In late March, Netflix released a teaser trailer for Bridgerton season five, which began production earlier that month. The teaser revealed that the newest season will focus on the romance between Francesca Bridgerton, played by Hannah Dodd, and Michaela Stirling (Francesca’s late husband’s cousin), played by Masali Baduza. 

There has been controversy around the upcoming season, with some online who say they will not be watching the next season, for many reasons. In the past, there were individuals upset with the change in Michaela’s character, gender swapping the character from a man named Michael in the books to a woman named Michaela in the show. 

Now, there are many arguments for why people do not agree with this change, ranging from people who are upset about the inaccuracy of the books to the fact that the romance between Francesca and Michaela could never work out because they are living in 19 century proper society. 

Individuals have also made arguments about the lack of chemistry between the two characters since they were both in last season and audiences were able to see them interact in many episodes. Additionally, viewers are upset that Eloise is not the lead of season five, as many believe that since Francesca was one of the leads in the past two seasons, Eloise should have been the lead for season five. 

Those who are looking forward to watching the next season have refuted these arguments. Much of the discourse has surrounded Michaela and Francesca both being women, and some viewers point out that the reason people are upset about the next season is that they do not appreciate or are unwilling to watch stories centered around romance between two women. 

Other arguments include discussing how Bridgerton has never been book or historically accurate, and how Eloise is determined to be a spinster, so it makes sense for her character to hold off on getting married for a longer amount of time. 

As production continues and the press tour starts, more about the upcoming season will be revealed, and more discourse online will continue to shape the framing and viewership of the upcoming season.