March 26, Netflix announced that season 5 of Bridgerton is not only officially happening, but production is already underway. For the first time, the new season will center around a same sex relationship between characters, Francesca and Michaela. Michaela is a gender swapped version of the original book character who is Francesa’s late husband’s cousin. This new coupling will continue the series’ tradition of inclusivity of various communities within their fictional realm and chemistry brimming with excitement.

  Netflix’s official announcement was coupled with a simple video that showed Francesca, played by Hannah Dodd, and Michaela, played by Masali Baduza, glancing at each other on a balcony, holding hands. The little teaser of the characters ignited various opinions online that range between overwhelming enthusiasm and outright homophobia.

  Numerous verified accounts and fans express how they’ve been ready for Francesca’s seasons and are very excited and intrigued to see her have a queer storyline. On the contrary many book fans express their discontent with the change in her storyline that isn’t true to the source material, while others simply declare they will skip the season because of her sexuality.

  Mixed emotions from the public are expected when introducing a storyline that centers a LGBTQ+ romance that veers away from the original books due to various beliefs held within society, but this new season clearly follows a refreshing pattern of storylines that break patriarchy while being set in the regency era. 

  In season 4 of Bridgerton, which was released earlier this year, the story was centered around Benedict Bridgerton’s quest to finally settle on a wife and end his era of debauchery. Spoiler alert, Benedict ends up marrying Sophie Baek who is the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman that spends the whole series hopping between homes of the notable ton. With this highly explored storyline, we finally get a closer look at the lives of maids and other workers in the world of Bridgerton. 

  The Featherington’s head maid, Mrs. Varley, struggles between loyalty to Mrs. Featherington versus the persuasive pay raise of Lady Araminta, exposing repercussions from the underappreciation she has experienced all these years. Sophie herself struggles with her pursuit of love with Benedict, as a maid with its certain expectations, but her friend who eventually works with her in the Bridgerton house, Hazel, experiences sexual harassment while working in the country side as a servant. Focusing on the everyday lives of maids that we have kept at a distance for multiple seasons was quite refreshing, but there are other ways in which Bridgerton has pushed the envelope.

  Firstly, Bridgerton is a fairly diverse cast, featuring Irish, British, Australian, and American actors, not even mentioning the various cultures and ethnicities of the cast. For instance, season 2 focused on Simone Ashwini Pillai’s character, Kathani, who is of Indian Tamil descent. Even right out the gate, in season one, British-Zimbabwean Rege-Jean Page was at the forefront of the season.

  Secondly, this is not the first time a queer relationship has attempted to be explored in the Lady Whistledown universe. Just last season, Benedict Bridgerton, played by Luke Thompson had love affairs with men, as well as women in the private parties he would attend frequently. Benedict has always been the more free and playful brother, which is reflected through his insistence on pleasure seeking, rather than attending family events last season. Additionally, the 2023 Bridgerton spinoff show that did very well, “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story”, featured a look into the relationship between the queen’s right hand man, Farley, and the king’s, Reynolds. These two had an extensive romance, which paralleled the development of the queen and king’s, making for a very heartbreaking watch when it was revealed Reynolds has passed, as he is no longer with the adult Farley in the main show.

  In all, the new season of Bridgerton doesn’t have a set release date, but we are sure to expect it soon. Production of this enticing new queer romance for Francesca, especially after her husband’s passing, is a storyline that is sure to be spicy and grand, just like the past Bridgerton siblings’ installments.