Bridgerton season 5 focuses on Francesca and Michaela — more waiting for Eloise

As the Shondaland adaptation of the Bridgerton books continues, the story arc is diverging more from the novels — not necessarily a bad thing.

What do we know about Bridgerton season 5 and why is Francesca’s story front and centre

In book order, it’s Eloise’s turn to enter the marriage mart. When we knew there would be (at least) two more seasons to come, we assumed season 5 would move to Eloise whose own adversity to the process seemed less fixed at the end of season 4. Leaving the novels to one side, having Eloise not quite centre stage works well (as she also tries to guide youngest sister Hyacinth) and gives more time to sow seeds for her own romance. Francesca’s storyline for season 4 was also strong, with her relationship to Michaela showing every sign of developing.

Here’s the synopsis:

Season 5 begins two years after John’s death, when 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.

Unlike the novels, where Francsesca has a new romance with Michael Stirling. Now we have a female love interest, something the Regency society seems little prepared for. We shall see how it develops. It’s not the first queer storyline, with Benedict’s own sexuality being explored in season 3. And a two year gap means a lot of waiting around for the rest of the characters (and time for their character ages to match their actors closer for the younger cast).

As to the upcoming series, the actors in question, Hannah Dodd and Masili Baduza discuss what this might mean for their characters in the latest press release. There’s also an announcement video (making it clear some of the story is set in Scotland, as per the novels):