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‘Bridgerton’ Author Teases Francesca & Michaela’s ‘Heart-Wrenching and Emotional’ Season
While Bridgerton‘s future seasons may not arrive for some time, author Julia Quinn is already looking forward to the show’s exploration of Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and Michaela’s (Masali Baduza) romance.
The spark between the characters was teased at the end of Season 3 when Francesca’s husband, John Stirling (Victor Alli), introduced his cousin, Michaela. The introduction confirmed that the book character, Michael, would be portrayed onscreen in a gender-swapped adaptation, making way for a queer love story to take center stage.
While it’s unclear when Francesca and Michaela’s love story will lead the series, the revelation of Michaela certainly surprised fans of Quinn’s novel, When He Was Wicked. Quinn told Us Weekly, “I knew it was going to be a big deal. I mean, I think it is a bigger story change than making the characters more racially diverse.”
Still, the author shared, “I did not expect the level of meanness among some of the fans,” as she acknowledged some of the initial backlash fans exhibited. According to Quinn, she knew “well over a year before everybody else,” regarding the change. “I knew some people were going to be really disappointed and upset, and I wanted them all to know that I talked about it with the showrunner.”
Liam Daniel / Netflix
In other words, Quinn gave her blessing for the change, which allows for the series to reach an even wider and more inclusive audience. “I had more time to get used to the idea than everybody else, and also I have more information about it than everybody else about how it’s going to be done,” Quinn teased. Meaning, there’s already a path in place for Francesca and Michaela’s love story, which Quinn revealed, “I felt good about it.”
For fans who aren’t as easily sold on the gender-swap, Quinn said, “There’s always the book. I’m not going to rewrite the book, and you can have one of each.”
When it came to tackling the onscreen change, Quinn said, “I wanted to have some input in how they were going to do it because there were certain parts of the story that I wanted respected, [like] the fact that [Francesca] really loved John.” As fans of the series saw in Season 3, Francesca found a connection with John, and by the end of the season, they were married. In the book, [SPOILER!] John dies, and Francesca ends up romantically involved with Michael. In the show version, it will be Michaela.
Whether or not the show will follow Francesca’s book storyline exactly remains to be seen, but Quinn’s desire to make sure viewers understand Francesca loves her husband, even if he isn’t the love of her life, makes sense. “I know that a lot of people think that there were things that happened in Season 3 to indicate that she didn’t really love John. She does, trust me, and that needed to be an important part of the story that both she and Michaela are really mourning him, because that’s the crux of the story. [In] When He Was Wicked, they both feel terribly guilty because they both loved this person,” Quinn said.
“I think it’s gonna be great, and I think anything that allows more people to see themselves in the story is a good thing,” Quinn continued. “I don’t know exactly everything [about the script], but I have some sense of what’s gonna happen. I think it’s gonna be a heart-wrenching, emotional season, which is what When He Was Wicked was.”
While Quinn acknowledged the love story between Michaela and Francesca might be different from the book, she added, “I think we’re going to get all those emotions with the season, and I couldn’t be more excited.”
Bridgerton‘s fourth season is expected to arrive in 2026 and will chronicle the love story between Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), but it’s unclear which love stories will lead Seasons 5 and 6, which were ordered by Netflix recently. Stay tuned for more on the series in the months ahead, and let us know what you’d like to see from Francesca and Michaela’s romance when it finally plays out onscreen.
Bridgerton, Season 4 Premiere, 2026, Netflix
