Bridgerton showrunner talks that big Francesca, Stirling cousin twist

Warning: This article contains spoilers about Bridgerton season 3, part 2.

Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) is a girl who knows her mind — or so we thought.

Throughout season 3, Francesca fell in love with John Stirling (Victor Alli), the Earl of Kilmartin. Despite protests from her mother and the Queen, Francesca chose John and pushed to marry him as quickly as possible.

But the final moments of the season brought a massive twist to those who know where Francesca's story is headed based on the books. In Julia Quinn's novel, When He Was Wicked, Francesca is a widow after losing her husband, John Stirling (sob, we hardly knew ye, quiet chemistry) — and she slowly finds herself falling for John's cousin, Michael.

It seems the Netflix series is headed in a similar direction, with one major change: Michael is now Michaela (played by Masali Baduza). And by the looks of things, Francesca is already stunned by the attraction she feels (if her face in the moment John introduces her to Michaela is any indication). That's right, Bridgerton is apparently ready for its first central queer romance — and showrunner Jess Brownell tells Entertainment Weekly that it's a shift that came with immense thought and reverence for the original novel.

"When I first read When He Was Wicked in the lead up to season 1, I really related to it as a queer woman," Brownell explains. "There's some themes in that book about Francesca feeling different. Julia Quinn just means it in terms of her being an introvert. But for a lot of us in the queer community, that sense of feeling different from a young age is a part of our stories. So, I felt like there was good thematic resonance telling a queer story with Francesca."

"And I didn't want to just insert a queer character to check a box," she continues. "I really wanted to tell a story about a portion of the queer experience. There's also a certain piece of Francesca's story historically that allows us to ensure a happily ever after for her and Michaela. It was really important for me in crafting a main queer story for us to give that couple a happy ending just like every other couple."

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Though whether or not that will come as soon as season 4, Brownell won't say. "You're going to see more of Michaela next season," she promises. "I can't say in what capacity, just in terms of not tipping my hand of where we're going. But there is going to be a relationship between Michaela and Fran, as per the books."

Still, don't mourn Alli's presence on the show too soon. "I also want to say that we're still honoring what John and Francesca have as well," Brownell adds. "I know a lot of people have really connected with that relationship. And something I love about Francesca's book is it's actually a story of two great loves. So we do intend to honor that."

All episodes of Bridgerton season 3 are now streaming on Netflix.