Bridgerton: Biggest Differences Between The Books And The Show

Summary

• The Bridgerton Netflix show is based on a book series which already reveals each family member's fate - a must-read for fans!
• The show makes changes from the books like an alternate universe setting and a Queen character not present in the original source material.
• Side characters get more screen time and new characters are introduced, adding depth and new plots to the Bridgerton world.

The Bridgerton Netflix show is one of the most-seen shows on the platform, but not everyone knows that it is based on a book series. Said series is already complete, so if you want to know who each member of the Bridgerton family ends up with, the books are the place to go.

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While the Netflix show does its best to stay true to the source material, fans of the books have noticed many changes, some inconsequential, others very relevant to how the plot develops. If you want to know how all the current seasons of the Bridgerton Netflix show differ from the books, look no further.

Spoilers For The Show And The Books Are Below!

7 The Setting In The Books Is More Historically Accurate

There Is No Queen Involvement In The Books

The main change people notice when comparing the books to the show is the setting from a realistic point in time to an alternate universe version of London in the early 1800s. This change is one of the biggest positives of the series, since it allows it to be visually distinct to other similar shows, while adding things like classical covers to current popular songs.

Queen Charlotte is also made up for the show since there isn’t any royal involvement in the books. Each season’s Gem is, therefore, not chosen by the Queen in the books but by Lady Whistledown in her scandalous papers.

6 Several Characters Are Missing

But They Might Be Introduced Later On

As it happens with many book adaptations, several characters are cut to make room, either for the main plot line or new side plots that need to be introduced. From the few that don’t appear in the Bridgerton Netflix show, one that clearly won’t make an appearance is Felicity Featherington, the youngest sister of Penelope.

We can assume that Felicity was completely cut from the plot since we already saw the entire Featherington family, but other characters could still make it into the show. Lord Twombley is a character closely related to Cressida Cowper, and while he hasn’t made an appearance yet, he might still get introduced in future seasons.

5 Side Characters Get More Screen Time

And It Isn’t Only The Bridgerton Family

While each season of the show focuses on a single Bridgerton family member, the others are still around, making themselves known, especially the ones who still have stories to tell. This is why the show adds plenty of side plots for them, like Anthony with the opera singer Siena Rosso in season one or Benedict with the widow Tilley Arnold in season three.

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Season three also shows that other undeveloped characters can also have a chance to shine, as there is a bigger focus on Cressida Cowper this time around. She was little more than a bully in the books, so she might have a different ending than how she ended up in the final installment.

4 New Characters Are Introduced

And Not Just As Romantic Partners

As previously mentioned, most of the Bridgertons get new romantic interests ahead of their season in order to develop them before they get their time to shine. These new romantic interests are, for the most part, new characters with their own dreams and ambitions.

Yet there are characters that are just created to introduce side plots, like with Will Mondrich. His whole storyline is completely new for the show, so fans of the books have no further insight about how his story will end up.

3 Marina Thompson Was Heavily Changed

She Was Only Named In The Books

Viewers of the first season of the Netflix show will remember Marina Thompson, a pregnant woman who had a small yet significant relationship with Colin Bridgerton. Well, Marina is in the books, but only as a background character, and she wasn’t even related to the Featheringtons.

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In fact, she was a distant cousin of the Bridgertons, but she died several years after giving birth. No one really interacts with her in the books since by the time Eloise meets Lord Crane in her book, he’s already a widower. However, one significant change is that the children he had with Lady Crane were actually his own, not his nephews, as in the show.

2 Benedict’s Story Was Skipped

It Will Likely Come Next Season

For the first and second seasons, the Netflix adaptation roughly followed the same blueprint established by the books, starting with Daphne’s story and following that up with Anthony’s. Yet they stopped that trend with the third season, since in the books, it was Benedict’s turn on the spotlight, and only after that was the story of Colin and Penelope told.

This isn’t to say that Benedict has been absent from the show since he had plenty of side plots with a few romantic interests sprinkled in. We will have to wait to know if next season is his time to shine or if he’ll be skipped again in favor of Eloise.

1 There Is No Time Skip Before Colin’s Story

This Makes Everyone Younger Than They Should Be

A pivotal point in the Bridgerton story, at least in the books, is when we move forward ten years, allowing plenty of characters to grow old and mature. This is particularly important for characters like Hyacinth and Gregory, who start off as children and need to come of age before their love stories can be told.

This time skip happens after the (so far untold) Benedict story but before Colin’s, so fans of the books are a bit lost as to why so little time passed before Penelope and Colin’s story began. This skip was important for them as well since Penelope had been an established and grown single woman by then, and Colin had spent most of those years abroad.

It could be that the show deliberately chose not to make a time skip and let the years naturally pass by for the actors of Hyacinth and Gregory. That way, their stories are still told last, but since each season takes a few years to make, they can keep the same actors for the role.

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