The biggest shift in Bridgerton Season 5 is the rumored new leading lady — Hannah Dodd returning as Francesca Bridgerton, but this time with a radically different emotional arc. After her quiet marriage storyline, sources and fan theories suggest Francesca’s true love story may unfold with a woman, turning her season into the most intimate and controversial chapter yet

Which Cast Members Are Returning to Bridgerton for Season 5

Watch: 4 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets About Bridgerton

THE RUNDOWN

Season 5 of Bridgerton may focus on either Eloise or Francesca.

Season 4 ended with big changes for certain cast members.

The showrunner has commented on recasting.

Season 4 of Bridgerton came to its conclusion this week, sending Benedict and Sophie off on their happy ending. With season 5 ahead, fans are wondering who they can expect to see back. There are many more members of the Bridgerton family who will have their stories told, but it’s a big cast and there are some questions about their future.

Showrunner Jess Brownell told Forbes on February 28 that some choices depend on who will lead season 5. It’s rumored to be either Eloise or Francesca, who lost her husband, John, this season, leaving her a widow. Francesca is expected to be paired with John’s cousin, Michaela, who was originally “Michael” in Julia Quinn’s book .

“I think if we’re thinking about someone like Eloise, actually, her relationship with Kate, as well as her relationship with Penelope, are really important relationships,” Brownell explained. “So those are two characters I would really expect to see. When we talk about Francesca, she doesn’t realize it yet, but she has a bit of overlap with Benedict in terms of queerness. So that is a relationship I would want to see when we get to Francesca’s season.”

Season 1 of Bridgerton focused on Daphne, played by Phoebe Dynevor, who came back briefly for season 2. When her character didn’t return for season 3, Dynevor told Variety, “I did my two seasons. I’ve done what I wanted to do with that character, and she had a great arc. If they ask me back in the future, who knows [though]?”

Daphne’s love interest, Simon Basset, is played by Regé-Jean Page, who stepped away from the show after season 1. On February 28, Brownell told Variety that she didn’t know if either character would ever return, but she had no intention of recasting them.

“We are not interested in recasting the characters,” Brownell insisted. “I think it would feel like a disservice to everything Regé and Phoebe set up in season 1, and all the beautiful work they put into those characters.”

She continued, “We would love to potentially have them back at some point, but I think, logistically, we want to make sure we bring them back when we have something really meaty for them. And to have them come back to say a line at a funeral [in season 4] and just prove that they were there, it wouldn’t feel right for many reasons.”

Brownell believes that all of the characters are “hypothetically there” even if they don’t make an appearance, but she “would love to find a time to bring everyone back at some point in the future.”

Season 4 also watched Lady Danbury, played by Adjoa Andoh, bid farewell to Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel), to go on a long-desired trip. But Brownell told The Wrap that it doesn’t mean Lady Danbury won’t be on the show. She added that it was “more about shaking up the dynamic.”

“Now that Danbury and the queen have been through their conflict this season, I think going forward, the queen is going to be able to see Danbury much more as a peer,” Brownell said.

Other characters that have returned since their official season include Kate and Anthony, played by Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey. Their love story was told in season 2; however, they have made appearances in both seasons 3 and 4. So did Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton) after their season 3 focus. So, while there’s no official word yet, they are most likely to be seen again.