Yvette Nicole Brown hosted Netflix’s FYSEE event for Bridgerton yesterday with cast members Charithra Chandran, Nicola Coughlan, and the breakout star of season two, Simone Ashley. Emmy nomination voting begins in a month and campaigning is well underway for consideration. Netflix is hoping that Bridgerton can be part of the conversation. It has the numbers to back up its bid, now it’s a matter of whether or not the Television Academy decides it has the prestige. 

 

As for those numbers, Bridgerton season two is the most-watched English-language series in Netflix history, surpassing the streaming success of the first season. A LOT of people watched Kate and Anthony’s story, and a lot of people REWATCHED it over and over again – and I’m not just talking about Kathleen, because I think she watches parts of it every single day; I too have checked in on certain scenes from season two repeatedly, including last night. I love Kate and Anthony together. I don’t love how the season was paced, but their chemistry? The vexing? Can’t get enough of the vexing. 

But will it be enough for nominations? To be included with the heavy hitters in the Outstanding Drama category? That would be Succession, Euphoria, Ozark, Better Call Saul, Severance, Yellowjackets, and of course Squid Game. 

 

Most experts are looking at Succession and Squid Game as the two heavyweights slugging it out. And it’s worth noting, for as big as Bridgerton S2’s numbers are, Squid Game is still the most watched series of all time on Netflix, of any language…which tells you something about how compelling the show was and how groundbreaking its success. 

Can Bridgerton get in there with the rest of them? I hope so. Because while I do love Succession and Severance and Yellowjackets and am super invested in Squid Game’s mark on the industry, Bridgerton also comes with layers of significance. This is a romance series. And romance is almost never taken seriously by awards boards. Romance is targeted at female audiences, and content made for women is also never taken seriously. Season two of Bridgerton is a romance featuring a woman of South Asian descent – that too makes it a unicorn. 

 

So here’s a romance series that was made for women, starring a brown woman, that’s also really, really, REALLY popular. Why shouldn’t it contend for the Emmy? And why shouldn’t Simone Ashley be nominated for Best Lead Actress? Why shouldn’t this scene get an Emmy? Do you think it’s easy being the bane of his existence?!

 

As for Netflix? Depending on how the nominations shake it, it could have three very strong drama contenders in Squid Game, Ozark, and Bridgerton. We’ll talk about this more once we know what the field looks like and where their campaign resources go.