Netflix has released three seasons of Bridgerton and one prequel spinoff series, and more are expected to come in the upcoming years as the show continues to dominate the streaming world. While every installment in the historical romance franchise has been well received overall by fans and critics alike, every viewer has their favorite and least favorite. Some fans’ and critics’ cumulative scores of each season (and prequel spinoff show) are documented on websites such as Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, but those two online sources are not the only factors in this ranking of which Bridgerton stories are the best.

Bridgerton‘s romances obviously play a major role in whether a season is successful and when comparing each installment in the poular Netflix franchise, which is based on Julia Quinn’s book series of the same name. As fans know, each season of the historical romance television show chronicles the love story of one Bridgerton sibling (except for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, which chronicles Queen Charlotte’s romance with King George). So, the romances are a significant factor in ranking the seasons, but so are other storylines, character arcs, production value (which is honestly always excellent), and music choices.

Bridgerton Cast
Role

Phoebe Dynevor
Daphne Bridgerton

Regé-Jean Page
Simon Basset

Adjoa Andoh
Lady Danbury

Golda Rosheuvel
Queen Charlotte

Jonathan Bailey
Anthony Bridgerton

Simone Ashley
Kate Bridgerton

Luke Thompson
Benedict Bridgerton

Claudia Jessie
Eloise Bridgerton

Luke Newton
Colin Bridgerton

Hannah Dodd
Francesca Bridgerton

Ruth Gemmell
Violet Bridgerton

Nicola Coughlan
Penelope Featherington

Florence Hunt
Hyacinth Bridgerton

Will Tilston
Gregory Bridgerton

Charithra Chandran
Edwina Sharma

Harriet Cains
Philippa Finch

Bessie Carter
Prudence Dankworth

Polly Walker
Portia Featherington

Jessica Madsen
Cressida Cowper

Martins Imhangbe
Will Mondrich

Emma Naomi
Alice Mondrich

Ruby Barker
Marina Thompson

Calam Lynch
Theo Sharpe

Victor Alli
John Stirling

Daniel Francis
Marcus Anderson

Julie Andrews
Lady Whistledown (voice)

Bridgerton Season 1

Released In 2020

 

Bridgerton season 1 introduced the world (well, aside from those who had already read the books) to the large and beloved Bridgerton family and the ton of London, set in the early 1800s. While it reeled viewers in from the start, it’s also unfortunately (and surprisingly) the worst out of all the seasons. That is not to say it’s a bad season, rather, it’s quite the opposite. The first eight episodes of Bridgerton were captivating, in large part due to the impressive production value and, of course, the love story between Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings.

Bridgerton Book
Main Character
Publication Date

The Duke and I
Daphne Bridgerton
January 5, 2000

The Viscount Who Loved Me
Anthony Bridgerton
December 5, 2000

An Offer from a Gentleman
Benedict Bridgerton
July 3, 2001

Romancing Mister Bridgerton
Colin Bridgerton
July 1, 2002

To Sir Phillip, With Love
Eloise Bridgerton
July 1, 2003

When He Was Wicked
Francesca Bridgerton
June 29, 2004

It’s In His Kiss
Hyacinth Bridgerton
June 28, 2005

On the Way to the Wedding
Gregory Bridgerton
June 27, 2006

Every Bridgerton season features a thrilling and tumultuous romance (and an iconic love confession), and Daphne and Simon’s love story was the first one viewers watched develop on the screen. The couple followed the “fake dating” trope many other romance works utilize to build their stories. Daphne, who Queen Charlotte chose as her “Diamond of the Season,” didn’t want to marry the despicable Lord Berbrooke, and Simon didn’t wish to marry at all. So, they devised a plan that would benefit them both — they would pretend to court to expand Daphne’s choices for a husband and allow Simon to avoid courting altogether.

As these stories always play out, Daphne and Simon ended up falling for one another, but their differing plans for their futures hindered their relationship. Bridgerton season 1 ultimately featured many highs and lows as Daphne and Simon pretended to court, fell in love, got married, and then figured out how to make their marriage work despite their issues. While it’s undoubtedly entertaining, Bridgerton season 1 falls to the bottom of the list due to its second half (and the lack of other enthralling storylines outside Daphne and Simon, aside from perhaps the cringeworthy Marina pregnancy plot).

As they fought over having children, all the work the first half [of Bridgerton season 1] did to make viewers fall in love with Daphne and Simon’s love was ruined as it became toxic.

The first episodes were exciting as they built up Daphne and Simon’s relationship, and it didn’t hurt that Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page shared exceptional chemistry. However, after they married, Daphne and Simon’s storyline took a turn for the worse, and it wasn’t fun watching them manipulate one another. As they fought over having children, all the work the first half did to make viewers fall in love with Daphne and Simon’s love was ruined as it became toxic. Overall, Bridgerton season 1 will always be memorable given that it’s the first installment in the franchise, but it falls short compared to other seasons.

Bridgerton Season 3

Released In 2024

 

Bridgerton season 3 finally gave viewers what they had been waiting for since the pilot episode — Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington’s love story. The third season was unique because its central romance had been building since the first season, whereas the others featured new love interests. As a result, Bridgerton season 3 was quite satisfying and ultimately lived up to all the expectations that many had of Colin and Penelope’s romance. The “friends to lovers” trope made for great television, which was made all the better by Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton’s chemistry.

