Queen Charlotte Might Be Better Than Bridgerton, But It's Just Not Rewatchable

Bridgerton's first season landed with a splash – nobody had done anything quite like this before. It was frilly and silly and sexy, a period piece that felt more 'Avon Paperback Romance' than 'BBC Jane Austen'.

Gorgeous costumes? Yes! Women guarding their virtue? You bet! Historical accuracy? Don't even worry about it.

Season 2 kept all of the Bridgerton aspects we loved, but the newness had worn off a bit and it became easier to see the plot holes and frothiness of the whole thing. When Netflix announced Queen Charlotte, it seemed doubtful that the television equivalent of cotton candy could manage a prequel that gave the audience what they were expecting while also juggling storylines of political machinations and mental illness.

But, dear Reader… they did it. Bridgerton's S1 has a 87% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. S2 slides down to a still-respectable 78%. Queen Charlotte clocks in at 94%.

Audiences are equally impressed. At the time of this writing, QC has completed two weeks of streaming and is holding its position as the most-watched show on Netflix by a mile. Not only that – the number of people watching the show actually increased during the second week.

But while the quality of QC is clearly there, fans are already admitting that they aren't likely to rewatch it – or at least, they won't have it on repeat the way they do with Bridgerton. While Queen Charlotte features plenty of steamy love scenes and scenery-chewing moments, it's also considerably darker and sadder than its parent show.

Charlotte and George's lovely romance is overshadowed early by his mental illness. Viewers already know that when the timeline of Bridgerton rolls around, the King will be largely lost in his own head. Still, the forewarning didn't stop Queen Charlotte from featuring several scenes that broke our collective hearts and left many audience members absolutely shattered..

‘I enjoyed it a lot and I think it's well written, but I don't want more of it,’ summarized one fan on Reddit.

And it's not just the King's illness, or his abusive doctor, or his bittersweet romance that will make QC hard to rewatch. The scenes of Lady Danbury's relentlessly horrendous marriage bed and the racism exhibited towards Charlotte likewise make this 6-episode arc a heavy one.

Major points should be given to the writers who managed to pull off the balancing act of Queen Charlotte: they somehow kept that Bridgerton soapiness alive while still making a compelling, bittersweet drama. But for many fans, the show isn't on their rewatch list quite yet. We need some time to mourn.

Source: Reddit.