Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story offered a tantalizing glimpse into the lives of the political players who shape Bridgerton‘s world, with one 30-year-old movie demonstrating how their stories can be continued. Queen Charlotte was, in many ways, an exemplar of how to create a prequel series to a popular TV show. Centering on otherwise supporting characters like Queen Charlotte herself and Lady Danbury, the story was a beautifully detailed evocation of the early years of Charlotte’s reign. However, such was the story’s success that many fans are eager for more content focusing on these characters – with one movie providing the perfect template.

Using an ingenious split timeline, Queen Charlotte explored the monarch’s struggles in the present to secure a future for her dynasty, while also delving back into the past to reveal more of her history with her husband, George. In the process, the show revealed how the pressures of power can manifest, and some of the tragedies that shaped Charlotte’s haughty yet fragile Bridgerton character. And yet, despite the show’s many revelations, some questions remained unanswered. Fortunately, should producers wish to delve back into Charlotte’s story in more detail, one movie demonstrates the best approach.

The Madness Of King George Is The Perfect Queen Charlotte Sequel

The Movie Was Critically Acclaimed On Release

Released in 1994, The Madness of Queen George is in many ways the original version of Bridgerton‘s story. Although it features none of the show’s original characters or colorblind casting, it does provide a missing piece of the Bridgerton jigsaw, addressing what happened to the show’s mysterious monarch, King George III. As a result of this focus, the movie is not only a fascinating companion piece to the main Bridgerton series, but also an inadvertent sequel to the Queen Charlotte spinoff.

The Madness of King George is available to rent on Apple TV+.

Whereas much of Queen Charlotte‘s action revolves around the early years of George and Charlotte’s marriage, The Madness of King George centers on a period not covered by either Queen Charlotte or Bridgerton. Set during the Regency Crisis of 1788-89, the movie is a powerful exploration of the king’s crippling and mysterious condition – now believed by many scholars to have been porphyria. As in Queen Charlotte, George III and Charlotte are major characters in the movie. However, because of its setting (nearly 20 years after the show and before Bridgerton) it arguably traces the perfect story outline for the next Bridgerton spinoff to follow.

The Madness Of King George Explores Charlotte And George’s Relationship In Greater Detail

It Builds On Queen Charlotte’s Biggest Strengths

One of the most successful aspects of Queen Charlotte was the way the show used the heartache Charlotte experienced to reveal more about the character audiences were already familiar with from Bridgerton. As the story unfolded, it became clear that her pain at George’s suffering made it necessary for her to put up walls preventing anyone from getting too close – even her own children. This excavation of Charlotte and George’s relationship therefore enhanced the whole of the Bridgerton franchise.

The Madness of King George provides even more detail on this front. Although Queen Charlotte didn’t shy away from revealing how George III’s health problems had huge ramifications – both personally and politically – the movie is even more uncompromising. The story reveals how George’s condition not only Charlotte (in this instance played by an Oscar-nominated Helen Mirren) but also their children – particularly the Prince Regent.

Just as in Queen Charlotte, Charlotte and George’s relationship is pivotal to The Madness of King George. However, the focus on the Regency Crisis, and how Prince George came to become regent following his father’s incapacitation, reveals new depths to their dynamic. One particularly heartbreaking scene even reveals that the Prince Regent was behind some of George III’s most draconian treatments, forcibly separating his mother and father so that he might assume power. It’s a storyline that provides a completely new perspective on the characters in Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte – something another spinoff could repeat.

The Madness Of King George Provides Some Important Bridgerton Background

It’s A More Accurate Historical Portrayal Of A Fascinating Period

The Madness of King George‘s Regency Crisis plot is not just interesting for the way it furthers Charlotte and George’s story, but also because it provides some much-needed context for the rest of Bridgerton‘s drama. Understandably, given the focus of the show, most of the action centers around individual drama without delving too deeply into the political complexities of the era. However, because of this approach, there remains a sense of mystery around how the fictionalized version of Bridgerton‘s Britain actually operates, what Charlotte’s role is, and what goes on outside the insulated world of the Ton.

Instead of making Charlotte’s obsession seem frivolous, the revelation that her own son has essentially assumed control makes things much more fraught emotionally, adding further depth to her character.

With its distinctly political slant, The Madness of King George provides some insight into this missing aspect of the main Bridgerton story. The movie’s depiction of Prince George, for example, explains the hugely consequential political struggles overshadowing Bridgerton‘s preoccupation with the season’s “Diamond“. Instead of making Charlotte’s obsession seem frivolous, the revelation that her own son has essentially assumed control makes things much more fraught emotionally, adding further depth to her character. Exploring this storyline would enhance the whole Bridgerton story – just as the first Queen Charlotte sequel has done.

The Madness Of King George Is Very Different From Bridgerton And Queen Charlotte

Its Style Might Not Be Suited To Another Spinoff

There’s no doubt that the contents of the story told in The Madness of King George would greatly benefit the Bridgerton universe. However, although the narrative is in many ways a natural extension of Queen Charlotte‘s, there are some important differences that could prove problematic. The two productions, for example, have very different core concerns. Where Bridgerton revolves around individual romance, sexual chemistry, and society gossip, The Madness of King George has an intensely political focus – with the battle between politicians William Pitt the Younger and James Fox a major subplot.

Politics do come into play in the world of Bridgerton – particularly in Queen Charlotte‘s story. However, where The Madness of King George and every Bridgerton series differ is in their depiction of Regency Britain. The Madness of King George ignores Bridgerton‘s daring colorblind casting, adopting a more traditional approach to the characters. It is also much more true to life, taking less liberties with the facts. As a result, it wouldn’t make sense for Bridgerton‘s version of the story to follow the movie exactly.

The show has already proven how its approach can breathe new life into historic drama, and radical casting decisions have certainly made no impact on the potency of the series’ stories.

However, in some ways, the clear distinctions between the show’s production and the 1994 movie make The Madness of King George‘s story even more suitable for incorporation into the Bridgerton universe. The show has already proven how its approach can breathe new life into historic drama, and radical casting decisions have certainly made no impact on the potency of the series’ stories. As a result, there would be a clear distinction between a second Queen Charlotte series on the subject and the original film – creating an intriguing possibility for showrunner Shonda Rhimes and co.