‘Bridgerton’ Casts Rupert Evans As The Late Family Patriarch For Season 2

As Netflix and Shondaland continue to develop a Bridgerton-based empire, production on Season 2 of the series is happily humming along in London. But the latest casting news has implications not just for the current series but perhaps the spinoff as well. Rupert Evans (The Man in the High Castle) has been cast in the new season as Lady Violet's late husband, Viscount Edmund Bridgerton, father of the series' titular siblings. Americans probably know him best from the current Charmed reboot, but PBS-heads will remember him as Frederick from 2004's North & South.

With Daphne married (and her story so over, her husband is departing from the series), Season 2 has promised to focus on the next sibling in line to get married, eldest son and current titleholder Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey). As Season 1 hinted, Anthony still has a lot of baggage surrounding the passing of his father when he was 18, and part of his issues with settling down stem from that unresolved trauma. The first season also ended with a big "easter egg" for fans of the books, zeroing in on a honey bee hanging out on the window sill, which directly references Anthony's coming romance, which gets a big assist from the tiny insect.

According to Deadline, Netflix is describing the late Viscount thusly: "Evans' Edmund is a loving and devoted husband, whose true love match with Violet Bridgerton gave them eight perfect children. He's also an endlessly patient and kind father who takes special pride in guiding his eldest son Anthony through life."