How Bridgerton amps up the role of family in season 2

Bridgerton has always prided itself on being a love story — but not necessarily in the way you think.

The hit Netflix series, based on the novels by Julia Quinn, celebrates not just romantic love but also the love of friends and family. And introducing the Sharma family in season 2 — outsiders to the ton from Bombay — will further illustrate how crucial a tight-knit family unit is to survive in this world.

"It's a very female-heavy family that are introduced to the ton," Simone Ashley, who plays Kate Sharma, tells EW. "What's so amazing about them is they are incredible women. Though they are learning the way of a new culture in London, they're pretty okay and can take of themselves."

But a large part of their strength comes from leaning on each other. "You need your family around you," Ashley adds. "That's what makes Bridgerton so wonderful and heartwarming. You meet the Featheringtons and the Bridgertons and the Sharmas, and everyone can find common cause with these families and want to be a part of them too. They are teams, they are a unit. They always fly home when things go wrong, they always have that support, and that's really important."

For many in the cast, Bridgerton's emphasis on family is far more important than its steamy love scenes or swoony romance. "The show is about all the different types of love that you have," says Charithra Chandran, who plays Kate's younger sister Edwina. "For Edwina and Kate, although it is a love story, they are each other's soulmates. We often focus on romance being the center of our lives, but in most cases it's not. That relationship shows that — no matter what happens, these two will always choose each other."

Kate isn't even in London to find herself a suitor, but rather to help Edwina make the best match. As series creator Chris Van Dusen says, "I always saw the sisterhood relationship between Kate and Edwina just as important and crucial as the main love story."

Kate holds protecting Edwina above everything else in her life. "Her priority is her sister and her family," Ashley says. "Even though the main focus is the enemies-to-lovers love story between her and Anthony, there's also the love story of her and her sister."

Adding to that is the fact that Kate is content to remain a spinster because she has closed herself off after young brushes with grief. It's a point of connection between her and Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), once they get past their bickering.

"Anthony's had so much of his evolution stolen from him through grief," Bailey muses. "There's only one person who loves their family as much as he does, in such a complicated way, and that's Kate."

Anthony's love for his family is complex and thorny, given that it's tied up in the patriarchal role he's felt obligated to assume. "He and his mother have such a codependent, weird relationship," Bailey says. "There's no boundaries. He's had to be a surrogate husband to her and surrogate father to his brothers and sisters. As an actor, I felt really isolated in doing some of the favorite scenes with the big Bridgerton family. You get the sense that there is no space for Anthony. They've all decided he's really hard work. He gets the sense that everyone else is freer."

But it's Anthony's family who will ultimately help him realize the need to take a beat, do some self-reflection, and hopefully, follow his heart. "They hold a mirror up," Bailey says. "The people closest to you are the ones that can tell you what you need, and that's a surprise to him. He's never really listened. That's what the familial love in the show is all about."

Now, that's some true brotherly (and sisterly) love.

All eight episodes of Bridgerton season 2 will begin streaming March 25 on Netflix.

For more on Bridgerton, pick up the March issue of Entertainment Weekly, on newsstands Feb. 18. Don't forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.

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