Dearest gentle reader, the next Bridgerton sibling is about to find their happily ever after.
Netflix has announced that Bridgerton Season 5 will follow Hannah Dodd’s Francesca Stirling and Masali Baduza’s Michaela Stirling.
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Production has started on the new season, which will be based on the sixth book in Julia Quinn’s novel series, When He Was Wicked. According to Deadline, Season 5 will take place two years after the events of Season 4, and after Francesca lost her beloved husband, John Stirling. She decides to reenter the marriage mart “for practical reasons. But when John’s cousin Michaela returns to London to tend to the Kilmartin estate, Fran’s complicated feelings will have her questioning whether to stick to her pragmatic intentions or pursue her inner passions.”
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After Dodd took over the role of Francesca Bridgerton from Ruby Stokes in Season 3, Francesca married Victor Alli’s John Stirling. The fourth season saw the couple struggling with fertility, with Francesca even worried she’s not doing enough. Those who have read her book were aware of that early on, but it was still an emotional surprise when the series highlighted it towards the end of Season 4. In the book, Francesca falls for John’s cousin Michael, who was introduced as Michaela in the third season finale.
With Francesca being next, that means that Claudia Jessie’s Eloise Bridgerton will finally get her time to shine in Season 6. Bridgerton is once again straying from the book order, as Eloise’s book, To Sir Phillip, With Love, came before Fran’s book. It was possible that that would happen, as the show already swapped Benedict and Colin’s seasons. But Francesca’s season will give the show time to really set up Eloise’s season, as she will likely send out her first correspondence to Phillip Crane at some point during Season 5.
Unfortunately, even though production has started on Season 5, don’t expect it any time soon. Showrunner Jess Brownell previously confirmed that the show is on a two-year track for each season, meaning the Bridgertons won’t be back until at least 2028. It’s always possible it will come sooner than that, but for the time being, the two-year wait seems the most plausible. At least fans won’t have to wonder who is next anymore. In the meantime, all four seasons of Bridgerton are streaming on Netflix.