Montgomery County native Chris Van Dusen, the creator of Netflix’s global phenomenon Bridgerton, is officially bringing his next major project to the streaming giant.
The Watkins Mill High School Class of 1997 alumnus, who also attended Daly Elementary School in Germantown, will serve as creator, showrunner, and executive producer of Calabasas, a newly announced YA drama series for Netflix. The series will also be executive produced by Kim Kardashian, Alexandra Milchan, and Emma Roberts.
According to Netflix’s Tudum blog, written by Olivia Harrison, “Bridgerton creator Chris Van Dusen will soon transport fans from the elite world of Regency London’s high society to one of Southern California’s most exclusive enclaves in his new series, Calabasas.”
The series is based on the novel If You Lived Here You’d Be Famous By Now by Via Bleidner and is described as being in the vein of classic teen dramas like The O.C. The story centers on Via, a sheltered 16-year-old Midwestern Catholic school student who is suddenly forced to navigate the image-conscious and socially competitive world of Calabasas.
Van Dusen will executive produce the project alongside Kardashian, Milchan, and Roberts. Additional executive producers include Martin Salgo of Crescent Line Productions, Karah Preiss and Matt Matruski of Belletrist, and David Sweeney.
The announcement continues Van Dusen’s rise as one of television’s most successful creators following the massive success of Bridgerton. After debuting on Netflix, the series became a worldwide cultural phenomenon and one of the platform’s most-watched shows of all time. According to Netflix, the first season was viewed by 82 million households within its first 28 days and reached the number one spot in 83 countries.
Van Dusen’s connection to Calabasas first became public in 2025 when Deadline reported that he would take over as showrunner and writer for the adaptation, replacing the original showrunner attached to the project.
The new series marks a major creative pivot for the Montgomery County native, trading the lavish Regency-era world of Bridgerton for the modern-day drama and celebrity culture of Southern California.
