Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Bridgerton, season 3
Summary
AfterBridgertonseason 3,Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Storyhas a major hurdle to overcome, and its resolution relies on one royal character. In 2023, Netflix’sBridgertonfranchise put out its first spinoff series calledQueen Charlotte.The six-episode show follows the romance between Queen Charlotte and King George III. AlthoughQueen Charlottetakes countless creative liberties with thetrue story of Queen Charlotte and King George, the series is just as steamy and entertaining as any regular season ofBridgerton.The only problem is, the spinoff’s future may not be so bright.
While theBridgertonfranchise is set up to have eight seasons, each based on abook by Julia Quinn,Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Storydoesn’t have that luxury. The spinoff was an original story created by Shonda Rhimes. Therefore, it has no sequel books to adapt to television. Worse, Shonda Rhimes has made some disappointing comments aboutQueen Charlotte’sfuture. Rhimes toldVarietythat, when it comes toQueen Charlotte,she doesn’t “want to tell a story that doesn’t need to be told.“Unfortunately,Queen Charlotte’s potentialfate looks even worseafterBridgertonseason 3.
Every Season Of Bridgerton Ranked Worst To Best (Including Queen Charlotte)
Following the release of Bridgerton season 3, part 2, the Netflix series now has four stories (including Queen Charlotte) to look back on and rank.
Bridgerton Season 3 Ended Queen Charlotte’s Biggest Story
Lady Danbury & Violet’s Story Got Its Ending
If the chances ofQueen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Storyseason 2were already slim,Bridgertonseason 3 made them slimmer. In the third installment of theBridgertonfranchise,one ofQueen Charlotte’sbiggest storylines came to an end. During their youth, Lady Danbury and Violet Bridgerton had a strange and surprising connection. Agatha had an affair with Violet’s father, Lord Ledger. DuringQueen Charlotte,Violet discovers this relationship. She finds one of her father’s paper crowns among Agatha’s things. Despite this revelation, Violet says nothing andQueen Charlotteends without a resolution.
However,Bridgertonseason 3 gives Lady Danbury and Violet the ending they truly needed. After Violet develops feelings for Agatha’s brother, Marcus, Violet asks for permission to court him. Lady Danbury kindly tells Violet she does need her blessing, especially since Agatha did not get Violet’s blessing all those years ago. For the first time,Agatha and Violet acknowledge Agatha’s relationshipwith Lord Ledger. Violet implies that she forgives them, while Lady Danbury shows her gratitude for their friendship. WhereQueen Charlotteleft their storyline hanging,Bridgertonfinally allows the women to move forward truthfully.
There may not be enough of a reason forQueen Charlotteto return.
Although this final chapter of Violet and Agatha’sQueen Charlottestory is satisfying, it causes a huge problem for the future of the spinoff. Now thatBridgertonseason 3 has given the pair closure,there is one less storyline thatQueen Charlotteseason 2 would need to cover.Unfortunately,Queen Charlottewrapped up most of its plots anyway. In this way, there may not be enough of a reason forQueen Charlotteto return. As Shonda Rhimes already said, it would be pointless to make a second season ofQueen Charlotteif there is no story to tell.
Queen Charlotte Still Has A Major Story Left To Tell
Queen Charlotte Must Follow Up On George
Bridgertonseason 3 ended oneQueen Charlottestoryline for good, but there is one more character that still needs an ending: King George. InBridgerton,audiences got a hint atwhat was wrong with King George III, explaining why he was never really around during the series. Yet,Queen Charlottewent even further by delving deep into George’s character. In the spinoff,audiences see George struggle with his mental health, and the horrific ways in which the royal court tried to “fix” him. The end ofQueen Charlottesees George successfully become king, but that is where his story ends.
If there is one reason whyQueen Charlotte: A BridgertonStoryshould come back, it is George. While audiences can assume how Charlotte became the fierce ruler she is inBridgerton,it is harder to bridge the gap between the George ofQueen Charlotteand the George ofBridgerton.Viewers really get no insight into George beyond theend ofQueen Charlotte.Since George is not hugely significant inBridgerton,it would only make sense to see more of his future inQueen Charlotteseason 2.
Young King George is played by Corey Mylchreest inQueen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
Bridgertonseason 3 makes this need even more important. While the third season offered an ending to Agatha and Violet’s story, there was no sign ofKing George inBridgertonseason 3. Where the monarch has appeared sparsely in pastBridgertonseasons, he didn’t even get a mention inBridgertonseason 3. This gives the franchise all the more reason to continue George’s story inQueen Charlotteseason 2. George may not be a Bridgerton, but he still deserves some sort of happily ever after, whatever that may look like.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Cast
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is the first spinoff series in the Bridgerton franchise from Netflix. The limited series was created by Shonda Rhimes and focuses on a 17-year-old Queen Charlotte as she rises to power and marries King George. India Ria Amarteifio plays the young Queen Charlotte, who was originally played by Golda Rosheuvel in Bridgerton.
