Shondaland is at it again! Bridgerton season 4 has come and gone, but fret not; season 5 is already in production! The season 4 leads, Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) and Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), fought against intense pressure to adhere to social constructs in favor of pursuing a love match. Let’s admit it: Sophie and Benedict gave us some major Cinderella story nostalgia.
With the fifth marriage of a Bridgerton sibling complete, fans eagerly jumped to conclusions about which sibling would lead season 5. While some anticipated Eloise’s debut to be the lead of the season, the production team spilled the tea that Francesca and Michaela’s love story will take center stage instead.
Even though we are excited to see Eloise—the most skeptical of the bunch-- find her person, it makes sense that the writers would want to take more time to develop her transition from “spinsterhood” to the kind of romance that her older siblings have found.
With all eyes on Francesca and Michaela, fans around the globe will have a front-row seat as Bridgerton delivers one of the first period romance TV series to feature a queer love story in the main storyline. Writers purposefully made this gender swap from the original book, When He Was Wicked, to continue the tradition of inclusivity on screen. This is a move sure to resonate with fans who will get to see their own love stories come to life in such an iconic show. Previous seasons have featured interracial marriages and individuals from the LGBTQ+ community (including Benedict), but season 5 will be the first to make that switch for the central characters.
Every love story has its challenges, and Francesca and Michaela, coined ‘Franchaela’ by Netflix UK, are no exception. While some sparks flew when Francesca first met Michaela in season 3, she was fully committed to her husband John in season 4. Ultimately, she felt that Michaela impeded on their privacy by sharing a home with them. When she finally voiced her frustrations, she opened up the door for an honest conversation and connection with Michaela over the fact that John played a significant role in both of their lives.
Francesca even insisted on finding a suitor for Michaela, which John vehemently opposed. This foreshadows the fact that John knew about Michaela’s romantic preferences, which would have been possibly even more taboo for her to pursue than Benedict marrying a maid. In season 5, fans should expect to see the connection between Michaela and Francesca continue to grow as they bond over their shared love for John and grapple with unexpected romantic feelings for each other.
As we begin the long wait for the Bridgerton season 5 premiere, fans can read the final four books in the series to get some teasers about which subplots may pop up. Hyacinth, Eloise, and Gregory all got more air time in season 4, so we can expect show writers to drop some hints about which direction Shondaland might take if renewed past season 6. There is even some buzz on social media that Shonda Rimes is interested in a Violet Bridgerton spinoff series!