Shock and delight: ‘Bridgerton’ has Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and Michaela Starling (Masali Baduza) set to star in Season 5 of Shonda Rhimes’ Netflix-era romance.
On Tuesday, Netflix released a first-look teaser for the fifth season of the series, based on Julia Quinn’s romance novels about the love lives of eight siblings in the titular Bridgerton family, and announced that production has begun on the eight-episode season in the UK.
Netflix’s Bridgerton season 5 description says, “Season 5 of Bridgerton spotlights introverted middle daughter Francesca (Hannah Dodd). Two years after losing her beloved husband John, Fran decides to re-enter the marriage market for practical reasons. However, John’s cousin Michaela (Masali Baduza) When Fran returns to London to take charge of the Kilmartin estate, Fran’s mixed emotions force her to wonder whether to pursue her inner passions or stay pragmatic. ”
Netflix also added the following character description for the new protagonist:
Hannah Dodd as Francesca Starling. Countess of Kilmartin: Modest and reserved, Francesca has long felt out of place in the world. As Michaela stirs new emotions within herself, Fran ends up making a discovery about herself that could change everything.
Masali Baduza plays Michaela Starling. Beneath Michaela’s charming and bubbly exterior hides a vulnerable young woman who runs away as soon as she feels uncomfortable. But this season, Michaela is forced to confront her own vulnerabilities head-on as she struggles to navigate her late cousin’s legacy and her relationship with Francesca.
Season 4 of Bridgerton, which aired in two parts on Netflix between January and February, focused on the love story between Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha).
Bridgerton Season 3 will also begin as a two-part series from May to June 2024, starring Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan). Season 2, which aired in March 2022, centered on Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley), with Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Bassett (Regé-Jean Page) returning from the December 2020 debut.
After season 4, Benedict was left with the remaining Bridgerton siblings to tell their love stories: Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessee), Francesca (Hannah Dodd), Gregory (Will Tilston), and Hyacinth (Florence Hunt). This lineup is also the order of Julia Quinn’s “Bridgerton” series. However, the show has changed its format before, choosing to swap the order of Benedict and Colin’s stories.
In May 2025, Netflix renewed the series for a fifth and sixth season without confirming which Bridgerton would be the focus of the year. This theme was teased throughout Season 4, with Francesca being positioned as the frontrunner, even though Eloise was textbook next in line.
Francesca’s storyline in the fourth season included the death of her husband John (Victor Ali) and hinted at her future with his cousin Michaela (Masali Baduza), a gender-swapped version of Michael, Francesca’s ultimate love interest in the books. Meanwhile, Héloïse’s plot was that she was against the idea of a marriage mart, but gradually becomes tolerant of the lifestyle by seeing her sister Hyacinth excited about entering society someday.
Watch the teaser for ‘Bridgerton’ Season 5 in the video below.
