A critically adored spin-off of Netflix’s biggest historical drama ascends the rankings throne

If anyone deserves the right to rule the charts then surely it’s the Queen, or Queen Charlotte in this instance as the Bridgerton spin-off has found itself, unsurprisingly, in the top position on the Netflix Top Ten charts. The show looks at the origin of one of Bridgerton‘s more regal characters, merging historical facts with dramatic storytelling to bring viewers the story of the Queen and her love, King George.

Bridgerton has been one of Netflix’s success stories since its first season, bringing regency glamour and sordid sex scenes to our screens all accompanied by modern songs played by string quartets. This artistic take on the popular period drama genre went down exceedingly well with audiences, so much so that, on top of the many more seasons of the show planned, they also fit in a spinoff in the form of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.

What sets this one a little more apart from the others is that it is set a little before the Regency period and it is based a little on historical fact. Of course dramatic license is taken, but the story of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz marrying King George III and becoming Queen of Great Britain is a true one. The King’s “madness” was a real condition he was afflicted with, though it would seem the show sped up the timeline on that one for sure.

It still feels like a Bridgerton story, with dramatic overtures of love, some raunchy sex scenes, this time including a prominent gay couple, and once again modern songs played on classical instruments. Because of this, fans are clamoring to watch, with the show having been watched 148,280,000 hours in its first week, more than double the show holding second position, season two of Sweet Tooth, which currently boasts 60,470,000 hours watched. In third position is Firefly Lane season two which has been watched 54,320,000 hours.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story also gives us a look into the issues surrounding diversity and race within the Bridgerton universe. It creates an origin story for how Shonda Rhimes’ regency world ended up a lot more diverse on screen than it was in reality, with the ascension of the POC characters to positions of nobility and titles, including the tenacious and witty Lady Danbury. These issues were never really addressed in the original shows and were simply accepted, which has its own merits, but it is interesting to see it delved into here.

You can catch Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story streaming on Netflix now.