Netflix has just claimed that it has a new world-wide mega-hit on its platform with Bridgerton, a drama set in Britain in the early 1800s.
The streaming service has claimed this title as more than 82 million households tuned in to at least one partial episode in its first 28 days. It beats out the previous record-holder The Witcher, which was watched by 76 million households when its first season debuted back in December 2019.
The company also claims that the show has “made the top 10” in each of its markets except for Japan, and has hit number one status in 83 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, France, India and South Africa.
The Regency-era romance drama, created by Chris Van Dusen and produced by Shonda Rhimes, has created a buzz since it debuted at the end of last year. According to CNN, Bridgerton has been likened to The Queen’s Gambit, in that it “defies tradition, and demonstrates that period dramas are not limited in scope or audience,” Jinny Howe, vice-president of original series at Netflix, said in the statement.
Phoebe Dynevor, who plays Daphne Bridgerton in season 1, was ecstatic to see the viewership record and she shared it on Instagram:
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Meanwhile her co-star and love interest in the series, Simon Basset, played by Regé-Jean Page, also celebrated the big news:
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However there is a catch!
According to The Verge: “There are a few caveats to point out here. Netflix, which has always been guarded about publicly releasing metrics, counts a household as one account, including multiple profiles. And Netflix also classifies a watch as one profile on an account playing at least two minutes of one episode. So it’s likely not every single one of the accounts made it through the entire first season of Bridgerton or even an entire episode. Netflix also had fewer total subscribers when The Witcher launched, making that show’s record more impressive at the time considering it represents a larger chunk of the subscriber base. Still, Bridgerton is a wildly successful new series for Netflix, considering more than 40 percent of the platform’s nearly 200 million subscribers opted to give it a shot.”
The series has already been renewed for a second season.
