Bridgerton Season 5: Filming Starts This Month, Eloise or Francesca Is Next Lead
Will there be a Season 5 of Bridgerton? That question is fully and definitively answered. Bridgerton Season 5 has been confirmed and will premiere in 2026 — with executive producer Shonda Rhimes already working on the new season before Season 4 even finished airing. Production is moving faster than any prior season, and the Ton is buzzing louder than ever.
Bridgerton Season 5 Production Starts in March 2026
Showrunner Jess Brownell confirmed that writing on the fifth installment had wrapped and told press: "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."
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 around eight months to film. If production starts on time, filming would wrap around November 2026, with post-production pointing to a realistic premiere window of spring 2027 at the earliest.
Shonda Rhimes Confirms 8-Season Plan and Calls Season 5 "Really Sexy"
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.
Rhimes confirmed Season 5 is "a really sexy season," while acknowledging she says that about every season — adding: "They're just sexy in different ways. And I think that's what's great."
Eloise or Francesca? The Bridgerton Season 5 Lead Mystery
The biggest unanswered question surrounding Bridgerton Season 5 is which sibling takes center stage. Showrunner Jess Brownell confirmed that Eloise and Francesca Bridgerton will star in the upcoming Seasons 5 and 6 — but in what order remains a mystery. "In what order, I can't say," Brownell told press.
Author Julia Quinn posted on Instagram teasing that fans will see Eloise's love story soon. In a photo collage captioned "Looking back… and looking ahead," Quinn asked actress Claudia Jessie if she had read the books, and Claudia replied: "I know everything." Fans took this as strong confirmation that Eloise's story is next.
A popular fan theory has also gained traction: a pall-mall scene from Season 2 may have predicted the exact season order. According to the theory, the order in which siblings hit their wickets matches their eventual season sequence. Eloise clinched the fifth wicket — placing her squarely in Season 5.
Bridgerton Season 5 Storyline: Sir Phillip and a Brand-New Whistledown
If Bridgerton returns to adapting the books in order, Eloise's story — To Sir Phillip, With Love — would be the source material for Season 5. In the novel, Eloise falls for Sir Phillip Crane, the widower of Marina Thompson. Chris Fulton portrayed Phillip Crane in Seasons 1 and 2, and fans are hoping he returns for Eloise's season.
A 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 Brownell 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 Cast: Who Is Returning
No official cast announcement has been made yet, but the returning ensemble is expected to remain largely intact. Benedict (Luke Thompson), Eloise (Claudia Jessie), Francesca (Hannah Dodd), and Violet (Ruth Gemmell) are all expected to return, with the full Bridgerton family ensemble continuing to anchor the series. New faces will join the cast once the lead storyline is officially confirmed.
Bridgerton streams exclusively on Netflix. All four seasons are available now while fans count down to Season 5 in 2027.
