After more than two years of anticipation, it’s clear that the Bridgerton hive (sorry) is buzzing as strongly as ever. The first half of Colin and Penelope’s love story earned 45.1 million views in its opening weekend, per Variety — the outlet describing the debut as the biggest in the series’ history.
Variety pointed out that while the streamer previously measured viewership by time viewed, Season 2 was still overtaken when its debut view time (193 million minutes) was divided by the season’s runtime (8.5 hours), equaling 22.7 million views.
And of course, Season 3’s turnout is all the more impressive when you consider that only four episodes have dropped so far. Apparently, you’re not the only one rewatching the carriage scene over and over.
“This is wild,” Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope, wrote on Instagram of the season’s record-setting numbers. “Thank you all so, so much ❤️.”
A Smashing Success For The Ton
Of course, none of #Polin’s success is to discount the ship’s Bridgerton forebears. Simon, Daphne, Kate, and Anthony set the bar so high that more people are naturally going to tune in and discover what all the commotion is about.
Season 3 had the benefit of Queen Charlotte adding to the ever-expanding lore of the ton. The prequel introduced plot elements that directly tie into the latest installment, from Kate and Anthony’s relationship to Violet Bridgerton’s blooming garden (aka, she’s ready for her own Regency dalliance).
Plus, there’s the friends-to-lovers of it all. Colin and Penelope’s chemistry has been building over the course of several years — so of course, people want to see them take things to the next level. Luke Newton, who plays Colin, recently shared with Bustle how this dynamic translated behind the scenes, too.
“For previous cast members who led the show, they met each other at the start of the season, whereas Nic and I have developed our friendship over the last four years,” he said. “We felt really safe, and we’ve got an amazing team of intimacy coordinators. It was so well-prepared that it just freed us up to be able to perform.”
Another Milestone Moment
As it turns out, Bridgerton Season 3 was breaking records before it even aired. On May 15, Guinness World Records named the series the “most in-demand romantic drama TV show,” citing data from Parrot Analytics.
You can likely expect more records to be broken after the release of Part 2, which promises to be an angsty follow-up.
“We enter an upside down world in many ways,” showrunner Jess Brownell recently told Bustle of the final four episodes (out June 13). “If Part 1 is rom-com delight, the back half moves into a very tense place, as Penelope has this giant secret as Lady Whistledown that’s hanging over everything.”
