Bridgerton‘s second season has been messier than the show itself. Production was shut down indefinitely after two positive COVID-19 cases in one week. However, production will reportedly resume filming, via Variety.
Showrunner Chris Van Dusen (Grey’s Anatomy) confirmed the news with Variety today. “We are back under way. We had to delay because of COVID, but we’re back in it,” he told Variety. “Right now, I’m in post, editing our first couple episodes, which are looking great.”
Production was shut down in mid-July after there were two positive COVID-19 cases in one week of its U.K. shoot. Bridgerton was one of many productions to be shut down that week. The feature adaptation of Matilda, another Netflix project, was shut down in the U.K. due to COVID-19 as well as the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon. The shutdowns came after worries of spikes in cases after the U.K. lightened their COVID restrictions, including lifting mask mandates, and the delta variant rampaging through both the U.S. and the U.K.
The news does relieve fans who were worried that they would not have gotten more from the Bridgerton family. The second season, based on the second novel in Julia Quinn’s (The Duke and I) series, will focus on Anthony Bridgerton’s quest to find love. The series will return for a third and fourth season — based on the third novels — and is expected to have additional seasons based on their respective entry of the eight-novel series. Jess Brownell (Scandal) will take over as showrunner once the show moves on to season three.
The series is one of the most successful shows on the streamer, breaking Netflix viewership records to date. Bridgerton was the most-watched show in 83 countries and made the top 10 lists in every country except Japan.
“There’s always been a pressure with this show from the beginning, being inspired by these beloved novels with fans who are so passionate and feel so strongly about these characters and these stories,” Van Husen told Variety. “There’s always been a healthy pressure there, I welcome it and I say keep the pressure on. It worked for the first season, and I hope people love this season and beyond as much as they did the first.”
Season two of Bridgerton is expected to release in 2022 on Netflix.