Bridgerton as a "New Form" of Austen

Netflix’s newest hit show Bridgerton has some features of a trademark Regency England drama, such as girls looking to secure their futures through marriage proposals, ballroom gossip, and a mix of gentility, morality, civility, and scandal. Yet some critics point out Bridgerton isn’t Jane Austen’s England, or even Regency England as we know it. Bridgerton, it is said, is part of a "new genre." If so, what genre is it? How does Bridgerton’s narrative on the show and in the books the show is based on compare to other period dramas or stories? What might another show in this "new genre" look like? Discuss.