Bridgerton fans tuning in for Netflix's TUDUM event were treated to a first look at the leading lady of Season 2, Kate Sharma, a fish-out-of-water new to the city of London. Deadline describes her character as a "smart, headstrong young woman who suffers no fools — Anthony Bridgerton very much included."
Played by Simone Ashley of Sex Education fame, Kate will be a welcome addition to a series that aims to reflect the lives of its audience by celebrating real-world multiculturality in its cast. To be sure, the show works to decenter whiteness as well as overturn dated social conventions, regardless of people's opinions on its soapy escapism. This is what modern audiences appreciate most in the historical drama, steamy sex scenes aside.
By casting an actor of Indian descent to play a character who was white in the original story, further changing her last name from Sheffield to Sharma, the series provides visibility to a sizeable community in England that lacks proper representation on screen. In an interview with British Vogue, Bridgerton casting director Kelly Valentine Hendry explained "I'm ashamed to say that the word 'inclusive' only started to be used a few years ago in our business . . .It was a world of white men making content through their own lenses. It wasn't until recently that I felt confident enough to challenge the people I answer to."
The Regency-era period piece based on Julia Quinn's second novel in her Bridgerton series, "The Viscount Who Loved Me," will follow a similar path as the books, albeit with a few notable differences that will undoubtedly elevate the narrative. After having his heart broken at the end of the first season by Siena Rosso, an opera singer, London's most elusive bachelor, Anthony Bridgerton, the oldest of the titular siblings, is on a quest for an agreeable yet wholly transactional marriage, free from the burden of love.
Already a first-class rake, Anthony sets his sights on the younger Sharma sister, Edwina, the season's incomparable, much to Kate's chagrin, who deems them not to be a suitable match due to his somewhat reprehensible dating history.
Kate's book counterpart allegedly isn't marriage material because of her biting wit, unbridled honesty and cynicism. If the first look at Bridgerton Season 2 is of any indication, it seems as though her personality has remained unchanged, as Kate is still as strong-willed as ever. While it's still hard to tell how much of the Netflix series will deviate from the source material, many fans of both iterations are hopeful the show will tackle 19th-century imperialism more directly than how it handled colonialism in its first outing.
Nevertheless, for all its past faults, Bridgerton has always been focused on inclusivity and challenging norms related to race, gender and sexuality. Since South Asians are a group targeted for oppression that have historically been eliminated on screen from a world in which they occupy in real life, it seems as though the show is off to a good start where diversity is concerned. The chemistry between Anthony and Kate is also off the charts, so there's definitely much to look forward to when Bridgerton makes its much-anticipated return next year.
Season 2 of Bridgerton will premiere on Netflix in 2022. The first season of Bridgerton is currently available to stream.