‘Bridgerton’ Season 2 Just Set A Netflix Opening Weekend Record

Given that Bridgerton season 1 is one of Netflix’s biggest non-Squid Game shows in history, expectations were high for season 2. And regardless of what you think of the season itself, a whole lot of people tuned in to watch it during its debut weekend. So many that it has set a Netflix record.

That record? The most viewing hours for the opening weekend of an English-language series. That would be 193 million viewing hours globally, the most for any English Netflix series in three days. Only Money Heist Part 5 tops it, the Spanish series with 201.9 million hours in its opening weekend. You may be wondering where Squid Game is, but that series took a little bit longer to ramp up through word of mouth and become the monster it eventually evolved into. Squid Games season 2, however, when that arrives, I would probably expect to break both of these records.

At its current pace, Bridgerton seems like it will be a lock to land season 2 inside Netflix’s top 10 most watch English-language series of all time list, a list that now includes Inventing Anna, which has been hanging out in the Netflix top 10 for weeks now. Season 1 of Bridgerton has 625.5 million viewing hours and is #1 of all time for English-language series. If these trends continue, season 2 could replace it, but we’ll have to wait and see. As ever, it seems impossible that anything will catch Squid Game’s total of 1.65 billion hours, where nothing else is even remotely close to that.

As for Bridgerton, it’s clear the Shonda Rhimes will run for as many seasons as it has source material, or however many the cast and crew want to make. There are eight Bridgerton books, and at this pace, I would not be shocked if Netflix eventually made its way through all of them. I mean, Netflix has done some weird cancelations in the past, but they aren’t crazy.

The books tend to jump around between different characters, creating an unusual format for the show. Everyone got to know one central couple in season 1, for instance, Daphne and Simon, but now season 2 is focused on her brother, Anthony, and his new potential love, Kate. Future books will continue character hopping, but large chunks of the same cast will remain throughout. It’s an interesting setup, to be sure.

Netflix viewers love to find these “lock” series, shows that perform so well that there’s almost zero chance of cancellation until a conclusion. But those shows are rare. Ozark and Stranger Things will have that honor by the end. I’d guess The Witcher will probably get through five source books. And Bridgerton going to eight seasons? I mean with these numbers, why not?

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