Bridgerton Season 5: Eloise or Francesca Next, Filming Starts This Month, Release Expected 2027

Yes, Bridgerton Season 5 is confirmed and coming — and the carriage is already rolling toward production. With Season 4 fully streaming on Netflix as of February 26, 2026, showrunner Jess Brownell has confirmed that writing on Season 5 has wrapped and cameras are set to roll this month. Here is everything fans need to know about the next chapter of Shonda Rhimes' beloved Regency-era romance.

Will There Be a Season 5 of Bridgerton? Yes — and Season 6 Too

Bridgerton is not going anywhere. The period romance series will return for Seasons 5 and 6, with Season 5 premiering in 2026. Netflix renewed Bridgerton for Seasons 5 and 6 in May 2025, with showrunner Jess Brownell confirming that Eloise and Francesca are confirmed as the next two leads — but in what order, she has not yet revealed.

Executive producer Shonda Rhimes has said she is aiming for eight seasons of the series — one for each of Julia Quinn's novels, one for every Bridgerton child. That blueprint makes Seasons 5 and 6 essential installments in the larger saga, and Netflix's renewal signals full confidence in the franchise's continued global dominance.

Bridgerton Season 5 Filming Starts This Month — Release Date Expected 2027

Season 5 is eyeing a March 2026 production start, and showrunner Jess Brownell confirmed that writing on the fifth installment has wrapped. "We are very close to going into production," she revealed. "It's really a funny thing to be preparing for production before we've even finished airing Season 4, but it's a testament to the fact that we're trying to get our trains to run a little bit more quickly — or our carriages, I should say."

If Season 5 follows a similar timeline to previous seasons — with filming beginning in March 2026 and production wrapping by December 2026 — new episodes could release as early as July 2027. Showrunner Brownell cautioned that seasons take eight months to film, then must be edited and dubbed into every language, placing the show on roughly a two-year production pace even while the team pushes to accelerate.

Eloise vs Francesca: Who Leads Bridgerton Season 5?

At the January 2026 premiere of Season 4, Brownell revealed that sisters Eloise and Francesca will be the leads of Seasons 5 and 6. Wearing a pocket square with the initials E and F, she told Deadline: "Both characters with the initials on my pocket square will get seasons in 5 and 6. In what order? I can't say."

Season 4's surprise post-credits scene continues the intrigue — Benedict and Sophie's wedding inspires the Bridgerton women to discuss whose wedding will be next. Eloise chimes in that she loves a wedding but only as a guest, while a newly widowed Francesca assures she is not looking to walk down the aisle a second time. Both responses are classic misdirection, leaving fans hotly debating online which sister takes center stage first.

Bridgerton Season 5 Plot: Eloise's Story or Francesca's Grief

If the show follows Eloise's storyline next, Season 5 would adapt the fifth novel, To Sir Phillip, With Love. It would see the return of familiar faces including Marina Thompson and Phillip Crane, who were last seen in Season 2. In the book, Marina dies and a correspondence develops between Eloise and Phillip, eventually leading to their falling in love.

The show has already diverged significantly from this plot — in Bridgerton, Marina is introduced as a cousin of the Featheringtons rather than the Bridgertons and is still alive, living with Phillip in a non-romantic arrangement. These changes have fueled speculation that Eloise's future may shift away from the books entirely. If Francesca leads instead, the season would follow her journey through grief after John Stirling's death, and her eventual romance with his cousin Michaela Stirling, played by Masali Baduza.

Bridgerton Season 5 Cast: Who Is Coming Back

Claudia Jessie and Hannah Dodd will have significantly more screen time in Season 5 as Eloise and Francesca. Masali Baduza has been confirmed to return as Michaela Stirling regardless of who leads the season. Ruth Gemmell as Violet Bridgerton, Florence Hunt as Hyacinth, Nicola Coughlan as Penelope, Luke Newton as Colin, Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury, and Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte are all expected to return.

Yerin Ha has seemingly confirmed she has already been sent material pertaining to Season 5, suggesting Benedict and Sophie will return. Due to busy schedules, how heavily Jonathan Bailey, Simone Ashley, and other leads from earlier seasons will feature remains uncertain — though they are expected back in some capacity. A new Lady Whistledown mystery will also deepen throughout the season, with showrunner Brownell teasing fans can expect plenty of chaos from the new gossip columnist taking up the quill.