Dear reader, we’ve had LGBTQ+ inclusive period dramas before, but none are as anticipated and popular as Netflix’s hit show Bridgerton. After season four of the beloved show aired this year with some well-deserved queer representation, fans have been left wondering if the future of Bridgerton holds a brand new sapphic storyline.

In the latest season of Bridgerton, we’ve seen the charming Cinderella-esque love between Luke Thompson’s Benedict Bridgerton and Yerin Ha’s Sophie. In the second part of the season, which came out February 26, we’ve had plenty of LGBTQ+ legendary moments, including Benedict Bridgerton coming out as bisexual to his love interest.

Jess Brownell, the showrunner, told Business Insider: “I think any queer person knows that no matter who you end up with, queerness is a part of your identity.”

This coming out scene was met with a beautiful reception from his partner, Sophie, who told him that: “Love is always a thing to be proud of. The world needs more of it.”

While hearts melted, many realised this was set up for a potential season five. And since the show has been renewed for two more seasons, we might have our sapphic romance arriving sooner than we expected.

Hannah Dodd’s Francesca Bridgerton, who’s had a moment of queer panic upon seeing her love interest at the end of season three, has gone through a lot of pain in season four of the show.

Between struggles of infertility and sexuality, she had also gone through the grief of losing her husband, John, and ultimately dealing with the presence of his cousin. Michaela is the gender bent version of her book’s love interest, Michael Stirling, and is played by Masali Baduza.

Each season of the show features one Bridgerton sibling, and since the two youngest are still not out in society, Eloise and Francesca are the ones left on the roster.

Throughout season four, especially part two, we’ve seen plenty of highly emotional interaction between Francesca and Micheala.

One important aspect is the dynamic between the two: while Francesca is quiet, timid and more organised, Michaela is free-spirited and more confident, which Francesca quietly resents throughout the first half of the season.

They do, however, end up reconciling, with Francesca confiding in Michaela about the struggles of married life and the two forming a friendship (not for long!), right before John’s death. In the second half of the season, the revelation that Michaela refuses to entertain suitors is also mentioned, implying her sexuality in the show.

While grieving her husband, Francesca makes Michaela promise to stay in London. Still, Michaela quickly breaks that promise, as her conflicted feelings for Francesca amid her cousin’s grief force her to leave.

This angst-filled finale for their storyline in season four echoes season two’s ending, where Colin Bridgerton confessed he would ‘never’ court Penelope Bridgerton, creating the emotional conflict they had faced in season three.

The change from Michael to Michaela caused a rift in the Bridgerton fandom, with many fans criticising the move, citing the societal expectations of the Regency era and source material.

However, Bridgerton has already explored this narrative with Sophie, who is not a lady but an illegitimate child of a nobleman, and at the time, a Lord could not marry an illegitimate child without causing uproar and bringing shame upon the family.

Benedict, however, overcame this obstacle; this supports the idea that the love story between Francesca and Michaela will endure in society.

Baduza has told Refinery29 Australia that she is “proud” to tell a queer storyline on a show as mainstream as Bridgerton.

She also noted that everyone’s story “deserves to be told”, adding: “I love Michaela so much, and I am just very proud to tell the story alongside Hannah. In Bridgerton, a lot of the characters are growing into themselves and learning new things about themselves.”

Dodd, who plays Francesca, pointed out that Julia Quinn’s book When He Was Wicked is still there for fans who miss Michael. Brownell said she received a blessing from Quinn before making the change.

Quinn, the author of the source material, released her own statement at the hate the show had gotten. “I’m confident now that when Francesca has her Bridgerton season, it will be the most emotional and heart-wrenching story of the show, just like When He Was Wicked has always been the true tear-jerker of the Bridgerton book series,” she wrote via Instagram in June 2025.

We can’t wait for more information about season five of Bridgerton and the time when our queer storyline arrives on Netflix, so we can all cry over Francesca and Michaela’s epic love story that challenges stereotypical views of heteronormative relationships in the Regency era.