The new season of “Bridgerton,” that steamy Shondaland remix of rom-com and romance tropes set in Regency-era London, focuses less on debuts than glow-ups.
Forget the stunning ingénues upon whose inexperienced backs the series built its brand. This is a season about second chances; about makeovers and resurrections and fresh hopes, especially for those whom the denizens of the gossipy “ton” regard as having few prospects (or none at all). Even Lady Violet (Ruth Gemmell), the Bridgerton materfamilias, has a suitor. And this time the show’s wily narrator, Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews) — or rather her conflicted creator, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) — is in the hot seat.