'Bridgerton': Netflix renews series for Seasons 3 and 4

April 13 (UPI) -- Period drama Bridgerton will return for a third and fourth season on Netflix.

The streaming service confirmed Tuesday that it renewed the series for Seasons 3 and 4.

Bridgerton is based on the Julia Quinn book series of the same name. Season 1 centered on the romance between Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon, the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), while Season 2 will follow Anthony Bridgerton's (Jonathan Bailey) search for a wife.

Netflix confirmed this month that Page won't reprise Simon in Season 2. Netflix has added four actors, Charithra Chandran, Shelley Conn, Calam Lynch and Rupert Young, to the Season 2 cast.

Bridgerton premiered in December and has since become Netflix's biggest series yet, reaching a record 82 million households in its first 28 days.

Executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers discussed the show's success and its renewal for Seasons 3 and 4 in an interview with Vanity Fair published Tuesday.

"Well, this is a complicated show to make. Although it's period, it's an invented world in a lot of ways, with very subtle, relatable, modern aspects," Beers said. "To build that world up season after season takes a lot of preparation. Developmentally, it's amazing because you can start to plant flags as you go."

"When you have multiple season orders, it allows you to plan in a creative way, storytelling wise," Rhimes added. "You can plan a long arc character, for instance."

Bridgerton will begin production on Season 2 in the United Kingdom this week.