Shonda Rhimes talks inclusion and ‘Bridgerton’ season 2

The second season of Bridgerton is scheduled to premiere around the world on Friday.

The globally popular series Bridgerton is scheduled to premiere its second season on Netflix in Kenya and around the world on Friday, March 25th. The second season will focus on Daphne Bridgerton’s brother Lord Anthony Bridgerton as he navigates the regency era marriage market amid societal expectations.

Netflix released a preview of the second season at the beginning of this month and notably, the casting for Lord Bridgerton’s love interest is not white as is depicted in the books.

Speaking about the diverse casting, Bridgerton’s showrunner, Shonda Rhimes said, “The idea that we don’t create worlds that look like the world that we live in and that we create false societies where everybody looks a certain kind of way or is a certain kind of colour or whatever, feels disingenuous to me. It also feels like erasure. We’re just not interested in erasing anybody from the story, ever. In Shondaland, that is how we do; that’s just how we tell stories. While it’s important for Bridgerton, it’s important for every story being told. When you’re watching television, you should get to see people who look like you.”

Season two will introduce the Sharmas, a family of South Asian descent, and their daughter Kate Sharma, played by Simone Ashley, who will be Anthony Bridgerton’s love interest.

“The entire creative team was excited and on board with this idea (of the Sharmas) from the very beginning. And the idea that they are from another culture, we weave that into the story in a wonderful way to enhance the idea that the very English values of our characters are not necessarily the only values worth having,” Shonda said of the casting.

Bridgerton, The Shondaland series, is based on the books written by Julia Quinn and follows the Bridgerton family’s siblings. The second season is based on the second Bridgerton book, The Viscount Who Loved Me.

All episodes of Bridgerton season two will be available to stream in Kenya on Friday.

Related