Bridgerton showrunner reveals why season 4 part 2 isn’t about Francesca and Michaela’s romance

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*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Bridgerton season 4 part 2.*

The first part of Bridgerton season 4 ended with a surprising new character, Michaela (Masali Baduza), appearing, and viewers are now eager to see how her connection with Francesca (Hannah Dodd) develops in the remaining episodes, hoping for a slow-burn romance filled with longing and meaningful glances.

After the heartbreaking death of John (Victor Alli) later in the season, the bond between Michaela and Francesca shifted from a potential romance to a deeper, more meaningful connection, as explained by Bridgerton’s creator, Jess Brownell.

When discussing the relationship between Francesca and Michaela in the fourth season, part two, showrunner Brownell explained to TopMob that she was inspired by the strong friendship between Michael and Francesca in the book When He Was Wicked, which served as the basis for Francesca’s storyline. She noted this was despite many viewers anticipating a romantic connection between the two characters.

There’s a brief, exciting moment when Michaela and Fran first meet. However, Fran doesn’t understand what that moment means because she isn’t very self-reflective and doesn’t spend much time thinking about her own feelings.

The story focuses on Michaela, Fran, and John building a genuine friendship. I especially love the scene where they’re all working on a jigsaw puzzle – it really shows how close they’ve become and how accepting they are of each other. It’s a beautiful moment in their journey.

As Brownell points out, Francesca is clearly struggling with emotions about living with Michaela when she returns to Scotland, but they quickly resolve their issues once Michaela arrives.

It’s really touching to watch them work through their issues and actually become friends. John’s passing ultimately brought them even closer, solidifying a bond I hadn’t expected.

Michaela is a reimagining of the character Michael from the original story, and a romance between Francesca and Michaela seems to be developing. However, it’s currently unclear when their relationship will fully bloom.

Brownell has already stated that seasons five and six will center on the stories of Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and Francesca, though the order in which their stories will be told hasn’t been announced yet.

Considering the difficult and isolating way season 4 ended for Francesca, season 5 might focus on her journey. However, Eloise could also be taking significant steps forward in finding love.

We’ll just have to wait and see!

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All four seasons of Bridgerton are currently streaming on Netflix. If you’d like to read the books that inspired the show, you can purchase the Bridgerton series on Amazon.

Don’t miss Bridgerton! Add it to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. Download the app now for daily TV recommendations and exclusive content.

Authors

Morgan CormackDrama Writer

Morgan Cormack writes about TV and streaming drama for TopMob. Before that, she was an Entertainment Writer at Stylist. She also has experience in content marketing and freelancing, and holds a degree in English Literature.

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2026-02-26 23:04