Although Bridgerton season 3 had very few issues, it didn’t feature enough of Kate and Anthony, arguably the show’s best couple.

Colin and Penelope’s relationship development in Bridgerton season 3 contained drama, yearning, passion, and almost everything that any romance buff would want. The drama of it all revolved around Penelope coming clean about her Lady Whistledown secret (another plotline that had been growing since season 1). While it drove her and Colin apart for a little while, their relationship proved strong enough to overcome it. So, Colin and Penelope’s superior romance gave season 3 the edge over season 1, but so did the shocking and exciting revelations regarding Benedict and Francesca’s respective sexualities and Eloise and Penelope’s tumultuous friendship.

Colin and Penelope’s relationship was obviously at the center of Bridgerton season 3, but Eloise and Penelope’s strained friendship was explored almost as much as the romance. Eloise cut Penelope out of her life after finding out she was Lady Whistledown. However, over the course of the eight episodes, Eloise and Penelope (very) slowly but surely found their way back to one another, reminding viewers why their dynamic is one of Bridgerton‘s best. Nevertheless, while season 3 was overall well-made and quite entertaining, the two other Bridgerton seasons were simply better.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

Released In 2023

 

Some didn’t expect Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story to be as successful and good as it was, but the prequel spinoff series proved them wrong when its six critically praised episodes dropped in May 2023. As mentioned above, the central love story can make or break an installment of Bridgerton, and the epic and captivating romance between Queen Charlotte and King George pushed this limited series almost to the top of this list. Although their marriage was arranged, the two fell in deep love with one another anyway.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story allowed a handful of intriguing characters who sometimes are overlooked in the original series to step into the spotlight, and the result was a clever, heartbreaking, and thrilling prequel.

Queen Charlotte and King George’s love for one another is arguably the most tragic, thoughtful, and deep out of all the Bridgerton romances. Their relationship was exceptionally well crafted by the writers, especially concerning George’s mental illness, which is occasionally featured in the parent show. It was extremely easy to become engrossed in Charlotte and George’s love story, making their fate even more heartbreaking.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story jumped back and forth between two time periods — when Charlotte and George met in 1761 and the present day (1817) in the Netflix franchise. Consequently, not only did the spinoff give viewers more insight into Charlotte and George’s relationship in Bridgerton, but it also unveiled some shocking revelations regarding Lady Danbury, Violet, and Brimsley. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story allowed a handful of intriguing characters who sometimes are overlooked in the original series to step into the spotlight, and the result was a clever, heartbreaking, and thrilling prequel.

Bridgerton Season 2

Released In 2022

 

Perhaps some would argue that Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is the best out of all the Bridgerton installments. But then they would be forgetting the extraordinary stories explored in season 2 and all the exciting (and heartbreaking) developments that came of it. While Queen Charlotte and King George’s romance was undoubtedly epic, Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma’s relationship remains the best in the Netflix historical romance franchise. They started out hating one another, but that hatred quickly turned into a vexing love that consumed both Anthony and Kate (complicating Anthony’s engagement to Kate’s sister, Edwina).

Bridgerton Season
Release Date
Tomatometer
Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes
IMDb

Bridgerton season 1
December 25, 2020
87%
70%
7.7

Bridgerton season 2
March 25, 2022
77%
74%
8.0

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
May 4, 2023
95%
73%
7.5

Bridgerton season 3
Part 1: May 16, 2024 Part 2: June 13, 2024
87%
77%
8.1

Anthony and Kate’s dynamic was passionate and gripping, and the two Bridgerton characters were seemingly made for one another. However, neither wanted to betray nor hurt Edwina, so, they tried to accept the fact they couldn’t be together, forcing Edwina to be the one to call off the wedding once she realized her fiancé was in love with her sister. While some may have been impatient and disliked that it took all season for Anthony and Kate to finally be together, the slow build-up made the payoff all the more satisfying, while also making the audience crave more.

[Bridgerton season 2] has the second-highest Audience Score and IMDb rating after season 3 (which might be experiencing a brief boost due to recency bias).

Outside Anthony and Kate’s story, Bridgerton season 2 contained other captivating plotlines that pushed it to the top of the list. Eloise’s search for Lady Whistledown and consequential falling out with Penelope set the stage for their conflict in season 3. It also introduced one of the show’s most unexpected but beloved almost-romances — Eloise and Theo Sharpe. Eloise has made it clear since season 1 that she isn’t looking for a husband, but she couldn’t help but be charmed by Theo, seeing as the two are quite similar. Unfortunately, they’re from two different classes, but, hopefully, Theo will return.

Yes, Bridgerton season 2 has the lowest Tomatometer ranking out of the seasons. However, it has the second-highest Audience Score and IMDb rating after season 3 (which might be experiencing a brief boost due to recency bias). Fans love it, and for good reason. Perhaps Bridgerton season 4 will be able to exceed season 2, but for now, Anthony and Kate’s love story is the best.