most-watched English-language show in its first month
As reported by IndieWire, "Bridgerton" Season 2 just broke Netflix's record for the most-watched English-language TV series in its first 28 days–viewership after the first four weeks is one of the main benchmarks Netflix uses when deciding to renew or cancel a series. Altogether, viewers have watched "Bridgerton" Season 2 for a total of 627.11 hours in its first month.
It was already a good bet that "Bridgerton" Season 2 would break the English-language record, given the success of Season 1. It definitely helps that Season 2 is less bawdy and more family-friendly than its predecessor.
Of course, both seasons put together still don't eclipse the overall record for most hours watched in a TV series' first four weeks. That's held by the 2021 South Korean smash-hit "Squid Game," which was watched for 1.65 billion hours in its first four weeks.
"Bridgerton" Season 2's English-language record might not stand for long. "Stranger Things" Season 4 returns on May 27, 2022 after a more than three year hiatus. Since Season 3 was watched for about 582.10 million hours in 28 days, "Bridgerton" Season 2's record might be within reach.
But if "Stranger Things" Season 4 misses the mark, "Bridgerton" has at least two more tries to top itself.