Netflix Orders Bridgerton Spinoff Series

The world of Bridgerton is about to get even bigger. The romantic drama became an absolutely massive hit for Netflix after its launch on Christmas Day, and the streamer responded by renewing it for three additional seasons. Now, as the series works to bring Season 2 to life, executive producer Shonda Rhimes is working to expand the overall franchise with a spinoff series based on the character Queen Charlotte, who was played by Golda Rosheuvel in the first season of Bridgerton.

Netflix announced on Friday that the spinoff had been greenlit as a limited series, and that Rhimes will be writing the script. The series will follow a young Queen Charlotte and tell her origin story, as well as the stories of a young Violet Bridgerton and Lady Danbury. This will all be new information for fans of the Julia Quinn book series that Bridgerton is based on, as Charlotte was a character created specifically for the show.

"Many viewers had never known the story of Queen Charlotte before Bridgerton brought her to the world, and I'm thrilled this new series will further expand her story and the world of Bridgerton," Bela Bajaria, Netflix head of global TV, said in a statement to Deadline. "Shonda and her team are thoughtfully building out the Bridgerton universe so they can keep delivering for the fans with the same quality and style they love. And by planning and prepping all the upcoming seasons now, we also hope to keep up a pace that will keep even the most insatiable viewers totally fulfilled."

In addition to the news of the new series, Netflix also revealed that Shondaland veteran Jess Brownell will be the showrunner of Bridgerton in Seasons 3 and 4. Brownell has worked with Rhimes on Bridgerton, Scandal, and the upcoming Inventing Anna. She will be taking over for Chris Van Dusen, who served as the Season 1 showrunner and is continuing in the role for the second season.

"As we continue to expand the world of Bridgerton, we now have the opportunity to devote even more of the Shondaland fold to the Bridgerton-verse," Rhimes said. "We've worked with Jess Brownell for over a decade and have long wanted to find the right project to place in her hands. When it came time to pass the baton, I knew this unique voice was vital to the future of the show."

Are you excited for another Bridgerton series? Let us know in the comments!