Bridgerton Season 5 Will Center Around Francesca and Michaela, Its First Same-Sex Romance

Bridgerton is heading into new territory as its upcoming fifth season shifts focus to Francesca Bridgerton and Michaela Stirling, making it the franchise’s first same-sex central romance.

Hannah Dodd returns as Francesca and Masali Baduza portrays Michaela. The characters were introduced in Season 3, where Francesca’s quiet courtship with John Stirling, Earl of Kilmartin, led to marriage, while Michaela was revealed as a key figure within John’s family circle. The casting of Baduza reimagines Julia Quinn’s original storyline, which centered on Francesca and Michael Stirling.

Season 3 left Francesca newly married but emotionally unsettled, with subtle moments hinting at a deeper connection between her and Michaela. Season 4 took it further by having Francesca grappling with infertility while she resists her growing feelings for Michaela. Their simmering tension is undercut by the Earl’s sudden death – leaving Francesca with deep grief and unresolved frustration over being childless.

According to the official synopsis released by Netflix, Season 5 will follow Francesca as she navigates grief, identity and an unexpected second chance at love, two years after John’s death. Deciding at last to remarry for practical purposes, her resolve gets tested when Michaela returns to the ton – forcing Francesca to choose between pragmatism and her heart’s true desire. 

Showrunner Jess Brownell has addressed the adaptation shift in interviews, explaining that the creative team wanted to remain faithful to the emotional core of Francesca’s arc while expanding the series’ perspective on love stories within the period setting. Recognizing the series’ boundary pushing approach to the genre, Brownell feels that it was time for one of the Bridgertons’ romances to center around a queer love story. 

Bridgerton has remained one of Netflix’s most-watched series since its debut, with each season spotlighting a different sibling’s romantic journey. Production on Bridgerton Season 5 is currently underway.