Love will begin again in Bridgerton Season 5. The upcoming episodes, now in production outside London, are led by Hannah Dodd and Masali Baduza as Lady Francesca Stirling and Michaela Stirling. Get a taste of the swoons ahead with the video above.
“[We’re] super grateful and excited!” Baduza tells Tudum. Dodd agrees, saying, “When you spend so much time with a character, you genuinely do want them to be happy. So I am really looking forward to [Francesca] feeling like she deserves love.”
The last time viewers saw Season 5’s starring couple, they were rocked by the death of the person they both loved. Lord John Stirling (Victor Alli)’s death in Season 4 left Francesca widowed and Michaela without her closest relative and confidant. Season 5, which picks up two years later, will usher both women into a new chapter of love and hope; it will also feature Bridgerton’s first same-gender central love story.
“It feels groundbreaking. Obviously, there are a lot of great shows that have depicted queer love. We’re not the first by any means,” series showrunner Jess Brownell says. “But to make an entire Bridgerton season about a sapphic relationship feels huge.”
Dodd and Baduza are excited to lead this historic season of Bridgerton. “[Queer love stories] have traditionally been excluded from things like period dramas — and queer people did exist, have always existed, and will always exist,” Dodd says. Baduza adds, “It’s been really special to have Jess guide us on this journey, because she’s very excited about this story. What we really want to achieve is giving a realistic view of queer love onscreen and [giving them] a happily ever after.”
Brownell promises fans can expect Bridgerton’s signature mix of romance, humor, and pathos as Francesca and Michaela’s journey unfolds, inspired by Julia Quinn’s novel When He Was Wicked. “If there’s anything really specific about this season, it is the yearning. It’s big-time yearning,” she says. “It’s going to be a season about queer joy. It is not going to be a season about queer trauma. … We’re having so much fun!”
Prepare for the adventure ahead as Dodd, Baduza, and Brownell reveal even more about Bridgerton Season 5, from the plot and some cast secrets to the inside scoop on the costumes.
What is the plot of Bridgerton Season 5?
The fifth season of Bridgerton spotlights introverted middle daughter Francesca. Two years after losing her beloved husband John, Francesca decides to reenter the marriage mart for practical reasons. But when John’s cousin Michaela returns to London to tend to the Kilmartin estate, Francesca’s complicated feelings will have her questioning whether to stick to her pragmatic intentions or pursue her inner passions.
“We are still always grounding our love stories in the fact that this series is about joy,” Bronwell says. “And more than ever, Season 5 is going to be about yearning … Those of us who know what it’s like to be in a sapphic relationship or have a sapphic crush understand that’s so baked into the experience.”
Who are Francesca and Michaela?
Francesca Stirling (Dodd) is the Countess of Kilmartin. Reserved and contained, Francesca has long felt out of place in the world. As Michaela stirs up new feelings inside her, Fran will make discoveries about herself that could change everything.
Michaela Stirling (Baduza) is a key member of the Stirling family. Beneath Michaela’s charming and vivacious exterior hides a vulnerable young woman who is quick to run the second she feels discomfort. But this season, Michaela must face her vulnerability head-on as she’s forced to navigate her relationship to her late cousin’s legacy — and to Francesca.
Where does Bridgerton Season 5 film?
The series is shooting outside of London. As Dodd and Baduza get into the swing of production, they’ve learned a lot about their characters through costume fittings. “The costume department [is] doing a lot of storytelling,” Dodd reveals. “You’re going to even get to see Michaela in another light through her costuming.”
Coincidentally, style is one of Baduza’s favorite elements of getting to know her character. “Because I feel like you get to visualize what the character would wake up every day and wear,” the actor says. “And I think that tells you a lot about her. And yeah, Michaela’s got a lot of ball gowns that she has to wear this season, and they’re beautiful.”