Rhimes reacts to uproar over actor’s ‘Bridgerton’ exit Netflix renews hit series for seasons three and four By Christie D’Zurilla, Los Angeles Times Published: April 19, 2021, 6:05am Share: “Like, we didn’t kill him. He’s still alive!” That’s what Shonda Rhimes told Vanity Fair recently, reacting to the uproar over news that fan favorite Rege-Jean Page would not return as Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, in the second season of Netflix’s hit series “Bridgerton.” Rhimes, an executive producer on the series set in Regency-era England, said she was “really shocked, because usually that happens when I’ve killed off somebody that’s been around for a while” — like the McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey) and McSteamy (Eric Dane) characters on “Grey’s Anatomy.”