Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is actually the best Bridgerton

polygon.com:

I wasn’t expecting a prequel about Queen Charlotte, a real historical figure, and King George III, the guy in Hamilton who sings “You’ll Be Back” (and also a real historical figure) would make me incredibly emotional, but here we are! Shonda Rhimes, you’ve done it again.

Not only is Queen Charlotte good, but it is actually better television than the mainline Bridgerton series. Is that blasphemy? Perhaps, but Queen Charlotte manages its expansive cast and multiple plotlines with more finesse and better pacing than the main series — with the added challenge of two different time periods. It ambitiously tackles so much more, and yet pulls it off with a steady hand.

Queen Charlotte is a prequel and a sort of interlude between Bridgerton seasons. The main storyline takes place in the past, focusing on a young Queen Charlotte (played by India Ria Amarteifio) and her arranged marriage to King George (Corey Mylchreest) — and the ramifications that union had for English society. It’s sprinkled in with bits of the main Bridgerton timeline, where Charlotte attempts to pair her children up with respectable matches after her oldest son’s wife dies in childbirth. Familiar characters like Lady Danbury and Violet Bridgerton make appearances in both the past and present storylines. And ultimately, the two time periods work well together; it’s compelling to see how the decisions the younger versions of the characters made and the hurdles they’ve had to overcome affects their outlook in the present day.

In the present-day timeline of Bridgerton, Charlotte mostly rules on her own, while her rarely lucid husband’s mental health declines. That just makes the blossoming romance in Queen Charlotte all the more resonant. The core Bridgerton