The worst-kept secret in the world is true: Bridgerton season 5 will focus on Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and Michaela’s (Masali Baduza) love story, making it the first LGBT romance to be spotlighted in the hit Netflix period drama.
A certain countess shall find love again… Bridgerton Season 5 is now in production. Starring Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton and Masali Baduza as Michaela Stirling. pic.twitter.com/DFDQoyKmUWMarch 24, 2026
It’s a monumental day for the global community of queer women, so let’s relive the original piece I wrote below with the newfound smugness of being right the entire time.
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The below interview was conducted as part of Bridgerton season 4 part 2.
As bad as it sounds, sometimes one person’s loss is another person’s gain. In Bridgerton season 4 part 2, this is most certainly the case for us. At the end of episode 6, John (Victor Alli) suddenly dies of a brain aneurysm, leaving widow Francesca (Hannah Dodd) to try and pick up the pieces.
She’s not completely alone, though. Not only does the Bridgerton family come to her aid in her hour of need, but John’s cousin Michaela (Masali Baduza) transforms from a thorn in Francesca’s side to a bona fide best friend.
According to the original Bridgerton novels, Francesca and Michael (gender-swapped to Michaela for the Netflix series) eventually fall in love themselves, though this is some years after John’s death.
We know that Bridgerton‘s timeline is a lot snappier than the books, and with the now-confirmed season 5 already in the pipeline, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a budding romance between the two sooner rather than later.
It should go without saying that fans are chomping at the bit for this to become a reality, but Dodd and Baduza are equally “ready” to get better acquainted (if that’s what actually happens).
“That’s literally my life’s goal, so yes please,” Baduza tells me when I ask the pair about potentially becoming LGBT icons.
“It’s all we want!” Dodd jokes. “We definitely feel very supported by the community. We see the support and we really just feel so grateful.”
It’s worth pointing out that even though a Francesca-Michaela romance hasn’t been confirmed by Netflix, it’s equally not been dismissed. I still believe that Eloise (Claudia Jessie) will be the star of Bridgerton season 5, but romantic tension elsewhere is surely a guarantee.
For now, at least, portraying the importance of platonic female friendship is just as high up on the agenda.
“We don’t know where these characters will go, but it’s so nice that they were able to really just talk about how they feel and share that bit of their scary feelings and really be open,” Baduza explains.
Dodd adds: “They’re like so necessary for each other, but also with the grief, they really rely on each other too. They kind of feel like they’re the only two people in the world who fully understand, like, what losing John actually means.”
RIP and all that, John… but hopefully now the fun can really begin.
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