Streaming Catch-Up: Bridgerton & Beyond

Netflix has announced its first Bridgerton spin-off, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, will stream from May 4.

The prequel centres on Queen Charlotte’s rise to prominence and power, how her marriage to King George sparked both a great love story and a societal shift, creating the world of the ton inherited by the characters in Bridgerton.

You can view the trailer here.

The streamer’s also released a trailer for Wellmanina, an eight-part series about a food critic who, diagnosed with ‘catastrophic health’ on the eve of shifting from Australia to New York for her dream job, throws herself body-first into a radical wellness journey.

Apple TV+ will stream season three of Ted Lasso from March 15. Here’s the blurb:

In the 12-episode third season of Ted Lasso, the newly-promoted AFC Richmond faces ridicule as media predictions widely peg them as last in the Premier League and Nate (Nick Mohammed), now hailed as the “wonder kid,” has gone to work for Rupert (Anthony Head) at West Ham United. In the wake of Nate’s contentious departure from Richmond, Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) steps up as assistant coach, alongside Beard (Brendan Hunt). Meanwhile, while Ted (Jason Sudeikis) deals with pressures at work, he continues to wrestle with his own personal issues back home, Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) is focussed on defeating Rupert and Keeley (Juno Temple) navigates being the boss of her own PR agency. Things seem to be falling apart both on and off the pitch, but Team Lasso is set to give it their best shot anyway.

Apple’s first French and English-language original series, Liaison, starring Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, Westworld) and Eva Green (Penny Dreadful), will stream from February 24.

The six-part high-stakes, contemporary thriller explores “how the mistakes of our past have the potential to destroy our future, combining action with an unpredictable, multi-layered plot where espionage and political intrigue play out against a story of passionate and enduring love”.

The new Disney+ sketch comedy/variety series History of the World, Part II, starring Mel Brooks, Wanda Sykes, Nick Kroll and Ike Barinholtz, will stream from March 6 — more than 40 years after the release of the movie History of the World, Part I.

Taika Waititi is part of a huge star-studded cast that includes Jason Alexander, Danny DeVito, David Duchovny, Josh Gad, Richard Kind, Johnny Knoxville,Ken Marino, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily Ratajkowski, Sam Richardson, Nick Robinson, Seth Rogen and Sarah Silverman.

And Disney+ and Lucasfilm have announced  the second volume of the animated anthology series Star Wars: Visions will premiere on May 4 with nine new shorts from nine international studios.

“We always saw Star Wars: Visions as a framework for celebratory expressions of the franchise from some of the best creators working today,” executive producer James Waugh says.

“With Volume 1, the imaginative minds of Japan’s anime industry were on full display.

“With Volume 2, we expanded our canvas to take audiences on a global tour of some of the most talented creators from around the world.”

The studios are: El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea), Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D’art Shtajio (Japan) and Triggerfish (South Africa). D’Art Shtajio’s short was created in collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd (United States).

Prime Video has confirmed a second season of the hit conspiracy thriller The Terminal List from MRC Television, based on Jack Carr’s novel True Believer.

Additionally, it has ordered an untitled prequel series, to be co-created by Carr and season one creator/showrunner David DiGilio, focusing on Taylor Kitsch’s character, Ben Edwards.

It will feature other iconic Carr characters, including James Reece (Chris Pratt), Raife Hastings, Mohammed Farooq, and Ernest “Boozer” Vickers (Jared Shaw) in an “elevated espionage thriller” that takes viewers on Edwards’ journey from Navy SEAL to CIA paramilitary operator, “exploring the darker side of warfare and the human cost that comes with it”.