WATCH: 'Bridgerton' Season 5 teases queer love story
Dear gentle reader, loosen up your corset and have a spot of tea as you are in for an exciting ride in the ton.
Netflix has released the teaser for Bridgerton Season 5. Although it was just 30 seconds long, the preview was enough to give a sneak peek into the much-talked-about queer love story in the series.
Without dialogue, the preview showed the sixth Bridgerton sibling, Francesca, walking to a balcony where Michaela Stirling, cousin to Francesca's deceased husband John, was waiting. Side by side, Francesca and Michaela look out over the courtyard while their fingers subtly touch.
Michaela's appearance in the finale of Season 3 caused a commotion among fans of the Regency romance novels on which the Netflix series is based. Written by American author Julia Quinn, the books depicted Michaela as Michael Stirling. The gender-flip in the TV series was an intentional nod to the show's advocacy for diversity.
According to Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell, in a report by Variety, "When we started talking about queer representation on the show, we started with a discussion that this is a show about happily-ever-afters, and that we’re not interested in queer trauma—that we really want to see queer joy. And if we’re going to tell a queer story, we would like to find a way for there to be a happily ever after."
Francesca, played by Hannah Dodd, had a central role in Season 4, where her married life took a tragic turn.
Following the theme of the Quinn books, the series puts a focus on one or two Bridgerton siblings in each season. The most recent one, based on Quinn's book An Offer from a Gentleman, revolved around the love story between the second Bridgerton son, Benedict, played by Luke Thompson, and Sophie Baek, portrayed by Yerin Ha.
The teaser for Season 5 did not share details on when it would drop, just that it is "now in production."
