Bridgerton Season 5: Francesca And Michaela Confirmed As Leads

Dearest gentle reader, after much speculation around the ton we can now confirm the lead characters of Bridgerton season 5. The next instalment of the Netflix series will place the spotlight on Francesca Bridgerton, played by C&TH cover star Hannah Dodd, and her burgeoning romance with her late husband John’s cousin Michaela (Masali Baduza).

Dodd told Tudum the series will shine a light on the love stories that ‘have traditionally been excluded from things like period dramas… queer people did exist, have always existed, and will always exist.’ Baduza adds, ‘What we really want to achieve is giving a realistic view of queer love onscreen and [giving them] a happily ever after. I think [this] is really important for a lot of the queer community to see onscreen, to know that it can work out, and that they deserve to also feel love.’

Bridgerton Season 5: Plot, Cast, Release Date & More

Who Is The Season 5 Subject?

At the end of Bridgerton season 4’s Paris premiere, showrunner Jess Brownell – donning a chic chocolate brown suit with matching gloves – delivered a closing speech confirming seasons 5 and 6 were in the works. A dainty white pocket square contrasted the brown, embroidered with the initials ‘E’ and ‘F’…

‘Both characters with the initials on my pocket squares will get seasons in five and six,’ Brownell told Deadline on the red carpet. ‘In what order? I can’t say.’

However, Netflix has now announced F, aka Francesca, will come first. And if you’re behind on the latest series and wondering why – since the third eldest daughter wed Lord John Stirling (Victor Alli) at the end of season 3 – we must reveal a little spoiler. John tragically and suddenly died of an aneurysm (noted as a ‘headache’) in season 4, leaving Francesca bereft, grieving her beloved husband, the pregnancy she never had and her future that has now vanished. She is thankful for the ‘great love’ she and John shared, but is doubtful another love will come.

Sparks? Fans may have to wait to see if ‘Francaela’ is consummated

But if we plunder Julia Quinn’s bestselling novels on which the entire series is (occasionally loosely) based, we know this isn’t the end of the road for the sixth Bridgerton child. Francesca’s story is the plot of Quinn’s sixth Bridgerton novel, When He Was Wicked, and the events we saw in season 3 are detailed as a flashback. This is because Lord Stirling turns out not to be the man Francesca spends the rest of her life with: he tragically dies just two years into their marriage (in the TV series, this is shortened to less than a year).

Pregnant with their first child and wracked with grief, the book version of Francesca sadly miscarries and mourns both her beloved husband and their lost child for four years. But she eventually finds new love with Lord Stirling’s cousin Michael, forming the main plot of When He Was Wicked. ‘Wicked’ in the title draws on Michael’s rakish reputation as shameless seducer in the Ton, which we expect to see in season 4 as Michael was actually introduced as a character at the end of season 3. But here’s the kicker: in Shonda Rhimes’ TV series, Michael has been gender swapped to Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza).

‘Francesca gets together with John Stirling, and I really love that relationship,’ Brownell said at the end of season 3. ‘I think a lot of people will ship Francesca and John – as do I. But part of her exploration going forward will be about whether or not there is in fact something missing. Book readers will know what it means when she meets Michaela.’

Who Will Be The Subject Of Season 6?

That leaves ‘E’ for season six, which can only refer to Eloise, the second eldest daughter who has struggled to navigate the marriage mart thus far, and generally does not have an appetite for a wedding – unlike her eldest sister, Daphne, who was named the diamond of the social season by Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) in season 1. But with her best friend Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) now married to her brother Colin, and in the wake of another sister’s tragedy, it seems Eloise’s attention is finally returning to her own prospects.

Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton & Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton season 4. (Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2025)

What Else?

Elsewhere we know Penelope has an intriguing investigation on her hands: after hanging up her quill and ending her career as Lady Whistledown, she begins a new pursuit writing fiction. But then a new instalment of Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers lands on her doorstep, meaning someone unknown as taken up the gossip writer’s mantle for themselves.

This is a change from Quinn’s novels, where Penelope is the only Lady Whistledown, and she is not unmasked until book four, Romancing Mister Bridgerton. On the companion podcast, Brownell divulged: ‘We knew we couldn’t really play with [the Lady Whistledown reveal] for too long because people could just Google it.’ In the TV series, Lady Whistledown is unmasked (to the audience) at the end of season 1. But now no one, not even fans of the books, knows Whistledown’s identity. ‘We really get to play with the audience’s expectations,’ Brownell teases.

Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton, Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Bridgerton, Geraldine Alexander as Mrs. Wilson, Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton & Will Tilston as Gregory Bridgerton in Bridgerton. (Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2025)

The Cast

Alongside Dodd and Baduza as the leads, we expect the core cast to return – excluding Lord John Stirling (Victor Alli), of course. Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page also won’t return, and perhaps in-demand Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley will see their Bridgerton plots wane as their real-life schedules pack up.

Nicola Coughlan will return as Penelope aka the retired Lady Whistledown, which means Luke Newton will return as her husband Colin.

Elsewhere in the Bridgerton family household, Benedict (Luke Thompson) may still float around (unless he moves into My Cottage with Sophie [Yerin Ha]), while Eloise (Claudia Jessie), Francesca (Hannah Dodd), Gregory (Will Tilston), Hyacinth (Florence Hunt) and their mother Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) will almost certainly return.

Emma Naomi as Alice Mondrich & Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury in Bridgerton. (Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2025)

And elsewhere in the Ton, if the season 4 finale seemed like a goodbye to Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh), you’re wrong: Brownell has confirmed the matron will be a ‘big part of Season 5, when she does eventually come back,’ adding her tiff with Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) was ‘more about shaking up the dynamic’ and ‘[examnining] relationships in which there’s a power imbalance’.

Other familiar faces we expect to see in Bridgerton season 5 include:

• Daniel Francis as Lord Marcus Anderson
• Polly Walker as Portia Featherington
• Bessie Carter as Prudence Featherington
• Harriet Cains as Philippa Featherington
• Martins Imhangbe as Will Mondrich
• Emma Naomi as Alice Mondrich
• Hugh Sachs as Brimsley

Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in Bridgerton season 4. (Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2025)

Release Date

No official news from Netflix just yet, but rumour has it filming on Bridgerton season 5 is scheduled to commence in March 2026. If a typical production timeline is followed, we would see the show return in mid to late 2027. Naturally, we hope it will come sooner, but here’s why it takes so long to produce.

Can’t wait? Here are five TV shows like Bridgerton to stream in the meantime.

All episodes of Bridgerton season 4 are streaming now on Netflix.

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