Netflix has confirmed that the upcoming fifth season of Bridgerton will centre on a queer love story, marking a first for the hit period drama. The new season, now in production, will follow Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) as she navigates a 'complicated' romantic relationship with her cousin-in-law Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza).
A teaser trailer released on Tuesday shows the two characters standing close together, almost holding hands. Francesca, the introverted middle Bridgerton daughter, was widowed after the unexpected death of her husband John Stirling (Victor Alli) in the fourth season. Her storyline in that season also touched on her inability to orgasm, described as reaching a 'pinnacle'. Two years later, she re-enters the marriage market for 'practical reasons', only to find Michaela stirring 'complicated feelings' within her.
This announcement represents a significant shift for the Regency-era series, which has previously focused on opposite-sex couples. While Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) was confirmed as bisexual and shown in relationships with both men and women, his main storyline in the last season involved a romance with maid Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha). That season reached 28 million viewers.
In Julia Quinn's original book series, Michaela was a male character named Michael, with no main queer characters or storylines. The gender swap was a deliberate choice by showrunners. Executive producer Jess Brownell told Out magazine that telling queer stories in Bridgerton was 'hugely important' to her, adding, 'I feel like Bridgerton made its name in many ways on being an inclusive universe, and for queer stories to be left out of that would not feel right.'
A release date for the fifth season has not yet been announced.
