Spend too much time binge-watching Netflix’s new Shonda Rhimes-produced, Regency era romance series Bridgerton, and you might come away haunted by a single question: Does Regé-Jean Page, the British actor who plays its rakish lead, Duke of Hastings Simon Basset, have a single bad angle?
When offered the chance to address this question himself, the actor jokingly informed this writer that he does not appreciate the quest to find a chink in his sexy armor. “If you discover one, do let me know,” he added. “Send me an email, and I’ll do my best to have that shot burned.”
It might be a stretch to say that Bridgerton, a crisply ruffled courtly romance based on a series by author Julia Quinn, is the show we “need” right now. Still, after an excruciating year, the beautifully crafted, delightfully executed romance is certainly a welcome arrival. And it doesn’t hurt that series creator Chris Van Dusen and Rhimes know how to deliver what pleasures romance fans most—equal parts lust and silver-tongued repartee that’s rife with double entendre—while also moving the genre forward.
