Shonda Rhimes Celebrates Fan Support as ‘Bridgerton’ Pivots to Queer Storytelling

Shonda Rhimes is all-in on Bridgerton Season 5’s gender-swapped romance. 

The next season of Netflix’s romantic Regency-era drama will focus on Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) and Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza). That’s a shift from the Julia Quinn books on which the show is based. In When He Was Wicked, the widowed Francesca falls in love with her late husband’s cousin, Michael Stirling. 

Shonda Rimes is ‘really excited’ for ‘Bridgerton’ Season 5 

Despite some complaints about the change to Francesca’s story, Rhimes thinks viewers will get on board. 

“The fans have been so supportive of sort of every direction we’ve gone with story, which has been wonderful to me,” Bridgerton’s executive producer recently told People. “I really thought the reaction to season 4 was extraordinary. I’m just excited for fans to get to see what we do in season 5.”

While the Bridgerton universe has featured queer characters in the past (most notably in the prequel series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story), Francesca and Michaela will be the show’s first LGBTQ main couple. And Rhimes can’t wait for people to see their story unfold. 

“I’m really excited. I can’t tell you any story points because that would be spoilers, but I’m really excited and we’ve started filming and I think it’s been amazing so far,” she said.

‘Bridgerton’ showrunning says season 5 celebrates ‘queer joy’ 

Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell has said that season 5 “feels groundbreaking.”

“Obviously, there are a lot of great shows that have depicted queer love,” she told Netflix’s Tudum. “We’re not the first by any means. But to make an entire Bridgerton season about a sapphic relationship feels huge.”

In season 4, Francesca dealt with a major tragedy after the sudden death of her husband, John Stirling (Victor Alli). As she confronted her grief over the loss of John and her inability to get pregnant and produce a heir, she leaned on Michaela, one of John’s closest friends. But in the finale, Michaela abruptly fled London. Season 5 picks up as Francesca reenters the marriage mart two years after John’s death. But when Michaela returns to London to address some issues related to the family’s estate, Fran’s complicated feelings have her questioning whether to stick with her plan to remarry or “pursue her inner passions.” 

“What is most exciting about season 5 is that it is going to be a season about queer joy,” Brownell said. “It is not going to be a season about queer trauma. There are going to be difficulties for the characters and conflict in the same way there is for every Bridgerton character. But we are still always grounding our love stories in the fact that this series is about joy. It’s about humor.”

Viewer can also expect plenty of yearning, she said. 

“It’s big-time yearning,” Brownell teased. “Those of us who know what it’s like to be in a sapphic relationship or have a sapphic crush understand that’s so baked into the experience.”

Julie Quinn gave Francesca-Michaela romance her blessing

Quinn has enthusiastically embraced the changes to her original story, writing in a 2024 Instagram post that she is “deeply committed to the Bridgerton world becoming more diverse.” She acknowledged that some readers might be concerned about the evolution of Francesca’s story. But she asked that they “grant me and the Shondaland team some faith as we move forward.”

“I think we are going to end up with two stories, one on page and one on screen, and they will both be beautiful and moving,” she added. 

Bridgerton is streaming on Netflix. 

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