Netflix has dedicated a season of Bridgerton to each book that follows a sibling’s love story but the show may not match the book's marriages.
Bridgerton follows a sibling-a-season in line with the books, but it is not certain the Netflix show’s Bridgerton siblings marry the same people as they do in the books. Bridgerton is based on the novels by Julia Quinn and was adapted by Shonda Rhimes for Netflix. The success of the first two seasons was massive and led Rhimes to create a prequel with Quinn based on Bridgerton’s Queen Charlotte, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Plus, Bridgerton season 3 will be released soon and this diverts from the books, following Colin Bridgerton and his love story with Penelope Featherington, instead of Benedict’s story.
Daphne was the first of the Bridgerton siblings to marry, and season 1 showed the difficulties this came with, setting up the trend of giving each sibling their own season. Bridgerton merges the 1800s Regency era with a diverse cast as it focuses on telling a fictional story based on historical facts. Each sibling faces their own problems, however, as the Regency era places pressure on women to marry and follow strict social etiquette, and on men to take on responsibilities of the household at an early age. These issues seep into the Bridgerton’s marriages and make their journeys difficult, but worthwhile - although their show and book journeys can sometimes be quite different.
8 Daphne Bridgerton
Daphne Bridgerton is the lead of the first book, The Duke and I, and this follows her love story with Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings, who does not feature in Bridgerton again. The major plot line of the book is the same as the Netflix series, wherein Daphne and Simon pretend to court to avoid pressures from society to marry - only to fall in love in fake courting. There are some minor changes, such as the fact that Simon does not avoid Daphne in the Bridgerton books, but their forced marriage and rocky start are the same. The issue of having children is similarly a major disagreement in the Bridgerton books and series.
7 Anthony Bridgerton
Anthony Bridgerton’s storyline also stayed very similar in Netflix’s Bridgerton to Quinn’s books. The Viscount Who Loves Me shows Anthony being obsessed with his own mortality and never letting himself fall in love with someone. This translates to Bridgerton, but it is reigned in significantly. Both the book and the series sees Anthony courting Edwina Sharma but ultimately falling for her sister, Kate, who also has no interest in marriage. Kate and Anthony’s story leading up to their marriage at the ending of Bridgerton season 2 is very similar to the books, leaving the show's biggest changes to happen to the other Bridgerton siblings in their sub-plots.
6 Benedict Bridgerton
Benedict Bridgerton is the second-oldest son and is the lead of the third book, An Offer from a Gentlemen. Bridgerton has already changed this, as season 3 will not follow Benedict but Colin, the third son. Benedict’s Netflix story so far has seen him explore the arts and try to learn about himself, but he has not had any serious love interests. In his book, Benedict marries Sophie Beckett - who is not yet a character in the Netflix show - in a Cinderella-type story where he meets her at a ball. Benedict’s lack of love interests suggests he will still marry Sophie, especially as she is meant to be introduced as an unknown character.
5 Colin Bridgerton
Bridgerton season 3 covers Colin and his marriage to Penelope Featherington. Although coming earlier than his story in the books, Bridgerton season 3 does seem to be following the general plot of Colin’s book, Romancing Mister Bridgerton. A major issue of Colin and Penelope’s romance will be Penelope’s identity as Lady Whistledown. The set-up of season 3 is already very different to Quinn’s books in this regard, as the audience knows who Lady Whistledown is, and Penelope and Eloise are in a huge fight. Colin and Penelope may have more issues in Bridgerton, but their marriage will likely be the same as the books.
4 Eloise Bridgerton
Eloise is the Bridgerton sibling whose story has been changed the most. Eloise and her fight for women’s rights and equality has meant she has been a leading character in both seasons of Bridgerton. A major change was Eloise's romance with Theo Sharpe, who works at the printing shop that Lady Whistledown uses. Theo does not exist in the books, and his presence in Eloise’s life creates a big problem for her story. In To Sir Phillip, With Love, Eloise marries Sir Phillip Crane after his current wife, Marina Thompson, dies. Eloise’s story does contain a time-jump, which could mean there is plenty of time for her story to say the same in Netflix’s Bridgerton.
3 Francesca Bridgerton
Francesca Bridgerton is the only sibling to marry twice, but her minimal appearance in Netflix’s Bridgerton - as she is still quite young - has given no indication to her future story. In When He Was Wicked, Francesca first marries the Earl of Kilmartin, John Sterling, but he has a tragic death. Francesca seeks comfort with her best friend, who is also her husband’s cousin, Michael Sterling. Michael has secret feelings for Francesca, and their grief and guilt pose a major problem as Francesca starts to have feelings too. The series is likely to follow Francesca’s rocky story, as there is no major indication otherwise.
2 Hyacinth Bridgerton
The youngest Bridgerton daughter, Hyacinth, marries Lady Danbury’s grandson, Gareth St. Clair, in Quinn’s seventh Bridgerton book, It’s in His Kiss. They fall for each other as Hyacinth helps him translate an old family diary of Gareth’s which is written in Italian. Hyacinth is still a child in Netflix’s Bridgerton so has not had any other love story. However, Lady Danbury is a major, and beloved, character in the Netflix Bridgerton universe, so it is likely the series would want to include a relation of hers, especially since Lady Danbury’s backstory was explored in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
1 Gregory Bridgerton
The final Bridgerton sibling to marry is the youngest son, Gregory. Like Hyacinth, Gregory is still a child in the Netflix Bridgerton story. In his book, On the Way to the Wedding, Gregory has a friends-to-lovers romance like his brother, Colin. Gregory initially wants to court Hermione Watson, who has feelings for someone else, as he instantly fell in love with her. Lucy Abernathy helps him court Hermione as she believes they are a good match, this leads to them falling for each other and eventually marrying. Similar to Hyacinth, not much is known about Gregory in Netflix’s Bridgerton, so it is likely his marriage will also stay the same as the book.
