Queen Charlotte vs. Bridgerton: 5 Ways The Prequel Is Actually Better

In just a week, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story has captured the attention and love of millions of viewers worldwide. Even those who came to watch it just to support its parent series can't get enough of the story of the young German Princess who comes to London to marry King George III and end racism in the ton.

Queen Charlotte is a phenomenally well-done show, and many Bridgerverse fans are now convinced that it is even better than Bridgerton itself. Here's why.

Writing

The one advantage that absolutely all viewers note is the writing for the prequel. While Bridgerton was created by a group of writers, Queen Charlotte is the sole creation of legendary showrunner Shonda Rhimes. That's why the main story and its pacing, the subplots, the dialogue, the intrigue, and the overall structure are all top-notch and even better than in Bridgerton.

It is clear that Rhimes put her time and energy into this writing and really made it the best it could be. She didn't shy away from the hard, necessary topics that made the show so much more powerful.

Costume Design

The prequel depicts a different century than Bridgerton, and the costumes and hairstyles look much more luxurious. Fans have noted that with all the stunning and period-appropriate outfits, the costume budget for the prequel must have been much higher than for the parent series.

Characters

With only a handful of characters and storylines, Queen Charlotte is an intimate and self-contained story. That's why the creators were able to laser-focus on each individual relationship and character, making them more fleshed out and relatable.

At the same time, Bridgerton is a sprawling show with dozens of characters and storylines, some of which span multiple seasons. Having to cram all of those storylines into an eight-episode season can sometimes be detrimental to character development.

Tone

Queen Charlotte is not a classic story of the romance genre. In fact, it is a tragic tale of love despite circumstances. With heartbreaking moments and no real happy ending, it's more of a drama than romance. At the same time, it is not a heavy watch. There are humorous and steamy scenes, which don't take away from the difficult themes — and overall, the show is very well-balanced.

For many fans, the tone of the story felt more compelling than the escapist, entertaining, and lighthearted romance of the parent show.

LGBTQ+ Romance

Queen Charlotte has what Bridgerton fans can only dream of. After the first queer character in the Bridgerverse, Henry Granville, appeared in Season 1 of Bridgerton, many fans were hoping that the show would embrace queer romance through him or Benedict Bridgerton. However, the Bridgerverse remained very heterosexual until the prequel came out.

The Reynolds/Brimsley romance in Queen Charlotte became the first well-developed LGBTQ+ relationship in the universe, and these characters stole the hearts of many fans.