‘Bridgerton’: Francesca & Michaela’s Season Is One We’ve ‘Never Really Seen Done on TV’

Bridgerton‘s fifth season is on the way, and when it comes to Francesca’s (Hannah Dodd) love story with Michaela (Masali Baduza), that was always the vision showrunner Jess Brownell had for the Shondaland hit.

Brownell got candid about the desire to explore a queer romance within the franchise, noting during an interview on the Suite 305 with Lele Pons podcast, “So that was actually the very first conversation I had with Shonda when she asked me to be showrunner.” As fans know, Brownell took over for Chris Van Dusen after Season 2’s run, ushering in the latest chapters of the show based on Julia Quinn’s novels.