For the first time ever, the Shondaland romance period drama, Bridgerton, has failed to make it into Netflix’s All-Time Top 10 shows.
What’s On Netflix shared the disappointing first, making it clear that it comes after the 91-day window that all shows have to reach the list. The first three seasons and the spinoff, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, made it quickly, but it looks like the bubble has now burst.
Bridgerton is based on the novel series by Julia Quinn, and it focuses on a different sibling of the titular name as the main characters of each season. The series is all about the individual siblings finding love, and usually not with people who is deemed “right” by society.
After skipping over the second-born son, the fourth season finally focused on Benedict’s unexpected search for love. It’s a take on the Cinderella story, and was one that fans eagerly anticipated after Season 3 focused on Colin and Penelope.
The First Time ‘Bridgerton’ Didn’t Make the Top 10
The 91-day window is one set by Netflix, giving the streamer time to take a look at the full viewership numbers. That Top 10 is then determined by Complete Viewing Equivalents (CVEs), which is the hours viewed divided by the run time.
Bridgerton Season 4 failed to get into the Top 10, but it wasn’t due to low viewership numbers. In fact, the fourth season had a higher CVE number than Queen Charlotte. This is based on predicted numbers by What’s On Netflix, due to the official numbers not being out just yet.
The problem lies in the number of hours that the current Top 10 have. His & Hers knocked out The Night Agent earlier this year with 98.2 million views, and now, that’s what Bridgerton needs to beat.
Is the ‘Bridgerton’ Bubble Bursting?
There is the question of whether the Shondaland bubble has burst, but when you consider the actual numbers, that’s unlikely. There was around 90 million viewing hours at first, based on the length of time within the 91 days that the series was in the Top 10. It dropped out of the Top 10 during that window, so it makes it harder to calculate.
It’s just clear that there is still interest. The first and third seasons have been the most popular, so it’s possibly just linked to the sibling taking center stage.
There are still two more seasons to come, and there is hope that all eight books will be adapted in the end. So, for now, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s more of a sign that the show has matured, and that means viewership tends to drop a little.