“Bridgerton” wants to be the next “Downton Abbey,” albeit hornier and with a more modern spin.

While this Regency period-set streaming series from executive producer Shonda Rhimes (“Grey’s Anatomy”) and showrunner Chris Van Dusen (“Scandal”) can be fun and beautiful to behold (sumptuous, brightly-colored costumes and landscapes dominate in early episodes), it’s no “Downton.” It’s more like soapier, sexier Jane Austen-lite that would benefit from a dash more wit.

Set 100 years before the first season of “Downton Abbey” and based on a series of romance novels by Julia Quinn, the series is narrated “Gossip Girl”-style by the anonymous Lady Whistledown (voice of Julie Andrews), who offers commentary on the 1813 upper crust London marriage market.

The focus is largely on the Bridgerton family and eldest daughter Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor, “Younger”), who attracts the interest of a suitor whose greatest initial flaw is that he’s old and ugly.

Enter Simon, the Duke of Hastings (Rege-Jean Page, “For the People”), who’s taken a vow never to marry, but agrees to feign an interest in Daphne to extricate her from her intended husband. Sexual tension ensues and the show earns its TV-MA rating (e.g. sex on a staircase).

Streaming Christmas Day, “Bridgerton” offers enough empty calorie confections early in its run to be a palatable delight despite bloated episode running times — a full hour feels excessive, like gorging on dessert – but as plot pieces fall into place the series hits dull doldrums midway through before rebounding.

As for the “Hamilton”-style casting that introduces Black lords and ladies – and even a Black Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) – the series barely addresses race aside from a few characters who discuss it fleetingly in episode four. The subject is given so little attention that this frothy romp probably should have just presented its welcomingly inclusive worldview without any comment.

‘Soul’

Streaming on Disney+ on Christmas Day, “Soul” is more abstract than past Pixar movies but just as entertaining. From the team behind the emotion-centered “Inside Out,” “Soul” explores what defines a person’s psyche through the experience of Joe (voice of Jamie Foxx), a jazz pianist who’s offered a full-time teaching job the same day he gets a band gig just before he falls into an open manhole and lands in “the Great Before,” his damaged body in a holding pattern.

Joe winds up on an adventure with 22, a soul (Tina Fey) who’s never wanted to inhabit a human body. Ultimately 22 teaches Joe the value of “just living,” whatever his career turns out to be.

‘Wonder Woman 1984’

There’s a lot to like about director Patty Jenkins’ take on superheroes – gravity-defying action sequences, nuanced character development (for a superhero movie), a sense of humor – but what really struck me about “Wonder Woman 1984,” streaming Christmas Day on HBO Max, is its humanistic approach to the characters and their motivations. There are reasons the “villains” make bad choices; they’re not evil for the sake of it, they’re just trying to salve their own pain.

At two-and-a-half hours, “WW84” is as indulgent as the decade-of-excess it’s set in, but the underlying themes of grief, loss and unsuccessfully trying to wish for other outcomes resonates above the bombast and bloat. (Be sure to stay tuned for a mid-credits scene at the end of the movie.)

‘The Masked Dancer’

This sounds like a “Saturday Night Live” spoof, but turns out it’s a new Fox competition series inspired by hit “The Masked Singer.”

On the nine-episode “Masked Dancer” (8 p.m. Sunday before moving to 8 p.m. Wednesday on Jan. 6), judges Paula Abdul, Brian Austin Green and Ashley Tisdale have to guess who the dancing celebrities are under the face masks and elaborate costumes.

“At least, with singing, you can be familiar with someones tone and phrasing,” “American Idol” vet Abdul said in a Zoom press conference earlier this month. “But with dancing there’s going to be a lot of heavy weight on the clues.”

Kept/canceled/rebooted

Peacock renewed “A.P. Bio” for a fourth season.

HBO ordered a third and final season of “His Dark Materials.”

HBO Max renewed “The Flight Attendant” and “The 12 Dates of Christmas” for second seasons.

Netflix ordered third seasons of “Virgin River” and “Locke Key.”

Amazon ordered a second season of “The Wilds.”

Disney+ scrapped its planned “Lizzie McGuire” reboot after earlier firing series creator Terri Minsky, a Mt. Lebanon native.

Former Pittsburgher Ming-Na Wen will star in “The Mandalorian” spin-off “The Book of Boba Fett” in December 2021.

A “Night Court” reboot is in development at NBC with John Larroquette attached to reprise his role as Dan Fielding.

ABC is considering a primetime version of “All My Children” titled “Pine Valley” and coming from former “AMC” cast members Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.

ABC is also developing an “L.A. Law” sequel to star original series cast member Blair Underwood, a 1988 Carnegie Mellon University grad.

HBO Max is reportedly considering a “Sex and the City” limited series reboot without Kim Cattrall’s Samantha.

Changing channels

“Kids Say the Darndest Things,” hosted by Tiffany Haddish, most recently aired on ABC but will relocate to its original home, CBS, for a new season in 2021.

The 2018 action series “Condor,” a reimagining of the 1975 film “Three Days of the Condor,” previously aired on ATT’s Audience Network but will move to Epix for its second season in late 2021.

Channel surfing

This year’s “Doctor Who” holiday special, “Revolution of the Daleks,” debuts at 8 p.m. Jan. 1 on BBC America and features the return of “Torchwood” lead character Capt. Jack Harkness (John Barrowman). … From the creators of “Black Mirror” comes the Netflix mock documentary “Death to 2020,” streaming Sunday. … A new season of “Murdoch Mysteries” on Acorn TV was delayed due to the pandemic, but the streamer will debut classical music concert special “A Music Lover’s Guide to ‘Murdoch Mysteries’” on Dec. 24. … Although filmed-in-Pittsburgh “Manhunt: Deadly Games” flopped on CBS, it appears to be a hit on Netflix, landing in the streamer’s Top 10 most popular programs, and often at No. 1 on many days since its Dec. 7 Netflix premiere. This isn’t totally surprising: Serialized shows tend to do better on streamers than on broadcast TV.

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