After more than two years of anticipation, it's clear that the Bridgerton hive (sorry) is as buzzing as ever. The first half of Colin and Penelope's love story racked up 45.1 million views in its opening weekend, Variety reported, with the outlet describing the premiere as the biggest in the show's history.
Variety noted that while the streamer previously measured viewership by watch time, when its premiere watch time (193 million minutes) was divided by the season's running time (8.5 hours), Season 2's viewing count was still 22.7 million times.
Of course, season three's turnout is even more impressive when you consider that only four episodes have dropped so far. Apparently, you're not the only one watching the carriage scene over and over again.
"This is crazy," Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope, wrote on Instagram of the season's record-breaking numbers. "Thank you all so very much❤️."
huge success
Of course, #Polin's success isn't meant to disparage the ship's Bridgerton predecessors. Simon, Daphne, Kate and Anthony set the bar so high that more people will naturally tune in and discover the cause of all the commotion.
Season three benefits from the addition of Queen Charlotte , enriching the ever-expanding lore. The prequel introduces plot elements directly related to the latest installment, from Kate and Anthony's relationship to Violet Bridgerton's blooming garden (aka, her getting ready to have her own Regency dalliance).
Plus, there's everything from friends to lovers. Colin and Penelope's chemistry has only grown over the past few years, so people would certainly like to see them take things to the next level. Luke Newton, who plays Colin, recently shared with Bustle how that dynamic translated behind the scenes.
"For the previous cast members who have hosted the show, they met at the beginning of the season, and Nick and I have developed our friendship over the past four years," he said. "We felt very safe and we had a great team of intimacy coordinators. It was very well prepared and allowed us the freedom to perform."
another milestone moment
It turns out that Bridgerton Season 3 is already breaking records even before it even airs. On May 15, Guinness World Records named the show the "most popular romantic drama television show," citing data from Parrot Analytics.
You can probably expect more records to be broken after the release of Part 2, which promises to be an anxious follow-up.
"We're in a topsy-turvy world in a lot of ways," showrunner Jess Brownell recently told Bustle of the final four episodes (airing June 13). "If the first part is a romantic comedy, the second half gets into a very tense place because Penelope as Lady Whistledown has a huge secret that hangs over everything."
