Of course she is known throughout the world for creating the medical tv show “Grey’s Anatomy” (2005-), but Rhimes also signed the production of other tv shows such as “How To Get Away With Murder” (2015-2020), “Scandal” (2012-2018) and “Bridgerton” (2020-). The last one, being a partnership between Shonda and Netflix, and it is, without doubt, one of the most famous in the streaming service, even so it is the most watched series in the history of the service, with 82 million views in subscribed accounts. Maybe, it is also one of the most important throughout her career.
Shonda in Bridgerton
Based on the book series written by Julia Quinn, “Bridgerton” follows the lives of a high society family in the English society of the 19th century, and each book focuses on one member of the family. In addition to being able to captivate the public with the chemistry between protagonists, we can see that Shonda Rhimes‘ work knew how to break down barriers and stereotypes. Both of the seasons released so far, managed to convey a world similar to ours thanks to their inclusive cast which, according to the producer, is a way of not erasing anyone from history and that it be possible to find people who represent us.
Consequently, casting black actors in this context of period shows, especially in high positions, like Regé-Jean Page as Duke Hastings in the first season and Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte, create one mutual recognition between the series and the audience, as Netflix’s audience is global, Bridgerton’s audience is the world itself… literally. So Shonda wanted to make sure that anyone on the planet watches the series and can see something in it in yourself, that each character’s humanity must be universal.
Multiculturalism
The adaptation of the second book, released in march of this year, reinforces even more the multiculturalism as an identity in the show. On the screens, Kate Sharma’s family (Anthony Bridgerton’s romantic interest and protagonist of the season) had its origins changed to south-asian roots, that, according to Shonda, in an interview for Netflix, “…we were able to weave this into the story in an incredible way to enhance the idea that the English values of the characters are not necessarily the only valid. This is reflected, for example, in Kate’s reaction to English tea, but it is also a way to show that to the world.” This repulsion on Kate’s face of the “pitiful imitation of tea” served in the UK is a way to expand the multi-ethnic world of the series, treating the character’s race as an integral part of her identity more extensive.
Therefore, the presence of racial diversity in Shonda Rhimes productions opens many doors to other interpretations of the word “diversity”, as well as the variety of bodies shown in the series, but also addressing other issues that are still relevant today, such as female representation and unwanted pregnancy. Because of this, even if “Bridgerton” isn’t a “modern classic”, it is an important work within the aspect of reinventing and modernizing period novels.
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The article above was edited by Larissa Mariano.
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