Bridgerton brings many of the characters from Julia Quinn’s popular romance novels to Netflix, but it also introduces several brand new characters never before seen in the books. The first season was packed with drama from a number of different interconnected plotlines and romances, some of which mirrored their book versions, others of which were quite different.
The broad strokes of Bridgerton season 1 are largely the same as The Duke and I – book one of Quinn’s series. The romance between Simon and Daphne is different in some ways (she has more trouble attracting suitors, for instance), tbut he core of their story and its central conflict – the fight over whether or not to have children – remains the same. The show improves some of the more problematic elements of their book relationship, though many viewers feel it doesn’t go far enough to fix their toxic Regency love story. The show’s various subplots vary more dramatically, with some being entirely new.
One of the main ways Bridgerton diverges from its source material is in the collection of characters it adds to the story. The Bridgertons themselves and many in their circle make the move to Netflix more or less the same, but they are joined by several key figures who help push the narrative along. These are all the characters featured in Bridgerton season 1 who aren’t in the books.
Queen Charlotte
While far from one of the show’s main characters, Queen Charlotte has a huge impact on the overall story of Bridgerton. Her initial praise for Daphne gives her a strong investment in the young woman’s affairs, and the Queen constantly meddles through attempted set-ups and prideful ploys. Charlotte even gets a bit of an arc in the latter part of the season. Seeing her terribly ill husband King George III gives some needed dimension and sympathy for the character, and their royal marriage is an interesting juxtaposition to the series’ other matches.
Overall, she may be more of a plot device than a fully-featured character, but she’s also a lot of fun. Bridgerton’s distinct aesthetic is a big part of its appeal, and every single one of Queen Charlotte’s hairdos and tiny dogs adds to that colorful, powerful style. Charlotte also plays an important role in the show’s fictionalized world-building, as her marriage to the king is seemingly one of the main reasons why people of color have been given reparations of land and political power. The show’s alternate racial history is one of its more interesting elements, though the first season barely touches on it at all. As the show explores that plotline more going forward, Charlotte could become even more important.
Prince Friederich
In The Duke and I, Daphne is several steps removed from being the season’s “diamond,” as she is in the show. The book shows her in her second season, having already moved through her first year of eligibility without a marriage match. She has much more trouble attracting suitors in Quinn’s version, which makes her relationship with Simon a bit different as well. In the show, Daphne is much more popular in the marriage market, even attracting the affections of a foreign prince. Bridgerton's Prince Friedrich, the prince of Prussia, plays a small but significant role in season 1, but he does not appear in the novels at all.
Friedrich offers Daphne an alternate future to her convoluted love affair with the Duke, presenting himself as an all-around good and respectful guy. In some ways, he might have been a better pairing, though Daphne and Simon eventually manage to work through the struggles together. While it seems unlikely that Prince Friedrich would return in future seasons, it would be a fun reprisal. He’s an easily likeable character after all, and certainly deserving of finding love.
Siena Rosso
One of Bridgerton’s bigger romance plotlines is that of the Viscount Anthony Bridgerton and his opera singer mistress, Siena Rosso. The books do have a parallel for Siena – an opera singer named Maria Rosso who appears later in the series – but her role is much smaller, and Siena's relationship with Anthony is much more substantial and dramatic. In the show, Siena represents everything Anthony can’t have: a free life, without the undesired responsibilities and restrictions of leading a notable family. The affair between Siena and Anthony seems to end concretely at the end of season 1, and it should be interesting to see how closely the Viscount’s story follows the book version going forward.
Will and Alice Mondrich
A breath of fresh air and much-needed juxtaposition to the once-worn gowns and suffocating formalities of high society, Will and Alice Mondrich enter the Bridgerton story largely as accessories to Simon’s personal arc. By the end though, they become much more fully-developed, with Will getting his own story about balancing professional pride with family loyalty. Both Mondriches are well-written and wonderfully played, even for their relatively small amount of screen time. Given the show’s apparent fixation with bare-knuckle boxing, Will and Simon’s shirtless sparring matches are likely to return in Bridgerton season 2.
Lord Featherington
Lord Featherington does not appear in Quinn’s novels, as he is already dead when they begin. The show resurrects him and make him a pretty important figure in the story, as he justifies both Marina Thompson’s extended stay with the Featheringtons and the poor fortunes of the rest of the family. He’s a generally detestable and pitiable figure, but his death at the end of season 1 is one of the more interesting twists. Season 2 promises more drama with the Featherington heir, all of which should be new material not found in the books.
Henry Granville
One of the more altered stories in Bridgerton is that of the eponymous family’s second son, Benedict. Benedict leads a largely independent arc through the first season, which sees him diverging farther and farther from his family’s proper society life and closer to a looser, more bohemian lifestyle. He begins an affair with a tradeswoman – Madam Delacroix – and starts hanging out in the art studio of Henry Granville, a gay painter and gentleman of the town.
Granville is an entirely new character for the series. He directs most of Benedict’s narrative growth, and for a while it looks like the two are headed for a budding romance. Unfortunately, season 1 stops short of that and settles for a solid bit of queerbaiting. Still, Henry is an excellent character with a few great monologues, and his countercultural influence on Benedict will hopefully only grow as the show continues.
Genevieve Delacroix
The other central player in Benedict’s arc, Madam Delacroix, is also a new addition for the show. Genevieve plays a pretty major role in the overarching story, partially as Benedict’s eventual lover, but mostly as a red herring for Bridgerton's Lady Whistledown twist. The modiste is built up cleverly and convincingly to be the secret rumormonger, but the season 1 finale twists that theory on its head in a fun and fascinating way. Genevieve is still a compelling character outside of all that though, and the fake French accent she uses to trick the pompous ladies of the town is particularly entertaining. With luck, fans will get more of Madam Delacroix and the shows other great original characters when Bridgerton returns for season 2.