Bridgerton — Netflix’s hit period production about upper-class courtship in England’s Regency era — is a world populated with sparkling balls, intricate courtship rituals, extravagant attire, and insidious gossip. And, apart from the Julia Quinn novels, there’s a surprising inspiration for it: West Hollywood.
“Definitely,” confirms creator and showrunner Chris Van Dusen with a laugh when asked about a connection to queer cruising. “When the lords and the ladies are meeting each other and they’re literally swiping left and right on these people, it’s a very much like modern dating on an app.”
“In the writers’ room, we always try to find modern touchstones and relate those things,” says Van Dusen, including in how gossip is spread. “We think of social media kind of like a modern-day corset in terms of it feeling a
