Netflix’s Regency romance and HBO’s Gilded Age saga define the genre from opposite sides of the Atlantic
The Golden Age of the Costume Drama Is Here
If you have spent recent months lost in the ballrooms of Regency London or the opera boxes of Gilded Age New York, you are far from alone. Two of television’s most lavish period drama franchises – Bridgerton on Netflix and The Gilded Age on HBO – are dominating streaming culture and dividing audiences into passionate camps. Both series are expensive, visually spectacular and emotionally engaging. Both are set in eras of extreme social stratification and class-driven drama. Both feature extraordinary costume design, sumptuous production values and casts of exceptional talent. But they are doing very different things with the raw material of historical fiction, and understanding those differences illuminates both what makes each show compelling and what each is ultimately saying about the societies they depict.
Bridgerton: Romance as Radical Act
Created as a Shonda Rhimes production for Netflix and based on Julia Quinn’s bestselling novel series, Bridgerton is set in a deliberately stylised, racially diverse version of Regency-era London in the early 19th century. The central conceit – that Queen Charlotte’s mixed-race heritage has resulted in a fully integrated British aristocracy – is anachronistic by design. Bridgerton is not trying to recreate history. It is using history as a backdrop for a fantasy of desire, romantic choice, and self-determination that resonates powerfully with contemporary audiences. The show’s first three seasons have each followed a different Bridgerton sibling through the marriage market, delivering steamy romance, witty social observation, and the continuing mystery of Lady Whistledown’s identity. The use of modern pop songs arranged for classical instruments, the overtly diverse casting, and the unabashedly romantic tone all signal clearly that Bridgerton is not primarily a historical document – it is wish-fulfilment dressed in empire-waist gowns.
The Gilded Age: Power as Everything
Created by Julian Fellowes, the writer behind Downton Abbey, The Gilded Age operates on a different register entirely. Set in 1880s New York, it follows the collision between old money and new money in America’s most ambitious city, centring on the Russell family – railroad tycoon George, played by Morgan Spector, and his ferociously socially ambitious wife Bertha, played by Carrie Coon – as they attempt to storm the gates of a social establishment controlled by the formidable Mrs Astor. Fellowes brings his characteristic interest in the mechanics of social hierarchy, the rituals of exclusion and inclusion, and the gap between public performance and private reality. Unlike Bridgerton, The Gilded Age does not soften its portrayal of class, race or gender constraints. It is a show that takes historical injustice seriously while remaining thoroughly entertaining.
What Each Show Illuminates About Freedom
Period dramas have always served as a mirror for the present. In Bridgerton, the fantasy of a society where talent, beauty, wit and romantic choice override birth privilege speaks to contemporary aspirations for meritocracy and inclusion. In The Gilded Age, the portrait of plutocratic power consolidating itself through social ritual and economic control resonates in an era of accelerating inequality. The Atlantic’s culture desk has noted that both shows, despite their very different tones, are asking the same underlying question: who gets to belong? That question is acutely relevant in Hong Kong today, where political belonging has been redefined by fiat.
Hong Kong’s Sophisticated Audience
Hong Kong viewers bring particular sensitivity to stories about class, hierarchy, and the relationship between institutional power and individual freedom. A city that watched its own social contract rewritten without its consent knows something about what the Russells are fighting for and what Mrs Astor is defending. The costume dramas of Bridgerton and The Gilded Age can be consumed as pure entertainment. They can also be read as explorations of timeless questions about who holds power, how it is maintained, and what the dispossessed can do to reclaim it. Bridgerton is streaming on Netflix with Season 4 currently in progress. The Gilded Age has been renewed for a fourth season on HBO. The Gilded Age continues to attract critical acclaim for its production values, political intelligence and the extraordinary performance of Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell.
Senior Journalist & Editor, Apple Daily UK
Contact: athena.lai@appledaily.uk
Athena Lai is a senior journalist and editor with extensive experience in Chinese-language investigative reporting and editorial leadership. Educated at a leading journalism school in the United Kingdom, Athena received formal training in fact-checking methodology, editorial governance, and international media standards, grounding her work in globally recognized best practices.
She has held senior editorial roles at Apple Daily and other liberal Chinese publications, where she oversaw coverage of Hong Kong civil liberties, diaspora politics, rule of law, and press freedom. Athena’s reporting is distinguished by disciplined sourcing, cross-verification, and a clear separation between factual reporting and opinion, reinforcing reader trust.
Beyond reporting, Athena has served as an editor responsible for mentoring journalists, enforcing ethical guidelines, and managing sensitive investigations. Her newsroom leadership reflects real-world experience navigating legal risk, source protection, and editorial independence under pressure.
Athena’s authority comes from both her byline history and her editorial stewardship. She has reviewed and approved hundreds of articles, ensuring compliance with defamation standards, accuracy benchmarks, and responsible language use. Her work demonstrates lived experience within high-stakes news environments rather than theoretical expertise.
Committed to journalistic integrity, Athena believes credible journalism is built on transparency, accountability, and institutional memory. Her role at Apple Daily UK reflects that commitment, positioning her as a trusted voice within independent Chinese media.
