The wait is over for Bridgerton fans. The latest installment of the franchise, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, hits Netflix Thursday and Shonda Rhimes is shedding some light on what fans can expect.

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Rhimes shared that Queen Charlotte, which delves deeper into the background of how Charlotte became queen, is "very different show in terms of tone."

"It's fun and it's funny and it's sexy and witty, but it also has serious issues that they're dealing with and you're watching women come in to their power, which is really the essence of the show," she adds.

The accomplished creator and showrunner also dished that the show will not shy away from the topic of race and, in regards to King George's story in the series, mental health.

"It was incredibly important to infuse the narrative with these themes mainly because the character that we're talking about, Queen Charlotte, [we] already created a very simple backstory for her on Bridgerton," Rhimes explained. "Their love united the countries is the explanation for the society and I really wanted to explore that part because what does that actually mean?"

"We never really get to see the true united society, but we do get to see the effects of them starting out and trying things," she continued. "I think it's an important issue to discuss. It's clearly something people are still talking about today. It's an issue we are all living with, so I thought it was great to touch on it."

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.