Review: 'Queen Charlotte' is a sexy and snappy 'Bridgerton' spinoff

Gorgeous gowns, handsome noblemen and classical covers of pop songs – That must be Netflix's "Bridgerton," right?

Well, it's close. While fans of the Regency romance still have to wait for a third season of courtship, balls and Lady Whistledown, they can be sated at least temporarily with "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" (now streaming, ★★★ out of four), the new spinoff prequel series from Shonda Rhimes about the young life of the queen. Compared to "Bridgerton," "Charlotte" has a different style of ballgown but the same lusty, luxurious sensibility as the original series. With a great (and very good-looking) cast, addictive romance and steamy scenes, "Charlotte" proves itself a worthy spinoff in its very first episode.

"Charlotte" jumps back and forth in time during its six-episode season, alternating between the early 1800s "Bridgerton" era and young Charlotte's life a half-century earlier. The "present" timeline features Golda Rosheuvel reprising her "Bridgerton" role as the queen, along with other "Bridgerton" characters Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) and Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) and focuses on Charlotte's desire for one of her 15 children to produce a royal heir.

In the past, Charlotte (India Amarteifio) arrives in England, a German noblewoman unprepared for her new life as a queen and wife to the enigmatic King George III (Corey Mylchreest). With the help of young Lady Danbury (Arsema Thomas) and Charlotte's servant Brimsley (Sam Clemmett), the new queen begins to figure out how to relate to the British monarchy − and her husband. And maybe she actually falls in love with George along the way.

Rhimes wrote "Charlotte," and longtime fans of her work can tell. ("Bridgerton" was created by Chris Van Dusen, a "Grey's Anatomy" alum). The story is set in a castle instead of a Seattle hospital, but there are sparks of what made the workplace romance and drama of "Grey's" so electrifying in "Charlotte." Some of the plotting is overly complex, and our romantic heroes face oh-so-many roadblocks, but Rhimes knows how to make a will they/won't they relationship work. And yes, even though they're married in the first episode, the burning question in most of "Charlotte" is whether these crazy kids will get together for more than royal appearances.

Amarteifio and Mylchreest have fantastic chemistry, and an episode focused on the pair, well, doing their royal duty amid anger and hate will leave romance fans absolutely delighted. And it's not just Charlotte and George who generate fireworks, but Brimsley and another royal servant (Freddie Dennis), along with other members of the court. And there are more than just characters to love: Rhimes has a great villain to hate in George's mother Princess Augusta, played with razor-sharp snobbery by "Game of Thrones" alum Michelle Fairley.

"Bridgerton" imagines a racially integrated England in the Regency era, and ahistorically, "Charlotte" attempts to explain how that integration happened. It gives "Charlotte" the same kind of "what might have happened" plotting as alternate history fiction like "The Man in the High Castle," and it's a fascinating bit of historical pondering. Much of that story is shouldered by the young Lady Danbury, played by revelatory young actress Thomas, who commands her every scene.

"Bridgerton" premiered on Netflix in December 2020, and quickly became a phenomenon, and phenomena are notoriously hard to replicate. (Season 2 of the original series had its detractors). But "Charlotte" more than rises to the occasion. It's got the glitz, the gorgeous people and the gleefully seductive looks. The finale leaves a few plot threads dangling, and it seems like there are, if not infinite stories to tell out of the "Bridgerton" universe, then at least quite a few.