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Not Every Romance Is The Same: Key Differences & Similarities Between The Buccaneers and Bridgerton

Not Every Romance Is The Same: Key Differences & Similarities Between The Buccaneers and Bridgerton
Image credit: Netflix, Apple TV+

Not sure if you're going to love The Buccaneers? Here's how it's different from Bridgerton.

The Apple TV+ series The Buccaneers is often compared to Netflix's flagship romance Bridgerton. But how similar are they really? Bridgerton's fans may find that despite the obvious similarities, the shows are contrasting at their core.

If you are on the fence about watching The Buccaneers, here are four things the Apple TV+ show and Bridgerton have in common, and four things that set them apart.

Similarity 1. Period Dramas

Both shows take place in historical settings, which helps them explore universal themes of human connection, friendship, love, betrayal, redemption, and personal growth in idyllic, upper-class settings.

Difference 1. Different Eras

While both The Buccaneers and Bridgerton are set in the 19th century, they take place in different decades, which greatly influences the costumes, hairstyles, and overall visuals.

Bridgerton is a Regency drama with high-waisted, flowing gowns, tailored shirts and pantaloons. The Buccaneers is set in the Gilded Age in the US or the Victorian era in the UK, with oversized sleeves and flared skirts.

Similarity 2. Fantasy Worlds

Both The Buccaneers and Bridgerton are inspired by and modeled after their respective time periods. But they have fantasy elements that help modernize the story and make it a kind of alternate reality.

The Buccaneers is a feminist take on the historical phenomenon of young Americans from new money families traveling to England to marry into noble households. Bridgerton is set in a fantasy London Ton where 'love conquered racism.'

Difference 2. Culture Clash

Whereas in Bridgerton different cultures are interwoven thanks to the Great Experiment, in The Buccaneers the clash of cultures is what drives the story.

The Americans can't understand British traditionalism and snobbery, the British despise American nouveau riche, but put up with it for their wealth.

Similarity 3. Protagonists

Both shows revolve around high-class young people in need of a spouse. In Bridgerton, it is a Viscount family with eight siblings from A to H. In The Buccaneers, it is five girls from three different families.

Difference 3. Format & Ensemble Cast

In Bridgerton, each season is dedicated to the love story of one sibling. There are eight of them, with four sons and four daughters, which makes it possible to show both female and male approach to romance.

In The Buccaneers, all the arcs unfold simultaneously and intertwined. The focus is on five girls and their relationships, which makes the show female-driven.

Similarity 4. Themes

Because the genre and the protagonist are so similar, the themes of the two shows often coincide. Friendships, family issues, and romantic arcs are interspersed with themes of self-discovery and fitting into society and one's peer group.

Difference 4. Focus

The most important difference between the shows is their focus. While Bridgerton's main drama, suspense, and action revolves around romantic arcs, The Buccaneers is at its core a show about family and friendship.

The main characters are a close-knit group with their own dynamics, and the relationships between them and their personal growth come before the love stories.

The Buccaneers Episode 4 is coming to Apple TV+ on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.

If you've watched both The Buccaneers and Bridgerton, do you think the shows are similar or different?