Netflix has finally confirmed that season 5 of Bridgerton will focus on Francesca and Michaela after that controversial gender swap.
The network announced on Tuesday, March 24, that Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and Michaela (Masali Baduza) are next in line after fans wondered whether Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and Phillip Crane (Chris Fulton) were next.
Showrunner Jess Brownell previously teased that seasons 5 and 6 would be centered around Eloise and Francesca when she wore two white pocket squares with the initials E and F at the season 4 premiere in January.
“Both characters with the initials on my pocket squares will get seasons in 5 and in 6,” Brownell told Deadline at the time. “In what order? I can’t say.”
Which ‘Bridgerton’ Couples Ended Up Together in the Books?
Based on Julia Quinn‘s book series, the show follows a different sibling from the Bridgerton family in each season on their journey to find love in the Regency era. Season 1 focused on Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), moving on to Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) for the next chapter. Season 3 tripped up the audience by veering from the original book order and pivoting to Colin (Luke Newton) before Benedict (Luke Thompson).
“We are working to try and put the seasons out more quickly, but they do take eight months to film and then they have to be edited and then they have to be dubbed into every language,” Brownell told The Hollywood Reporter in June 2024 about finding time for every member of the Bridgerton family. “The writing takes a very long time as well, so we’re kind of on a two-year pace. We’re trying to speed up, but somewhere in that range.”
The show previously received backlash when Benedict’s (Luke Thompson) season was delayed to make room for Colin’s (Luke Newton) love story.
‘Bridgerton’ Cast and Crew Explain Why the Show Isn’t Following Book Order
“My hope is that all the siblings will eventually take the lead because we love them [all],” Quinn exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2025. “That was kind of the whole point of the books is that you’ve got these eight separate stories, but they’re all connected.”
After some fans expressed frustration with the seasons going out of order, Quinn defended the decision.
“With books or film or television, they have different needs … to make them work well, and they have different strengths,” she explained at the time. “Certain things that work great in the book don’t necessarily work well on television. And so, one of the things about the television show, which they changed up a bit [that] was necessary, was to turn it a little bit more into an ensemble.”
Bridgerton is streaming now on Netflix.
