Bridgerton Season 5: Filming Starts This Month, Eloise or Francesca Leads Next
Bridgerton Season 5 is no longer a distant hope — it is arriving faster than any season before it. With Season 4, Part 2 completing its Netflix run on February 26, 2026, showrunner Jess Brownell confirmed that writing on Season 5 has already wrapped and cameras are set to roll this very month. Brownell confirmed that writing on the fifth installment had wrapped and told TVLine: "We are very close to going into production. It's really a funny thing to be preparing for production before we've even finished airing Season 4."
Season 5 Bridgerton Filming Begins in March 2026 in the UK
The pace of production has noticeably accelerated. Production on Season 5 is scheduled to begin sometime in March 2026, taking place across locations in the United Kingdom, including the permanent Georgian back lot built at Shepperton Studios outside London — a facility specifically constructed to speed up the Bridgerton production cycle.
Bridgerton seasons typically take about eight months to film. If production gets started on time, filming would wrap around November 2026, with post-production adding several more months before release — pointing to a realistic premiere window of spring 2027 at the earliest.
Will There Be a Season 5 of Bridgerton? Yes — And Season 6 Is Confirmed Too
The question of whether there will be a Season 5 of Bridgerton is definitively settled. Netflix renewed Bridgerton for both Seasons 5 and 6 in May 2025, and executive producer Shonda Rhimes appeared on the official Bridgerton podcast to confirm the writers are actively working on Season 5.
Shonda Rhimes has long stated her ambition to run the series for eight full seasons — one for each sibling in the Bridgerton family. With Seasons 5 and 6 now confirmed, the franchise is firmly past its halfway point and showing no signs of slowing down.
Bridgerton Season 5 Cast: Eloise and Francesca Lead Seasons 5 and 6
The Bridgerton cast mystery surrounding Season 5 is the biggest conversation in the fandom right now. Showrunner Jess Brownell revealed at the Season 4 Paris premiere, while wearing a pocket square embroidered with the initials "E" and "F," that both characters will lead Seasons 5 and 6 — but declined to confirm the order.
The full returning Bridgerton cast is expected to include Claudia Jessie as Eloise, Hannah Dodd as Francesca, Luke Thompson as Benedict, Ruth Gemmell as Violet, and Nicola Coughlan as Penelope, among others. Netflix has not yet announced any new cast additions for Season 5.
Eloise or Francesca: Who Leads Season 5 Bridgerton?
This is the central debate gripping Bridgerton fans heading into production. If the series follows Julia Quinn's novel order, Season 5 would adapt "To Sir Phillip, With Love," centering on Eloise falling for Sir Phillip Crane — a character already introduced and played by Chris Fulton in earlier seasons.
However, Season 4 set up a compelling case for Francesca to lead Season 5 instead. The Season 4 finale saw Francesca's husband John Stirling unexpectedly die, leaving her a young widow — precisely the setup for her emotionally complex love story with his cousin Michaela, a gender-swapped version of Michael Stirling from Quinn's novel "When He Was Wicked."
Shonda Rhimes Teases What Season 5 Bridgerton Has in Store
Shonda Rhimes is not holding back her enthusiasm for what is coming. Rhimes has called Season 5 a "really sexy season," while acknowledging that every season carries that description — adding that each one is simply sexy in a different way. Given that the writers' room has fully completed its work, the creative vision for Season 5 is already locked in.
One major thread carrying over from Season 4 is the new Lady Whistledown mystery. Penelope Bridgerton retires her gossip column in the Season 4 finale, but showrunner Brownell has confirmed viewers should "expect plenty of mess" from the new Whistledown in Season 5 — setting up an entirely fresh scandal at the center of the Ton.
Bridgerton Season 5 Release Date Outlook
No official premiere date has been set by Netflix. If Season 5 follows a similar timeline to Season 4 — which began filming in September 2024 and premiered in January 2026 — then a March 2026 production start could result in new episodes releasing as early as July 2027.
Given the production's history of lengthy shoots and the scope of the series, a spring or summer 2027 debut remains the most realistic estimate, though Netflix has not locked in any official date. What is clear is that the carriages are already moving — and Season 5 Bridgerton is closer than fans might think.
