Could Francesca be the lead for Bridgerton Season 4?

There have been questions about the lead for Bridgerton Season 4 for some time now. There are two main options: Francesca or Benedict.

While a lot of fans would love to see Benedict’s storyline play out, Francesca’s took a turn at the end of Season 3. She moved to Scotland with her husband John, where she met John’s cousin, Michaela Stirling.

Now, in the books, Francesca meets Michael Stirling. The TV series has opted to gender-swap the character, and that will lead to a far more scandalous storyline for Francesca. This is 19th century Britain, after all!

Francesca may be the lead for Bridgerton Season 4

It certainly seems like the season will opt to follow Francesca’s storyline instead of Benedict’s. We got a little bit of Francesca’s in Season 3, which led up to her marrying John. The marriage to John isn’t the big moment for Francesca, though. It’s all about another love affair.

The website Spotlight did send out a casting call for a lead in Bridgerton Season 4 back in December 2022, according to a Reddit snooper. This would suggest the casting for Michaela, especially when you consider the casting was for a Black actress to come into Season 3 and then get a bigger storyline in Season 4.

Francesca meets Michael in the books, but it’s not a love affair. You see, John dies two years into his marriage to Francesca. She needs a new husband, and she turns to John’s cousin.

This is going to be far more scandalous in the TV series. Homosexuality is illegal at this point in time. There is no way that the Bridgerton family could manage this sort of thing. If Francesca is the lead for Bridgerton Season 4, there is no way that her story could follow the exact storyline from the books as marriage would be off the table. A lot of Michael’s story would need to be changed substantially to suit a female in that position.

Could, instead, John not die and Francesca be allowed a love affair while still married to John out of duty and honor? That could be interesting.