More Evidence Season 5 Of Bridgerton Will Be About Eloise (And Not Francesca)

Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie Baek’s love story is officially streaming in full (via Netflix subscription), but now that Bridgerton’s fourth season has wrapped on the 2026 TV schedule, it’s time to look towards Season 5. Netflix renewed the Regency romance drama for Seasons 5 and 6 last year, but it’s still unknown which Bridgerton sibling, between Eloise and Francesca, is next. But there is more evidence that Eloise will finally get her love story.

Going by the order of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton novels, Eloise would presumably be the focus of the next batch of episodes. However, the book-to-screen adaptation has strayed from the book orders before, putting Colin before Benedict, so now it’s hard to tell. Showrunner Jess Brownell confirmed that Claudia Jessie’s Eloise and Hannah Dodd’s Francesca would be up next across Seasons 5 and 6, but didn’t specifically reveal which would come first.

Now, it seems like a new piece of evidence has dropped that Eloise and Sir Phillip Crane will finally get their love story.

A Reddit user shared a behind-the-scenes image in the Bridgerton subreddit, showing what seems to be Eloise on the swings, joined by her little sister, at some point after John’s death. The scene in question was apparently deleted from the final cut for the episode, and features a very sweet heart-to-heart between Eloise and Francesca.

The comment section features quite a few fans speculating that this meaningful moment was cut out because it would have more or less confirmed that Eloise is next up for the spotlight. Especially after two other conversations already go hard on indicating Season 5 will be centering on her.

Unfortunately, Bridgerton Season 4 didn’t really give her much growth and development. She was still dreading finding a husband and did not want to re-enter society, convinced she’d spend her life as a lowly spinster. I was hoping that the later episodes would start to formally set up her season in earnest, with her eventually writing letters to Phillip. matcing up with how her story begins in the source material. Unlike the clear indicator at the end of Season 3, Season 4 did not heavily point to whether Eloise or Francesca was next.

That being said, if Eloise is not next, Bridgerton seriously needs to find a narrative arc for her. The longer the show waits before digging into her season, the harder it will be to believe that Eloise has actually set her sights on a man after avoiding them for so long. If Eloise is not next, this could also give Bridgerton time to properly set up her season, rather than rushing into it.

However, having read To Phillip, With Love, I do desperately need to see it come to life. It does seem like signs are pointing in Eloise’s direction, and considering Francesca’s book doesn’t really start until a while after John’s death, it’s possible that the show would want to focus on Eloise to give Fran some more time to grieve, and for her relationship with Michaela to blossom. Hopefully, Netflix makes the announcement soon, because either way, I am tired of waiting.