Bridgerton’s Francesca & Michaela Will Lead The Show’s 1st Sapphic Love Story

On March 24, Netflix announced the start of production on Bridgerton Season 5, which will follow Francesca and Michaela’s love story.

The exciting announcement accompanies a brief, atmospheric teaser that nods to the Kilmartin family’s home in the Scottish Highlands. The gorgeous scenery — captioned with the promise, “Love begins again” — is intercut with a peek at Francesca and Michaela looking out from the estate, exchanging a sweet glance before their hands lightly graze.

Sharing the teaser, Hannah Dodd (Francesca) referenced the title of Julia Quinn’s book, When He Was Wicked, with a winky message for her castmate, Masali Baduza (Michaela): “Hey @masalibaduza … tell me something wicked?” “The pair also posed for a photoshoot to celebrate the big news.

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As you’ll remember, Francesca and Michaela supported each other in the wake of John Stirling’s sudden, heartbreaking death. But in the final moments of Season 4, Michaela abruptly left London — leaving Francesca confused.

As Baduza recently told Bustle, it was her character’s way of processing an “infatuation” that she’s tried to deny in herself. “I think she’s like, The next best thing is for me to get out of here. Because I don’t know where this can go if I let myself feel these feelings.”

In its release, Netflix confirms that Season 5 will pick up two years later. Just as Francesca steps back into the marriage mart for “practical reasons,” Michaela returns to London, which seems to cause quite the shake-up. The synopsis concludes: “Fran’s complicated feelings will have her questioning whether to stick to her pragmatic intentions or pursue her inner passions.”

This tracks with the general premise of When He Was Wicked, which follows Francesca’s love-after-loss storyline with her late husband’s rakish cousin, Michael — with Bridgerton’s on-screen adaptation altering the character to be a woman instead.

“I know a lot of people loved Michael in the books — and you know, he’s still there in the books. So if people want to revisit him, they can,” Baduza told Bustle. “But I love Michaela so much, and I think that she’s just such a cool character.”

The actor said she feels “really protective” over Michaela, who, with Francesca, will carry out the show’s first sapphic love story. “I know it’s a shock, but I’m so proud to be telling her story alongside Hannah, and I feel so honored to be trusted with this responsibility,” Baduza continued. “It’s a huge, important step forward for so many people.”