Changes in adaptations are commonplace. Different media require different narrative needs, which is why a completely faithful adaptation wouldn’t work as well as die-hard fans believe it would. We’ve seen this with the idea that in the third season of Bridgerton, a change in the order of presenting the love encounters by the Bridgerton siblings has sparked the anger of a part of the fandom. In the books, the romance between Benedict Bridgerton and his eventual partner was presented first, but this season has chosen to focus on the romance between Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington, which doesn’t occur until a later book.
Author-approved changes have come to the defense of the series from the most unexpected source: Julia Quinn, the original author of the novel series. The writer, who also serves as a consultant for the series, has stated that these changes make sense. why? Because while viewers were already familiar with Penelope, Benedict’s romantic interest is yet to be introduced, so it would have felt forced to immediately place her in his orbit. That’s why they decided to focus on Colin before Benedict: because, for the events of the series, it will feel more natural this way.
However, this is not the first or most dramatic change that has been made in the series compared to the books. Queen Charlotte, a prominent character in the series, doesn’t appear anywhere in the books. Yet, she now has her own series. The representation in terms of diversity in the series is extraordinary, with many fully integrated characters of color, along with other significant changes in this third season, such as the identity of the anonymous writer of the town’s gossip columns.
Therefore, although it may cause an impact, we need to understand that it is normal. Adapting to work requires changes, adjustments, and minor tweaks. No work would function by simply transposing it from one medium to another without considering its target audience. That’s why The Bridgertons continue to be successful. Because they have understood this perfectly.
Some of the links added in the article are part of affiliate campaigns and may represent benefits for Softonic.
