Recent Instagram posts from Tom Verica and Shondaland has fuelled speculation that there might be another Spin Off coming, this time focussed on Polin and/or the Featheringtons, though some have suggested it could be about young Violet and Edmund. So what were these posts that created this storm of speculation in the fandom? Tom Verica posted two stills from season 1, the first of him with the Featherington women, and the second of him with Queen Charlotte, and he captioned it with: Little colourful S1 @bridggertonnetflix throwback w the OG Featheringtons and THE Queen. Big things coming. 😉 Just you wait. He then tagged Nicola Coughlan Polly Walker, Bessie Carter, Harriet Cains and Golda Rosheveul. Shondaland posted several hours later, this time a Polin Reel with the caption: it always gets better ❤️ #Bridgerton
Image Credit: Netflix
But why do these posts in particular have fans thinking there could be another spin off? We have to delve into the comments section on both posts for context on the fan speculation. On Tom Verica's post Connie Jenkins-Grieg - the actress who played young Violet in Queen Charlotte - replied with a heart which led some to believe it could be a Violet and Edmund Spin Off. Meanwhile, on the Shondaland post, the social media team were liking posts that referenced a Featherington or Polin Spin Off, which has many fans taking this as confirmation that there is going to be a Spin Off for Polin and/or the Featheringtons. In addition to these posts Tom Verica was recorded by a fan saying some news is coming when asked what he was teasing. All of these factors combined do suggest that any news is most likely unconnected to season 4, and potentially is centred around the Featheringtons. With three spin off possibilities - Polin and/or the Featheringtons, season 2 of Queen Charlotte, or an Edmund and Violet origin story - what is the most likely, and what will any of these possibilities say about Shondaland and Netflix?
Image Credit: Netflix
This is a popular idea among many Bridgerton fans, the idea of seeing video and Edmund's love story that had such an impact on the family is tantalising, however I believe this is the least likely option for any new spin off. Julia Quinn has been open in the past she has no desire to write Edmund and violet's story because we already know how it goes, and move importantly how it ends. Further, both Jess Brownell and Shonda Rhimes have indicated that they have a distaste for sweet love stories and happy couples. My final reason for not believing that it is the story of Violet and Edmund being teased is due to the mages and reel used on the social media accounts for Tom Verica and Shondaland, as I believe if they were teasing a series about Edmund and Violet they would have used images or a reel of violet and Edmund. I think we can safely assume that Edmund and Violet will not be the subject of any new series in the Bridgerton Franchise. However, in saying all of that a Spin Off centred on Violet and Edmund will show a commitment by the production to telling the story of the titular family, and will allow opportunities for the other Bridgerton couples to be brought into it if it is told in two timelines similar to Queen Charlotte.
Image Credit: Netflix
Queen Charlotte Season 2
It has been suggested that Tom Verica was teasing a second series of Queen Charlotte as the pictures he posted both included Queen Charlotte. This theory was further 'confirmed' with the comment from Connie Jenkins-Grieg on the post. I am not sure that there will be a second season of Queen Charlotte as the initial limited series concluded the story well, but also the initial series did not do as well as was expected not reaching the same number of viewers as the main Bridgerton series and quickly falling down the list of most watched shows, even with a new Bridgerton series released last year.many viewers found the series to be too dark and weren't invested enough in the romance or the drama. A second season of Queen Charlotte will potentially send a message that the production are more interested in their original characters in the series rather than the characters from the books, it also risks more criticisms of Shonda's liberal interpretation of European history and a real historical figure.
Image Credit: Netflix
Featherington and/or Polin Spin Off
Assuming that the post on Tom Verica and Shondaland's Instagram accounts are connected, and they are teasing a new spin off then it makes sense it will most likely be focussed on the Featheringtons and/or Polin, as they were the main focus of the posts. Would a spin off focussed on the Featherington family, or even Polin, make sense? I am sure Shondaland think it will be wildly popular, but for a show that marketed its diverse casting for a historical romance, as a major point of difference, the decision to do a spin off focussed on a established white family that has been a major part of the main show could seem to contradict this marketing. Further, if a spin off is announced that is focussed on Penelope and Colin, it may not go down well consideirng Shonda Rhimes had this to say about a Kate and Anthony spin off in 2022: "I don't know what story would be told. The beauty of this show is that we get to tell a complete love story from beginning to end with a happy ending every season. We don't have to manufacture reasons why a couple can't be together, we let them have their actual happy moment. And so, there are no spinoffs to be had because we'd have to find some reason to break a couple up, and that feels very artificial." Additionally, if there is a spin off that has a focus on Polin the optics for Netflix and Shondaland are not great, it will again raise questions about their commitment to diversity, and the perceived underlying racism within the production, especially as the season for Penelope and Colin has been completed, and there is no compelling storyline left for them that could justify a spin off series.
Also, if it is a spin off that is beign teased then when would it be announced? There are three possibilities for an announcement depending on what the spin off is:
- The Upfronts: This is where streamers present their upcoming seasons for advertisers, I think it is unlikely any spin off will be announced at the Netflix upfront on Wednesday as the focus will be on the shows they will be releasing in the next 12 months or so. We may get a hint as to whether Bridgerton season 4 is to be released in the upcoming year, or whether it will be later in 2026, but that is possibly all that we will get from Bridgerton.
- The season 3 first anniversary: This is the most likely day for any potential spin off to be announced, especially if it is going to feature the Featheringtons and/or Polin. S3 was the Featherington season, and it makes sense that on its anniversary a Featherington/Polin spin off is announced.
- Tudum: This is a possibility, but seems unlikely as I believe they would not have teased anything this far out. Tom Verica has confirmed there will be something about Bridgerton at Tudum (I will write on what that may be closer to the event), however, if for some reason an announcement of a spin off is made at Tudum this will not be a good look for Netflix and Shondaland, especially if the potential spin off is about the Featheringtons or Polin. Tudum is highly expected to be - and should be - about season 4, and if it is used to announce a spin off about the Featheringtons or Polin it will be widely seen as Netflix again hijacking an event for a season with a woman of colour lead in order to promote a white woman, what is worse is that the white woman in question has already been the lead of a season.
The talk of a spin off is only speculation within the fandom at present and unconfirmed, so if not a spin off what could the posts and Tom Verica have been teasing? There are two other possibilities that it could be:
- A release date for season 4: This is highly unlikely for a number of reasons, first because season 4 has not wrapped as yet, and second because why use Polin, the Featheringtons and Queen Charlotte to promote something for season 4?
- First Anniversary of Season 3 Part 1: This will be controversial if the tease is for some big celebration of the first anniversary of Season 3. For the season 1 anniversary the release date for season 2 was announced, but the season 2 first anniversary was completely ignored by the production - and to an extent the cast and crew, with only one member posting something then deleting it after a short period of time leading to speculation he was asked not to post anything. If there is a tease post and then something large to celebrate the season 3 first anniversary then it will reinforce the negative perceptions of the production supporting a pairing that is played by straight white actors and not having the same support for pairings with more diverse actors (eg: a gay man and dark skinned South Asian woman) as leads.
On the whole, whatever the instagram posts were teasing - assuming they were connected - it will present terrible optics for both Netflix and Shondaland and undermines their claims of being interested in diverse characters and diverse actors as they continue to put their focus on a white family that is not the titular family, and more specifically potentially on a white character that remains the only one to have used a racist slur in the show, and has not been held accountable for it. This can only damage the Bridgerton brand further with some of the fandom, and for Netflix and Shondaland further damage their reputations as inclusive and diverse employers.
