THE RED CARPET STUNT THAT BROKE THE INTERNET
The Bridgerton machine is back in full swing, and showrunner Jess Brownell just turned the Season premiere into a massive riddle that has the entire fanbase spiraling. While the cast was busy looking pretty for the cameras on Wednesday, January , Brownell decided to play a high-stakes game of “Guess Who” with the future of the franchise. In a move that screams “look at me,” she walked the carpet sporting two white pocket squares embroidered with the initials “E” and “F”.
This wasn’t a fashion statement; it was a calculated breadcrumb trail. Brownell confirmed to Deadline right there on the carpet that these initials officially stand for Eloise (played by Claudia Jessie) and Francesca (played by Hannah Dodd). These two are locked in as the leads for Seasons and . But in true Netflix fashion, there is a catch. Brownell smirked and refused to say who is going first.
“Both characters with the initials on my pocket squares will get seasons in and in ,” she teased, loving the chaos she was creating. “In what order? I can’t say.”
Why the secrecy? Insiders suspect the writers haven’t even decided yet, or worse—they are terrified of the backlash depending on which direction they choose. By dangling both names, they are keeping the fandom at war with itself, debating whether the rebel Eloise or the controversial Francesca deserves the next spotlight.
“Stop playing games with us! We waited two years for this? Just tell us who is next so we can prepare ourselves.”
This stunt effectively distracts from the fact that Season hasn’t even fully dropped yet, and we are already stressing about storylines that won’t air until likely at this snail’s pace. It is a masterclass in deflection.
THE “MICHAELA” BACKLASH RELOADED
Let’s address the elephant in the ballroom. The reason Francesca’s upcoming season is such a hot button issue isn’t just because of her character—it is because the showrunners detonated a nuclear bomb on the book canon. In the season finale that had purists throwing their remote controls, Francesca’s future love interest, known in the books as Michael Stirling, was gender-swapped to Michaela Stirling (played by Masali Baduza).
This change has divided the fanbase right down the middle. By confirming Francesca is on deck for Season or , Brownell is effectively telling fans that the queer romance storyline is coming sooner rather than later. For a show that built its empire on adhering to the romantic beats of Julia Quinn’s novels, this deviation is the biggest gamble in the franchise’s history.
Fans are already flooding social media with conspiracy theories. Is Netflix pushing Francesca back to Season to let the heat die down? Or will they fast-track her to Season to rip the bandage off? The chemistry between Francesca and her current husband John (Victor Alli) is just the appetizer for the drama that Michaela’s arrival is going to cause.
CLAUDIA JESSIE PLAYS DUMB WHILE FANS DEMAND ANSWERS
Meanwhile, Claudia Jessie, who plays the fan-favorite Eloise, is pulling a classic Hollywood “I know nothing” act. When cornered by reporters on the red carpet and asked about her turn as the lead, she gave a response so rehearsed it could have been written by a PR bot.
“I wish I could say that I have started working on [Eloise’s story],” Jessie claimed on Wednesday. “That would make me seem like such a professional as well, if I was starting to work on it.”
Do we really believe that the lead actress of a billion-dollar franchise has zero clue what is happening with her character? Please. Eloise has been spinning her wheels for three seasons, and fans are getting impatient. Her book romance involves Phillip Crane (played by Chris Fulton), a character who has barely had any screen time. If Eloise is next, the show has a massive amount of legwork to do to make us care about Phillip.
Jessie’s coyness suggests that things behind the scenes are in flux. With the writers room constantly shifting the timeline—remember how they skipped Benedict to do Colin first?—nobody is safe. Jessie might be playing dumb because the script changes daily.
THE TWO-YEAR WAIT: IS NETFLIX KILLING THE HYPE?
Here is the scandalous reality that nobody at the premiere wanted to talk about: the production schedule is an absolute disaster. Brownell previously admitted to The Hollywood Reporter that the show is on a “two-year pace.” Two. Years.
“We are working to try and put the seasons out more quickly, but they do take eight months to film,” she made excuses in June . “The writing takes a very long time as well.”
Let’s do the math. Season drops in early . If they keep this pace, Season won’t hit until . Season in . Are we expected to care about the Bridgerton siblings well into the next decade? This sluggish rollout is killing the momentum. Fans are aging out of the demographic while the showrunners take their sweet time “dubbing into every language.”
“I will be in a nursing home by the time Hyacinth gets her season. This -year gap is disrespectful.”
The “pocket square” reveal feels like a desperate attempt to keep people engaged during the massive droughts between seasons. They are feeding us crumbs because they know the meal is years away.
THE BATTLE FOR SEASON : ELOISE VS. FRANCESCA
So, who wins the slot for Season ? It is a cage match between two very different vibes. If they go with Eloise, they are playing it safe with a beloved character and a potentially traditional romance (unless they change Phillip too). If they go with Francesca, they are diving headfirst into the controversial gender-swap storyline that has purists sharpening their pitchforks.
Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) finally gets his moment in Season , which cleaned up the “skipped brother” mess. But now we have a new problem. Francesca’s story in the books is a slow burn that spans years of widowhood. Rushing her into Season seems aggressive, but leaving Eloise on the shelf for another four years seems cruel.
There are whispers that Netflix might combine storylines or run them concurrently to speed things up, but Brownell’s “E and F” comment suggests distinct seasons. The ambiguity is driving fans crazy, and frankly, it feels like the showrunners are enjoying the torture a little too much.
JULIA QUINN DOING DAMAGE CONTROL
Author Julia Quinn is stuck in the middle of this firestorm, trying to keep the book fans happy while supporting the Netflix changes that are making her even richer. She has gone on record defending the structural changes, claiming that TV has “different needs.”
“My hope is that all the siblings will eventually take the lead,” she told Us Weekly, sounding more like a hopeful bystander than a creative authority. “I know who is scheduled next. It could always change, like [the order] has changed in the past.”
Even the creator admits the order is fluid! This lack of concrete planning is what makes fans nervous. Quinn’s defense of the “ensemble” approach is a nice way of saying “we are stretching this out as long as possible.” She is playing the diplomat, but you have to wonder what she really thinks about her characters being reshuffled like a deck of cards.
THE CLIFFHANGER: WILL THE SHOW SURVIVE ITS OWN AMBITION?
With Season dropping in two parts—Part on January and Part on February —we are about to enter another long hibernation. Brownell’s teaser confirmed the who, but the when is the real killer. By the time we get to Season , the landscape of streaming TV could be completely different.
Will audiences stick around for an Eloise season in ? Will the Francesca controversy tank the ratings before she even gets her lead moment? The pocket squares were a cute trick, but they can’t hide the fact that Bridgerton is playing a dangerous game with fan patience. The ton is buzzing, but the whispers aren’t all polite—they are asking if this show can survive its own ego and sluggish production timeline.
