'Bridgerton' Courtesy of Netflix Logo text Dearest gentle readers, Hannah Dodd and Masali Baduza are set to lead the next season of Bridgerton, now in production.
Netflix confirmed on Tuesday that Dodd’s Francesca Bridgerton will be the next sibling to find true love in the adaptation of Julia Quinn’s bestsellers.
In season four of the hit series, which premiered in two parts earlier this year, Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha took the helm as Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie Baek. They fell in love despite Sophie’s position in society, while she was working as a maid.
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It was also in that season that we saw the death of Francesca’s new husband, John (Victor Alli), setting the show up to focus on the blossoming romance between Francesca and John’s cousin, Michaela (gender-swapped from Michael in Quinn’s books). A plot synopsis reads: “In Season 5, Francesca decides to reenter the marriage mart for practical reasons, two years after the death of her beloved husband, Lord John Stirling (Victor Alli). 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.”
FRANCHAELA RISING Bridgerton Season 5 is now in production. pic.twitter.com/BYojh7rNlw
— netflix⁷ (@netflix) March 24, 2026
Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell said: “More than ever, season 5 is going to be about yearning… It feels groundbreaking. Obviously, there are a lot of great shows that have depicted queer love. We’re not the first by any means. But to make an entire Bridgerton season about a sapphic relationship feels huge.”
Netflix posted to X on Tuesday: “A certain countess shall find love again… Bridgerton season five is now in production. Starring Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton and Masali Baduza as Michaela Stirling.” Another post added: “FRANCHAELA RISING” with new photos of the actresses.
Bridgerton has been an immensely successful franchise for the streaming giant, having accrued hundreds of millions of views over the course of its four-season run so far. The first instalment saw Rege-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor fall in love as Simon and Daphne Bridgerton, followed by season two’s Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley, and then Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan in season three.
Fans have been speculating over who might be the next Bridgerton sibling to lead the show, with some suggesting it could be Claudia Jessie’s Eloise.
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