Ready for a trip to Scotland?
Netflix announced on Tuesday, March 24, that the fifth season of “Bridgerton” is officially in production, ending the guessing game of which Bridgerton sibling the next season will be about. Please welcome Francesca Bridgerton to the stage!
Here’s everything we know so far about “Bridgerton” season five.
Season 5 will focus on Francesca Stirling (née Bridgerton) and Michaela Stirling
Toward the end of season four, Francesca (Hannah Dodd) was devastated by the unexpected death of her husband, John Stirling, the Earl of Kilmartin (Victor Alli).
Before his death, Francesca finally made peace with John’s cousin and close friend, Michaela (Masali Baduza); the two are quite different, but they eventually came to develop a friendship of their own.
Michaela was a rock for Francesca while she was mourning, until she abruptly left for reasons unknown.
To romance experts, the reason was clear: Michaela had begun developing feelings for Francesca. Feeling like she had betrayed her cousin, she fled to put some distance between them. That, more or less, follows the events of Francesca’s book, “When He Was Wicked.”
Except, of course, the show has made one big change: There’s no “he” anymore. In the book, Francesca falls in love with John’s cousin named Michael. Now, that character is a woman — Michaela.
For the first time in the show’s history, the main love story of the season will be about a queer relationship (though Francesca’s not the show’s first queer character — hi, Benedict!).
“It feels groundbreaking. Obviously, there are a lot of great shows that have depicted queer love. We’re not the first by any means,” showrunner Jess Brownell told Tudum. “But to make an entire ‘Bridgerton’ season about a sapphic relationship feels huge.”
Here’s a look at the season five announcement, showcasing Francesca and Michaela, captioned “Do not fret, dearest readers, for a certain countess shall find love again.”
What else do we know about Francesca and Michaela?
Part of Francesca’s storyline in season four was her desire to start a family, and one of the show’s most devastating scenes had to do with an invasive pregnancy test that confirmed her worst fear: She wasn’t pregnant with John’s baby — and now, she never will be.
“It’s something we took a lot of care with in season four, Francesca’s fears about infertility. Questions about how to conceive are a major part of queer women’s stories,” Brownell said. “It’s absolutely going to be a part of Francesca and Michaela’s story.”
We also know there will be a two-year time jump between seasons four and five, giving Francesca time to grieve and then decide to re-enter the marriage mart. That will also give Michaela plenty of time to travel, conclude that she’s got a handle on her feelings, and return home to find that maybe she’s not as over as Francesca as she thought.
“I’m excited for people to see Michaela yearn for Francesca,” Baduza told Tudum. Dodd added, “Francesca yearns too, to be fair!”
The rest of the Bridgertons will be around, too
It’s not a season of “Bridgerton” without (most) of the extended Bridgerton family.
When we left season four, Violet (Ruth Gemmell) had decided she wasn’t ready to get remarried and instead wanted to reclaim her independence; Eloise (Claudia Jessie) was slowly beginning to open up to the possibility that love isn’t all that bad; Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate (Simone Ashley) had returned to London with their son; and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton) were also living happily ever after with their son.
And, of course, Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Sophie (Yerin Ha) tied the knot at the end of season four, surrounded by their family and friends, after convincing society that Sophie wasn’t a maid and the illegitimate daughter of an earl, but instead a distant relative. But that doesn’t mean that everything’s suddenly perfect.
“I think she’s going to really struggle,” Ha told Business Insider’s Samantha Grindell Pettyjohn. “Like, I think she would still serve food for people, or take flowers from people.”
Don’t forget, there’s a new Lady Whistledown in town
A cliffhanger introduced at the end of season four is that someone new has taken over the mantle of the ton’s favorite gossipmonger, Lady Whistledown, after Penelope resigned.
“We’ve allowed ourselves to create a genuine mystery with red herrings and clues and whatnot about who Whistledown might be, which we’re really excited about,” Brownell told Business Insider.
But not to worry: the minds behind the show know who the new Whistledown is, and there are “incredibly subtle clues” regarding their identity.
Season 6 has already been confirmed
For fans who were absolutely convinced that Eloise was going to be the focus of season five, fear not. Season six of “Bridgerton” was announced alongside season five in May 2025.
This means we may see the seeds of the plot from “To Sir Phillip, With Love,” Eloise’s book, during the events of season five.
Will we get hints at Hyacinth and Gregory’s storylines? That’s also a possibility, as the two youngest Bridgertons started their journeys into adulthood last season, with Gregory having his first crush and Hyacinth learning about the more vulnerable aspects of falling in love.
When will ‘Bridgerton’ season 5 be released?
It hasn’t been announced yet, but if Netflix follows the pattern of previous “Bridgerton” seasons, we can probably expect the next season in 2028.
Check back here for updates on the next season of “Bridgerton,” including release dates, casting announcements, and more.
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