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Bridgerton‘s fifth season is on the way, and when it comes to Francesca’s (Hannah Dodd) love story with Michaela (Masali Baduza), that was always the vision showrunner Jess Brownell had for the Shondaland hit.
Brownell got candid about the desire to explore a queer romance within the franchise, noting during an interview on the Suite 305 with Lele Pons podcast, “So that was actually the very first conversation I had with Shonda when she asked me to be showrunner.” As fans know, Brownell took over for Chris Van Dusen after Season 2’s run, ushering in the latest chapters of the show based on Julia Quinn’s novels.
She recalled being asked by Shonda Rhimes what her “creative instincts” were, and shared, “We talked about… doing Colin’s book before Benedict’s, and we also talked about the fact that I’d love to tell a queer story with Francesca and Michaela. I think it’s really exciting for people to get to see themselves represented, and their kind of love story represented.”
For those who may not know the books as well, Francesca’s story unfolds in When He Was Wicked, the sixth book of the eight-book series, and it revolves around her relationship with late husband John Stirling’s (Victor Alli) cousin, Michael. Season 3 revealed that Michael from the book would be Michaela on TV.
The change-up led to some divisive opinions, as Brownell added, “People say, ‘Oh, well, why didn’t you do it with a side character so you don’t have to change the books?’ It’s not the same,” she said. “Each season we go deep on what it’s like for those characters to fall in love with each other. When we do Fran and Michaela, we’re going to get to go so deep into what sapphic love looks like in a way that I’ve never really seen done on TV.”
While Brown remained mum about how that may play out, she noted, “I’m really excited and proud about it.”
Stay tuned for more on Bridgerton‘s fifth season and let us know what you look forward to seeing from Francesca and Michaela’s love story in the comments section.
Bridgerton, Season 5 Premiere, 2027, Netflix
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