Francesca, Michaela Stirling to star as new leads of Bridgerton Season 5

Mar 24, 2026

Washington DC [US], March 24 : The makers of 'Bridgerton' have set Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza) as the leads for Season 5 of the Shonda Rhimes-created Netflix period romance, reported Variety.
On Tuesday, Netflix unveiled a first-look teaser for the fifth season of the series, which is based on Julia Quinn's romance novels about the love lives of the eight siblings in the titular Bridgerton family, and announced production had begun in the UK on the eight-episode season.
"The fifth season of Bridgerton spotlights introverted middle daughter Francesca (Hannah Dodd). Two years after losing her beloved husband John, Fran decides to reenter the marriage mart for practical reasons. But when John's cousin Michaela (Masali Baduza) returns to London to tend to the Kilmartin estate, Fran's complicated feelings will have her questioning whether to stick to her pragmatic intentions or pursue her inner passions," reported Variety, citing Netflix's description.
Netflix shared the series announcement on their Instagram handle.
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Hannah Dodd as Francesca Stirling. Countess of Kilmartin: Reserved and contained, Francesca has long felt out of place in the world. As Michaela stirs up new feelings inside her, Fran will make discoveries about herself that could change everything.
Masali Baduza as Michaela Stirling. Beneath Michaela's charming and vivacious exterior hides a vulnerable young woman who is quick to run the second she feels discomfort. But this season, Michaela must face her vulnerability head-on as she's forced to navigate her relationship to her late cousin's legacy and to Francesca.
'Bridgerton' Season 4, which was released in two parts on Netflix between January and February, focused on the love story between Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), reported Variety.