The Simple Reason Why Bridgerton Won't Contend For Emmys in 2024

Summary

• Bridgerton's third season is on its way to Netflix.
• Season 3, which consists of eight episodes, will be split in half.
• The upcoming installment will not be eligible for Emmys until next year.

With just three months to go until the premiere of Bridgerton's third season, millions of the show's fans are understandably excited. Since its debut in 2020, the show has been one of Netflix's flagships, alongside Stranger Things and Virgin River. And it remains one of the streaming service's most successful series, beloved by viewers around the world.

In fact, Bridgerton is so popular that the show, based on Julia Quinn's eponymous series of novels, has inspired an equally popular spinoff, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The latter was nominated for several Emmys and won in the Outstanding Period and/or Character Hairstyling category. But it appears that the parent show itself will be ineligible for Emmys in 2024. What's even more upsetting is that the reason is absolutely silly.

A Split Season

In the years since its release, Bridgerton hasn't had much luck at the Emmys, winning only twice in the aforementioned hairstyling category. But the show has always been a contender, which is a feat in itself. That won't be the case this year.

After a two-year hiatus, Bridgerton will return to Netflix on May 16 with the first part of Season 3, consisting of four episodes. The remaining four will be released on June 13. And this split is the reason why the show is not eligible for Emmys in the 2024 season. Here's why.

New Television Academy Rules

According to the new Emmys rules, only shows released and aired between June 1 and May 31 each year are eligible for consideration in the next year's race. But there's a catch – a show must air at least six episodes during that period to be eligible. Thus, a show that premieres in June 2023, such as And Just Like That..., and a series that airs from February to May 2024, such as Young Sheldon, are both eligible for the 2024 Emmy Awards.

In the case of Bridgerton's third season, it won't meet the episode count criteria because only four episodes will have been released within the 2024 Emmys time frame. In other words, if season 3 of Bridgerton were released in its entirety in May, it would be eligible for Emmys.

Given that there's still time before the premiere, Netflix may reconsider its release schedule for Bridgerton's third installment to make it eligible for Emmys. But so far, it doesn't look like the showrunners are worried about the award anymore.