If Julia Quinn didn’t tell us that each novel in her Bridgerton series was based on the romantic pursuit of every individual sibling, one would be blissfully ignorant of Francesca Bridgerton. While Chris Van Dusen and Shonda Rhimes have been somewhat faithful to the source material, it seems like Francesca somehow fails to make it to the script.
Portrayed by Ruby Stokes, Francesca is the sixth sibling and the third daughter in the family. In the show’s first season, Francesca is reportedly busy learning Piano at her Aunt Winnie’s in Bath, following the customs of Regency-era women who spent time with their relatives in the countryside.
While the courting season was in full swing, Francesca appeared quite later in the series, towards the very end. She was seen playing the piano to Colin’s songs while her siblings danced around them gleefully.
Francesca’s romantic journey is featured in Quinn’s sixth novel When He was Wicked. If Bridgerton continues up to eight seasons, one might get to see more of Stokes. Fans were pretty excited to see if Francesca would have more extended screentime in the second season, but alas!
The second season of Bridgerton arrived on Netflix on March 25th, 2022. It was based on Quinn’s novel The Viscount Who Loved Me and focused on the romantic endeavours of Anthony, the eldest Bridgerton sibling. Rife with forbidden yearning, sexual tension and responsibilities, the steamy and diverse season saw Anthony finding love in the spirited and independent Kate Sharma.
Although the spotlight was mainly on Jonathan Bailey’s Anthony and Simone Ashley’s Kate, the rest of the siblings, namely Colin, Eloise, Daphne and Benedict, were given attention and Penelope Featherington. However, Francesca remains in the shadow of ignorance.
However, the creator Chris Van Dusen, who loves the character, explained why they could not include much of Francesca in the two seasons. “We lost her midway through season two. After exhausting all other options, she, unfortunately, had to come out due to reasons beyond our control. Perhaps season three will be the charm,” he said.
Ruby Stokes left the Bridgerton set to work on the Netflix adaptation of a young-adult supernatural thriller titled Lockwood and Co. Stokes will be seen as the lead character Lucy Carlyle and thus, prioritised her role in the series scheduled for a late 2022 launch.
However, Stokes remained faithful to her previous gg and shared behind-the-scenes snaps from the sets, leading to fans’ anticipation about her return as Francesca in the third season.
It will not be until the sixth season that Francesca takes centre stage. Till then, let us revel in the brilliance of the other characters in this Emmy-nominated show. These characters are played by the reprising cast, namely Bailey, Nicola Coughlan, Adjoa Andoh, Phoebe Dynevor, Lorraine Ashbourne, Bessie Carter, Harriet Cains, Ruth Gemmell, Martins Imhangbe, Florence Hunt, Luke Newton, Claudia Jessie, Luke Thompson, Golda Rosheuvel, Polly Walker, Will Tilston and Julie Andrews. They were joined by new cast members like Ashley, Charithra Chandran, Rupert Young, Calam Lynch, Shelley Conn etc.
Watch Bridgerton season two on Netflix now.
