Everything the ‘Bridgerton’ Showrunner Has Said About Season 5
Picture: Hannah Dodd as Francesca (left) and Claudia Jessie as Eloise (centre) in Bridgerton and showrunner Jess Brownell (right)- Netflix
Bridgerton season 4 may have only concluded a couple of days ago, but we’re already thinking about what’s in store for season 5. Who will be the lead character? Who is the new Lady Whistledown? In this post, we’ve compiled everything showrunner Jess Brownell has said about the next season.
In its fourth season, Bridgerton chronicled the story of Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), adapting Julia Quinn’s third book of the Bridgerton series, An Offer from a Gentleman. The season took on a heavy fairytale vibe, with particular inspiration from Cinderella. It began with a masquerade ball held by Lady Violet Bridgerton. While attracting many of the most desired faces in the ton, the masquerade ball allowed young serving maid Sophie to sneak inside in disguise. While there, she caught the attention of none other than Benedict Bridgerton. After running away in fear of being found out, Benedict makes it his priority to find the mysterious Lady in Silver. Despite not knowing Sophie’s identity as the Lady in Silver, Benedict later becomes romantically involved with Sophie despite the scandal such a relationship would entail.
By the end of the season, Benedict receives the blessing of his family and from Queen Charlotte and officially makes Sophie a Bridgerton through marriage.
Now that the series has covered Benedict’s story, next up, we’ll see another Bridgerton sibling take the spotlight. So far, we’ve seen the romances of Daphne (Season 1), Anthony (Season 2), Colin (Season 3), and Benedict (Season 4) play out. There are still four other siblings whose romances remain to be covered: Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth. As for who’s up next, Netflix has not yet made any announcements, but it’s almost certain that the upcoming season will be spearheaded by either Eloise (Claudia Jessie) or Francesca (Hannah Dodd).
Outside of season 5’s lead, we have plenty of other questions. Who is the ‘new’ Lady Whistledown as introduced in the season 4 finale? And will Lady Agatha Danbury return to our screens after announcing that she’s leaving the ton? Here are all the key things showrunner Jess Brownell has teased about season 5.
Who will be the lead character of Bridgerton season 5?
Picture: Claudia Jessie as Eloise (left) and Hannah Dodd as Francesca (right)
The first question is the biggest and most glaring of all. Which character will lead the upcoming season? While we don’t have a concrete answer, showrunner and EP Jess Brownell has already confirmed that season 5 will focus on either Eloise or Francesca. Speaking to Deadline at the red carpet premiere, she pointed to a pocket square she was wearing that bore the initials E & F embroidered on it. “I would say both characters with the initials on my pocket-square will get seasons in 5 and 6,” she said, adding, “In what order, I can’t say.”
The ending of season 4 plays it equally coy. In the final post-credit scene, which showed Benedict and Sophie’s wedding ceremony, both Eloise and Francesca sat in the front row. When the inevitable question arises of who will be the next to marry, neither of them admit to being ready for marriage. “Oh, I do love a wedding. All the best people in the same place,” Eloise says, hastily adding: “As an attendee.”
Meanwhile, Francesca declared herself unready to marry again. “Me? A wedding? No… I have had my great love. One time is enough,” she says.
What’s more, in another interview with The Wrap, Brownell said that both Eloise and Francesca’s stories are “primed” for their individual seasons. The pieces are in place. “We’ve planted some seeds of growth for both Eloise and Francesca in the end of the season,” she said.
Francesca’s story is particularly fleshed out. Season 4 has already told a large chunk of her book. “We’ve been able to spend a nice amount of time with Fran and John and understand what’s special about their bond, but we also wanted to make sure that we had adequate time to grieve him,” Brownell explained. “I think putting the funeral in Episode 7 allows us to devote a full episode to that grief while still allowing our happily ever after to get on track with Benedict and Sophie in Episode 8.”
While season 4 points toward a Francesca-focused fifth season, a couple of hints from across the internet suggest that Eloise will take the mantle. One of which comes from a post shared on X, which shows actor Pericles Rosa, who was an actor involved in season 4, seemingly revealing on his Instagram story that Eloise’s season is up next.
“I love Claudia, Eloise,” he wrote. “I told her I’m dying to see her season, which will be the next one. It’s already confirmed. I was even talking to her during that scene.”
Of course, this is a far stretch from confirmation. For now, we’ll put it down as speculation.
Will Lady Danbury return in Brighton season 5?
Bridgerton. (L to R) Adjoa Andoh as Lady Agatha Danbury, Daniel Francis as Lord Anderson in episode 306 of Bridgerton. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2024
One of the big loose ends that the show leaves fans on is the status of Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh). After being Queen Charlotte’s lady-in-waiting for so many years, Danbury confesses to the queen that she wishes to step away from her post to travel and to return to her ancestral home of Sierra Leone for the first time since she was a child. Initially, Queen Charlotte stubbornly refuses her request. But before long, Lady Danbury finds a new lady-in-waiting for the Queen, in the form of Alice Mondrich.
By the end of the season, Lady Danbury is allowed to take her leave. However, that doesn’t mean Danbury won’t make appearances in season 5. In fact, Jess Brownell has already confirmed that yes, Andoh is involved in season 5.
“You’ll see Lady Danbury next season,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “I think, for us, it was more about exploring the themes this season of relationships that have a power imbalance and trying to find a way to shake up that power imbalance between Lady Danbury and the Queen. I think after what they’ve been through this season, it’s safe to say that the Queen is finally going to be treating Danbury more as a peer.”
The identity of the new Lady Whistledown won’t be revealed in season 5
Picture: Claudia Jessie (left) and Nicola Coughlan (right) as Penelope in Bridgerton
One of the big reveals at the end of Bridgerton season 4 was the return of Lady Whistledown, shortly after Penelope gave up the persona. Earlier in the season, Penelope explained to Queen Charlotte that she was to give up writing as Lady Whistledown. This comes as a result of finding herself more emotionally and directly involved in the gossip and scandals within the ton. While she wrote under the pseudonym, her actual identity was no longer a secret.
Looking ahead to season 5, the show will not move on from Lady Whistledown; instead, the persona has been taken on by a new person. The new writer is anonymous. And according to Brownell, we won’t be learning the identity of the new Lady Whistledown anytime soon. “Shonda and I have an idea about who Whistledown is, and that’s what we’re writing toward,” she revealed to Entertainment Weekly. “We’ll definitely be planting some clues over the next few seasons for people to hopefully have their own guesses.”
The secret of Lady Whistledown will remain under wraps throughout the entirety of season 5. “I’ll say it won’t be revealed in season 5. I can say that we’ve already finished writing season 5, so beyond that, I can’t say for sure, but we will play with the mystery for a little while,” she added.
All 4 seasons of Bridgerton are now streaming on Netflix.
