Sanditon Borrows Bridgerton's Best Strategy with Theo James Departure
You were in danger of whiplash if you followed the drama around the cancellation and renewal of Sanditon, ITV's delightfully soapy adaptation of the unfinished Jane Austen novel.
Season 1 finale, our plucky heroine Charlotte Heywood (Rose Wiliams), had fallen in love with the brooding Sidney Parker (Theo James).
After some initial rudeness self-confidence and jackassery manliness, he reciprocated her love and they had a ludicrously attractive kiss on the sweeping hills of Sanditon.
But lo! The combination of Sidney's idiot brother and some highly flammable buildings forced Sidney to marry for money rather than love. He left Charlotte heartbroken on some clifftops and the audience heartbroken on their couches.
Unfortunately, ITV decided not to renew the show, citing high production costs and lower than expected ratings for the final episodes of the first season. Not only was Sanditon canceled, it ended on a very un-Austen-like bummer.
Fans of the show were disappointed by the decision, and a #SaveSanditon social media campaign combined with Bridgerton 's success convinced ITV to reconsider its decision.
Unfortunately, Theo James had already moved on from his role. So after all of that drama, the show was renewed… but without its leading man.
At first, the very fans who campaigned so hard for a second season weren't even sure if they would bother tuning in.
Bridgerton was in a similar situation when Regé-Jean Page left the show after playing its sexy Season 1 hero. At the time Page said that he was happy with the way his story ended, stating "there is value in completing these arcs and sticking the landing."
Theo James made a similar statement about Sanditon, saying "the broken fairytale-like ending between Charlotte and Sidney is different, unique and so interesting to me."
Bridgerton carried on by referencing Simon as alive and well offstage, allowing his presence to fade away and new characters to take the spotlight.
Luckily, creatives on Sanditon also understood the value of a new beginning, recognizing that a Sanditon without Sidney was an opportunity for character growth and new storylines.
Season 2 begins with Sidney's death in Antigua, an event that ripples out through the series and impacts his brothers, his ward Georgiana, and of course Charlotte.
During the season 1, Charlotte was young, bubbly, and hopelessly naive. Grieving Sidney leads her to become more reflective and mature.
She decides to "swear off love and marriage" and find a way to live an independent and useful life. This leads her to a governess position in the house of Alexander Colbourne.
This stern, withdrawn father figure loves dogs and horses, and Charlotte doesn't even need to unearth his tragic backstory before she's fighting the uncomfortable feeling of falling in love again – not giddy young love this time, but a more mature connection.
This second love story for Charlotte isn't a case of sweeping Sidney under the rug. Instead, the disappointment of her failed first love and the tragedy of loss enable her to grow into a more mature woman.
Likewise, Sidney's brothers Tom and Arthur begin to pull together as a family without him there to look after them.
After all that turmoil, the #SanditonSisterhood wasn't disappointed at all – the departure of Theo James actually strengthened the storylines and the character development of the show, and paved the way for Charlotte to find an even sweeter romance.