‘Bridgerton’ Showrunner Jess Brownell Loves That Autistic Fans Are “Seeing Themselves” in Francesca: “I Encourage That”

Ever since Bridgerton Season 3 Part 1 premiered last week on Netflix, the fandom has been abuzz with talk of carriage rides, theories about Benedict Bridgerton’s (Luke Thompson) future love life, and wondering what exactly Francesca Bridgerton’s (Hannah Dodd) deal is. The third Bridgerton sister and sixth Bridgerton sibling emerged for the first time as a major player this season, making her debut in society. Because Francesca was so idiosyncratically unlike the rest of the boisterous Bridgertons, preferring the company of sheet music and constantly seeking peace and quiet, some fans began to muse that she might be a bit more than simply shy. The theory began to catch fire that Francesca Bridgerton could be on the spectrum and a recent discussion that Decider had with Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell seems to confirm this might be true…

Francesca Bridgerton has always been a bit of a mystery to Bridgerton fans, preferring to stay on the sidelines of the show’s action or, indeed, completely out of frame. Readers of Julia Quinn’s romance novels know that when Francesca’s book, When He Was Wicked, does come around, it does reveal that she prefers to keep to herself. However, Bridgerton viewers began to pick up on even more clues that she might be neurodivergent when they saw new Francesca actress Hannah Dodd’s interpretation of the character. This Francesca is obsessed with music, but seemingly for the math of it rather than the artistic pursuit of passion. She struggles to make small talk and misses some social cues. Perhaps most noteworthy, Francesca repeatedly finds herself overstimulated by the chaos of the ton’s balls, seeking solace in quiet corners of the rooms or altogether away from the revelry.

When Decider asked Bridgerton actor Victor Alli, who plays Francesca’s main Season 3 love interest, John Stirling, Earl of Kilmartin, if he and Dodd had ever discussed her character having a form of autism, he seemed a bit taken aback.

“I didn’t know that. No, I’ve never read that. I’ve never come across that. No, we’ve never actually considered [that],” he said. “I haven’t been anyway.”

While Alli might not have considered it, a recent Decider chat with Bridgerton Season 3 showrunner Jess Brownell reveals that the show’s writers certainly did.

“So Francesca was adapted fairly, fairly accurately to the way she is in the book,” Brownell told Decider. “In terms of not enjoying being around so much stimulation, liking peace and quiet, feeling a little bit more shy, having an intense interest in music…”

“So while we never intended to diagnose her in the room — and we didn’t, you know, set out to write a character who is on the spectrum — many of us did in the writer’s room discuss, ‘Oh, she does seem… Some of these traits that Julia Quinn set up do seem neurodivergent. Like she might be neurodivergent?'”

All of which is to say that if Bridgerton fans think they recognize signs of autism in Francesca, they might be on to something. Not only that, but Brownell hopes that Bridgerton fans on the spectrum can relate to the newest “diamond of the season.”

“I think that it’s wonderful that people are relating to that and seeing themselves in her,” Brownell said. “And yeah, I encourage it. I think it’s a beautiful thing.”

Once again, Bridgerton is giving modern day fans a vision of the Regency romance genre that has room for everyone.

Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 premieres on Netflix on June 13.