At the Netflix upfronts in Mid May it was announced that Bridgerton had been renewed for seasons 5 & 6. We know that these seasons will be Eloise and Francesca, but the order of these two stories is unknown, however, within the fandom there is already discussion as to who might lead which season. The popular view appears to be that the show will follow the book order with Eloise being season 5 and Francesca leading season 6. We have seen that the production team are not as concerned with the book order with the swapping the order of book 3 and book 4, Shonda Rhimes also suggested that the books may not necessarily be done in order, which tells us we cannot take as a given that seasons 5 and 6 will be done in book order, something that some fans have picked up on as a small number believe Francesca will be the lead for season 5.
So, who will be the lead for season 5? Below I look at the most compelling reasons for each of the possible season 5 leads.
Image Credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix
The Case for Eloise
The most compelling reason for Eloise to be the season 5 lead is the book order, and many also point to the fact that Eloise's love interest was introduced in season 1, however, the introduction of Sir Philip in season 1 will not have registered as important for casual viewers or the general audience with the introduction being of significance to book readers. Keeping with the connection between Eloise and Sir Philip it was noted that some season 4 filming took place in the grounds of West Wycombe Park, which is attached to the West Wycombe estate, the house of which served as Romney Hall, the home of Sir Philip Crane, in season 2. This filming has led some to believe that this is an indicator that Sir Philip Crane will be in season 4 despite the actor, Chris Fulton, having told a fan at an Outlander Convention that he wasn't in season 4 of Bridgerton. I would also point out that in addition to Romney Hall West Wycombe Park has been used for outdoor scenes for the Ton, and for scenes at Aubrey Hall, so filming at the location is not an indication it could be for Sir Philip Crane's Estate.
Another point that many bring up in support of Eloise for season 5 is the so-called 'Pall Mall' theory that arose from season 2 where it was assumed that the season order was determined by the order that the players each got the ball through the wickets in the game of Pall Mall, and whilst that was most likely true, it falls apart with the fact that Kate is the only player to be seen getting her ball through the fourth wicket and season 4 is certainly not Kate's season. It is also possible that the change of showrunner has potentially altered any plans that the production may have originally had for future seasons, thus making any future seasons unknown until announced.
Finally, another compelling reason for Eloise is that the writers appear to be unable to write good storylines for characters prior to their season, this was very obvious in season 3 when they didn't appear to know what to do with Benedict after season 2 appeared to be setting him up for his season. There is a risk that this could be the fate of Eloise if we are to wait another two seasons for her story to be told.
Image Credit: Netflix
The Case for Francesca
During season 4 filming some leaks came out that indicated there would be a death of someone that is close to the Bridgerton Family (Bridgerton House was draped for mourning), which points to the likelihood that John will die in season 4, which opens up the possibility of another season swap and Francesca being season 5 rather than Eloise. I have seen some argue that the death could be Marina, however, if this is the case then why is Bridgerton House draped for mourning? The only three characters the Bridgertons would likely be openly mourning in this way are John (or another close family member), or the King or Queen (out of respect for the Monarch or the Consort). It is hard to pick exactly at what point in the season John may die, but it appears that this occurs approximately half way through the season, which will give the time for some mourning from Francesca ahead of a short time jump and her season occurring - if that is what they are looking to do.
Two smaller, seemingly unrelated, things could also point towards the possibility of a switch between seasons 5 and 6, putting Francesca's story ahead of Eloise's. The first is a series of articles over the last month, using an interview with Julia Quinn. The articles talk about the introduction of Michaela Stirling, and the fan reaction to that, as well as the fan reaction to the swapping of season 3 and season 4, Julia also talks about how she is supportive of the change from Michael to Michaela. This could be a PR campaign to socialise the idea of Michaela ahead of the announcement of the season 5 lead, trying to soften the news - and this is how some have seen this approach. On its own this doesn't seem overly significant, but the season 4 wrap video may have given us another clue. In the wrap video we see the cast - led off by Yerin Ha - enter their trailers in costume and leave in street clothes waving at the camera as they leave, the final cast member is Luke Thompson. What is significant about this is that the penultimate cast members we see are Hannah Dodd and Masali Baduza, Francesca and Michaela respectively. For a production that is known for leaving hints and crumbs for the viewers and fans, this could be the final clue as to who will be the next couple, especially as we didn't see Claudia Jessie (Eloise) in the video.
With the information we have about season 4, from a storytelling perspective it could go either way for season 5, there is compelling reasons for the season to be either Eloise's or Francesca's, what we do know for certain is that nothing is certain with this production. Shonda Rhimes and Jess Brownell have both shown us that they are not bothered by fans opinions, and they are not afraid to swap seasons for their own reasons, which leaves nothing to be guaranteed.
