The highly anticipated “Bridgerton” has arrived on Netflix and to be honest, it was unremarkable. A licentious, scandalous and somewhat boring drama that is set during the Regency period in London was truly mediocre. 

I suspect that if it were set today, it would not do nearly as well because of its predictable storyline and cliché characters. Even what was supposed to be a big reveal at the end was unsurprising. 

In a very “Gossip Girl” like manner, the narrator of the show, Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews), is the town’s anonymous source of gossip. She reports on all things related to the “courting season,” where the girls of the town “come out” to society in order to find a husband. 

The show follows Daphne Bridgerton as she presents herself to the marriage market. Lady Whistledown and the Queen immediately take interest in her; however, when her overprotective brother scares away her suitors and another girl enters the market, the attention is brought away from Daphne. 

Similar to “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” Daphne and the Duke of Hastings, a sought-after eligible bachelor, devise a plan to trick the town and Lady Whistledown into thinking they are together, so they can “write” their own narrative. 

Daphne wants to hold the spotlight again so she can catch the attention of potential suitors while Duke wants the opposite: for Lady Whistledown to stop reporting about how he is single and looking for a wife. 

I do not normally love the romance genre. I find it predictable, cliché and sometimes misogynistic. If you are a fan of romance and drama, then I think you would very much appreciate “Bridgerton” because it is based solely on relationships. But if you share my sentiments on the romance genre, then I would not recommend the limited series.

On the other hand, the show beautifully depicts how women’s role in society has changed since the 1800s. The whole focus of “Bridgerton” was for the women to find someone to marry and present themselves like objects in order to achieve that. Another unique part of the show was its multiracial cast. This set the show apart from others based during this time, and as a result, it was different and appealing. 

However, I feel those parts of the show alone were not enough for me to fully enjoy it. Apart from only being about relationships, I found myself not really being able to relate to the main characters, which made it hard to sympathize with them when it felt like you were supposed to. 

Overall, I felt like this show was tedious and that the characters were shallow and unlikable. I would only recommend “Bridgerton” to people who are really invested in romance and drama. Otherwise, I would suggest that you scroll past it when it pops up on your Netflix screen.