The Francesca and Michaela gender swap twist isn’t the only change from the Bridgerton book series that have left some fans dissatisfied.
Based on Julia Quinn‘s book series, Bridgerton centers around members of the wealthy Bridgerton family as they search for love in 19th century London. Each season is based on a different Bridgerton’s love story with Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page) taking the lead in season 1, which took inspiration from The Duke and I.
Season 2, meanwhile, adapted The Viscount Who Loved Me, which followed Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) finding love with Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). Despite Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) being the subject of the third novel — An Offer From a Gentleman — his love story with newcomer Sophie (Yerin Ha) was pushed to season 4.
Instead, the third season focused on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) as seen in Quinn’s book Romancing Mister Bridgerton.
“There’s eight Bridgerton siblings so there are eight books. We are definitely planning on following each one of their romantic stories,” executive producer Shonda Rhimes shared with Entertainment Tonight in March 2022. “We are not necessarily going in order. But we are going to be seeing each of the siblings and their story.”
The changes kept coming when Francesca (Hannah Dodd) met her match with husband John’s (Victor Alli) cousin — except Michael from When He Was Wicked got swapped for Michaela (Masali Baduza).
“I’m very happy for people to discuss and debate the show and our approach to adapting the books. But I want to state really plainly, there is no place for homophobia or racism or any form of bigotry in the Bridgerton world,” Brownell told Tudum in March 2026. “Bridgerton is about love and inclusivity.”
Brownell specifically defended the vision for the fifth season.
“I’ve said from the beginning that this show, in so many ways, is about allowing people to see themselves represented, allowing themselves to dream, and imagine themselves in these fantastical roles,” Brownell shared. “It never felt right to not be inclusive of queer love as well within that fantasy.”
Brownell reflected on the project’s “groundbreaking” storytelling, adding, “Obviously, there are a lot of great shows that have depicted queer love. We’re not the first by any means. But to make an entire Bridgerton season about a sapphic relationship feels huge.”
Keep scrolling for the biggest changes — or lack of changes — that have upset Bridgerton book fans:
The Controversial Sex Scene
Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page in “Bridgerton.” Liam Daniel/Netflix
Before diving into the shakeups, some may be surprised to know that there was one detail in Quinn’s first book that made it to screen — to divided reactions. Simon and Daphne’s love story took a turn in season 1 when her confusion about procreation led to her initiating consensual sex. However, Daphne then got on top and refused to let her husband pull out to prevent potentially impregnating her.
“As a show, we’re very clear about this being a time when a woman was told that her sole existence was good only for marriage and childbearing, with no value outside of her role as a wife and mother,” creator Chris Van Dusen told Esquire in 2021. “That’s exactly what Daphne says in the pilot. When it comes to the topic of sex and the actual practice of making those children or being a wife, she’s kept in total darkness. Her own mother, we see, doesn’t even tell her the truth about the matter.”
Putting Benedict on the Back Burner
Benedict, who is the second eldest Bridgerton brother, was expected to be the third lead and the decision to pass him over was met with some backlash.
Showrunner Jess Brownell, meanwhile, clarified why Benedict’s story was put on hold, telling Variety in May 2022, “Well, we already differ from the books a little bit because we’re an ensemble show. The books really focus on one on one romantic pair at a time and maybe the siblings have a little cameo here and there but they don’t have full stories.”
The Surprising Gender-Swap Twist
During season 3, which premiered in June 2024, fans met Francesca’s love interest (after her now-husband John). However, John’s cousin Michael from When We Were Wicked was actually Michaela on the show. Not every book reader was thrilled to see the change since they wanted a direct adaptation — including Francesca’s struggles to become a mother.
“The fact of the matter is, the fan base is not a monolith, and you’re never going to please every single side of the fan base,” showrunner Jess Brownell explained to Teen Vogue at the time about offering more LGBTQIA representation on screen. “In, for example, deciding to tell a queer story with Francesca, I spoke with Julia Quinn, I got her blessing.”
She added: “We talked about the fact that with almost any single book, there would be a side of the fandom that would be disheartened to see their favorite characters changed. I don’t think that there is any book that wouldn’t happen with, so for me, again, it came back to story, and it came back to character.”
Francesca ultimately became the season 5 lead and that was also met with some divisive reactions … but more on that later.
Benedict’s Book Being Brought to Life
Luke Thompson Liam Daniel/Netflix
Despite season 4 receiving an overwhelmingly positive response from most viewers — outside of the mistress offer controversy — those who read Quinn’s book were surprised by how the show changed the ending. In An Offer From a Gentlemen, Benedict sacrificed a lot more to be with Sophie while the show found a way to erase the obstacles posed by society.
The other side of the discussion was that Sophie deserved a happier ending so the changes were done in good faith — in addition to other cuts from Quinn’s book to better develop Benedict as a character.
Decreasing Screentime With Past Leads — And Talks of Recasting
As other members of the Bridgerton family got their own season, the leads from the past were featured less and less on screen. This caused outrage for those that felt Daphne (and Simon) played a much larger role in the other Bridgerton books.
There was also the point that Anthony and Kate only got together at the very end of their season so they deserved more screen time — especially with him being the man of the Bridgerton household.
Delaying Eloise’s Season — And Forgetting About Phillip Crane
Claudia Jessie and Chris Fulton Netflix (2)
With Francesca becoming the next lead, Eloise (Claudia Jessie) is once again awaiting her time to shine. Despite Eloise essentially being confirmed as the season 6 lead, some social media users felt that Eloise’s story was explored since season 1 so she was owed priority.
There was also the question of whether Chris Fulton would reprise the role of Phillip Crane after being missing from the show for multiple seasons amid fan rumors of characters being recast.
A New Lady Whistledown
Penelope’s identity as Whistledown was pulled from Quinn’s book series but some TV fans might be surprised to know that it was kept a secret longer on the page than on screen. As a result, season 4 shook things up by having someone secretly take over as the new Lady Whistledown, which never happened in the books.
