Fran's Arc in Bridgerton S3 Was… Surprising, but Don't Be Disappointed, Julia Quinn Says

Summary

• Many Bridgerton fans did not appreciate the gender-swapping of Michael Stirling.
• Julia Quinn was consulted about the change, and after much thought, she gave the green light.
• The author is adamant that Francesca's story will still be the most moving on the show.

There was a lot of excitement surrounding Bridgerton's third season. After all, Season 2 was released over two years ago, and it's also been over a year since the premiere of the spin-off Queen Charlotte. But Season 3 turned out to be rather disappointing despite the audience's high expectations.

Of course, there were many reasons for the fans' disappointment. And while the odd tempo of Penelope and Colin's romance is the main one, Francesca's arc also had a lot to do with the unfavorable opinion that Season 3 of Bridgerton left of itself.

In particular, fans of Julia Quinn's novels on which the Netflix drama is based didn't appreciate the gender-swapping of Fran's future love interest, Michael Stirling, who became Michaela on the show. But it seems the author herself wants to reassure viewers that Fran's upcoming season won't be a letdown.

Julia Quinn on Adapting Francesca's Story for the Screen

Julia Quinn's Bridgerton novel cycle was first published over two decades ago, but the first television adaptation didn't happen until 2020, when Netflix released the first season of the now-popular series. And since that first installment, Julia Quinn has been working with Shondaland creatives to make sure the adaptation works in the Bridgerton world she created.

According to the Bridgerton author, she was initially wary of new showrunner Jess Brownell's idea to turn Michael into Michaela, but once she was able to see the bigger picture, Julia Quinn's concerns disappeared. The most important thing for her is that we are able to see the depth of Francesca and John's love, however unconventional and different, which is something you cannot really say about the books.

'I'm confident now that when Francesca has her Bridgerton season, it will be the most emotional and heart-wrenching story of the show, just like When He Was Wicked has always been the true tear-jerker of the Bridgerton book series. Honestly, it may pack even more of a punch, since John is getting a lot more time on the screen than he ever did on the page, and I think it's fair to say we've all fallen a little bit in love with him,' Julia Quinn posted on her Instagram.

Anyway, even though the Netflix series doesn't really follow the order of Quinn's books, Francesca's season doesn't seem to be coming anytime soon. After all, in the books, Benedict and Eloise's stories are told first. And in this case, we have plenty of time to come to terms with the creative liberties Jess Brownell has taken with Fran's arc.

Source: Instagram.