Queen Charlotte: The Bridgerton Story, a prequel series linked to Shonda Rhimes’ celebrated Bridgerton universe, drew 148.28 million hours of viewing in the first four days after its Netflix release on May 4. These figures come from Netflix’s own data.
Industry site IndieWire notes that the series did not top 2023’s most-watched Netflix titles, with action thriller The Night Agent pulling about 168 million hours at launch, the second season of the drama Jeannie and Georgia near 180 million hours, and the third season of the adventure series Outer Banks at roughly 154 million hours. It is worth noting that each of these competing titles features ten episodes, while Queen Charlotte comprises six episodes in its first run.
IndieWire also emphasizes that the strong performance of Queen Charlotte owes much to the enduring appeal of the Bridgerton universe, including the two original Bridgerton seasons. The first season amassed approximately 625 million hours of on-platform viewing, while the second season attracted about 656 million hours. Netflix typically calculates these totals over a 28-day window from release.
The show follows a young Queen Charlotte as she is betrothed to Prince George and journeys to London. There, viewers glimpse a royal court that often defies straightforward expectations, with the marital arrangement and social climate shaping Charlotte as she navigates court life. As the story unfolds, she becomes a defining figure in European royalty, known for her distinctive style and formidable presence in high society.
In related news from Netflix, Rowan Atkinson’s Man vs Bee was canceled after its first season, marking another shift in streaming projects and the kinds of programs audiences pursue on the platform. The landscape continues to evolve as studios refine how they balance prestige projects with broadly appealing series in a crowded market. This shift underscores Netflix’s ongoing investments in spin-offs and interconnected universes, as fans look for deeper dives into beloved fictional worlds.