Another Bridgerton sibling is about to fall in love… and we now know who. On March 24, Netflix announced series five would belong to Francesca Bridgerton and Michaela Stirling, with the show’s first queer romance to lead the show.
Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) finally received their happy ending in Bridgerton’s fourth season, and fans can rest easy knowing there’s still much more to come. Netflix has officially renewed the hit Regency drama for seasons 5 and 6, ensuring that more of the Bridgerton siblings and their suitors will take centre stage in the years ahead.
Here’s what we know so far about season five.
When will Bridgerton season 5 come out?
Netflix has yet to confirm a release date for Bridgerton season 5. For Bridgerton Season 5 is officially underway.
Following the airing of the season 4 finale, Brownell confirmed that season 5 will begin filming ‘soon’. In an interview published in February 2026, she told Decider: ‘We want to give fans a moment to really celebrate Yerin and Luke and everything they’ve put into this season, but we are starting production very soon on season 5.’However, on March 24, on announcing the Francesca and Michaela series, Netflix confirmed season five was now in production.
Who will be in the season 5 cast?
Fans had been anticipating who could be next for a long time. Claudia Jessie (Eloise), Hannah Dodd (Francesca), Florence Hunt (Hyacinth), and Will Tilston (Gregory) are all still waiting for their turn in the spotlight, and thus they will likely make an appearance. We know Michaela (Masali Baduza) will also feature too.
Supporting actors such as Ruth Gemmell (Violet Bridgerton), Julie Andrews (Lady Whistledown’s narration), Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury), Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), and others could also return, depending on the season’s storyline. And if recent seasons are any indication, new characters might well be making their debut at court.
Which sibling’s love story will season 5 follow?
Bridgerton has confirmed that season five is now in production – and that it will feature the love story of Francesca Bridgerton (played by Hannah Dodd) and Michaela Stirling (played by Masali Baduza).
At a Bridgerton season 4 red-carpet premiere in Paris, showrunner Brownell wore two pocket squares embroidered with the letters ‘E’ and ‘F’. As she told Deadline on the carpet: ‘Both characters with the initials on my pocket squares will get seasons in 5 and 6. In what order? I can’t say.’
As any true fan knows, the Bridgerton siblings are named in alphabetical order: Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth. Thus, Brownell was hinting that both Eloise and Francesca will see their love stories play out in seasons 5 and 6.
Francesca’s story first began unfolding in season 3 when she married John Stirling, the Earl of Kilmartin. But a spark immediately ignited between Francesca and John’s cousin, Michaela, a gender-flipped version of Michael Stirling from Julia Quinn’s novel When He Was Wicked. Showrunner Brownell confirmed that the shift was intentional, and that Michaela will play a central role in Francesca’s arc going forward.
We now hope, Eloise’s time might be near and the story of season six. Her book, To Sir Phillip, With Love, follows her unexpected correspondence and eventual romance with Sir Phillip Crane, who was briefly introduced in season 1 as the widowed husband of Marina. Because Eloise’s story has taken a more rebellious route on screen, there’s room for the series to either reimagine or delay her book’s plot entirely.
Season 5 will contain at least one plot point that completely differs from the Bridgerton books. Season 4 revealed the retirement of Penelope as Lady Whistledown, but a new writer has promptly stepped into her place—so expect Francesca’s love story to be heavily featured in the pages of Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers…perhaps without the same care as Penelope’s quill.