Yearners, Wake Up: Bridgerton Season 5 Will Premiere In 2027

The break between Bridgerton seasons is always a slow burn, but the wait for Francesca and Michaela’s love story will be ever so slightly swifter.

During an upfronts presentation on May 13, Netflix announced that Bridgerton Season 5 will premiere in 2027. (The exciting news came via chief content officer Bela Bajaria, per Variety.) While that’s not necessarily right around the corner, it is a welcome change of pace for the Regency romance. Up to this point, seasons have aired every other year following the show’s debut in late 2020. #Franchaela’s season will be the first to arrive in a subsequent calendar year.

Indeed, showrunner Jess Brownell previously told Bustle that the series was “endeavoring to make everything quicker” production-wise. Specifically, she said, “I would say with Season 5, we’re on track — all things [considered], if everything goes to plan — we’re on track to either meet or exceed the year-and-a-half timeline.”

For those pulling out their calendars, production on Season 5 officially began in March, which means a summer or early-fall premiere date is not out of the question.

Of course, while the real-life wait might be expedited, expect some more time to pass on screen. Brownell noted that the show will make a time jump to honor Francesca’s mourning of her husband, John, who died suddenly in Season 4.

“It’s very important for Francesca to take a significant amount of time to grieve John, because he is genuinely so important to her, and is one of her great loves,” she said. “So it’s important to me that he gets his proper time before she finds great love with Michaela.”

Masali Baduza (who plays Michaela) echoed those sentiments in her own chat with Bustle, explaining that it’s “never been a competition” between Michaela and the memory of her late cousin, John.

“I think that Francesca’s love for John is real and valid. He is probably the first love of her life,” she said in February. “And her relationship with Michaela will never take away from what she has shared with John to this point.”

Season 5 marks the show’s first sapphic love story — a departure from the books, where Michaela was originally John’s male cousin, Michael.

“I feel really protective over her, and I would love for people to really get to know her, give her a chance,” Baduza said of her game-changing character. “I know it’s a shock, but I’m so proud to be telling her story alongside Hannah [Dodd], and I feel so honored to be trusted with this responsibility. It’s a huge, important step forward for so many people.”