Bridgerton season four made its long-awaited return to Netflix on Thursday and, unsurprisingly, has already shot up to the number-one most-watched TV show on the streamer.

The fourth instalment lands in two parts, with the second due to arrive on 26 February. While some viewers have lamented the long wait to see what fate awaits Benedict and Sophie, many have taken the opportunity to binge-watch and reflect on the previous three seasons.

Taking to Instagram, Rotten Tomatoes shared a roundup of the highest- to lowest-ranked Bridgerton seasons, according to critics – and fans quickly flooded the comments to debate the “mind-blowing” results.

woman standing behind tree by lake© LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX
Sophie and Benedict in season four

Bridgerton’s Rotten Tomatoes ranking

The Rotten Tomatoes Instagram post showed a compilation of Bridgerton seasons ranked from highest to lowest score. Season one and season three led the way with a tie at 87 per cent, followed by the newly released season four with 82 per cent and season two in fourth place with 78 per cent.

WATCH: Bridgerton Season 4 Teaser

Season one followed the story of the eldest Bridgerton daughter Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page), while season two centred on Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley).

Daphne and Simon in Bridgerton© LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX
Daphne and Simon in season one

Season three told the story of Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), while season four focuses on Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha).

Bridgerton. (L to R) Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton, Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in episode 301 of Bridgerton. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix Colin and Penelope in season three

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Bridgerton fans react to Rotten Tomatoes ranking

Many fans were shocked by the ranking, especially those who favoured the slow-burn love story of Kate and Anthony in season two.

“Whaaaaat??? Season two was my absolute favourite!” said one person, while another commented: “Season two being the lowest-rated is mind-blowing to me. That season was the best (excluding Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story).”

Others commented: “Justice for season two”, “Season two the lowest?? Seriously??” and “Recount those numbers, your honor.”

Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma and Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton Kate and Anthony in season two

However, other fans agreed with the classification, especially those who were a fan of Penelope and Colin’s friends-to-lovers story in season three.

“Loved season three. Watched it 30 times. Got me to read the books. It also has the highest viewer score on Rotten Tomatoes over the other seasons,” penned one fan, while another wrote: “Season three is the best and always will be.”

What have critics said about the newest Bridgerton series?

While viewers remain divided over which season reigns supreme, the newly released season four has been received positively by critics. At the time of writing, its critics’ score sits at 80 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, after new verdicts have rolled in.

woman and man standing in ballroom© LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX
Part two of season four lands on 26 February

In its four-star review, The Times penned: “Bridgerton is daft and OTT, but it’s a splash of colour and a rollicking good romantic lifter for miserable January and February,” while The Guardian added: “This period drama’s puddingy mix of clunking soap and fairytale wish-fulfilment is hard to resist. It is, however, utterly bananas.”

Vulture added: “For now, everything’s pulling together toward the same end goal, and the result is giddy and thrilling, the best Bridgerton has been since its first season.”

Bridgerton season four part one is available to watch on Netflix now – click here to read HELLO!’s review.