Why was Francesca recast for ‘Bridgerton’ season 3?

Across its three seasons (and one spin-off) so far, Netflix’s jewel-in-the-crown Bridgerton has earned itself a surprising number of cast changes. That’s mostly due to the constraints of its genre, as the show’s essentially a romantic anthology with different leads and red herring love interests coming and going.

Season 3 marks a big first for the Shondaland show, however, as a member of the eponymous Bridgerton family has been recast. One face glimpsed in the trailers may have confused fans, as it wasn’t someone we’d met before but they were apparently part of the cravat ‘n’ corset-wearing clan we’ve grown to love. That’s actually Francesca Bridgerton, now played by Hannah Dodd (Anatomy of a Scandal). But why did the series decide to replace a key character like this three seasons in?

Why did Hannah Dodd replace Ruby Stokes for Bridgerton season 3?

Francesca Bridgerton is the family’s third-oldest daughter, behind Daphne and Eloise, and the third youngest child overall, ahead of Gregory and Hyacinth. However, she was easily the least well-served across the show’s first two seasons. In season 1, she’s written out for much of the run because she’s staying with relatives in the country, while in season 2 she initially appears in scenes of the family together before simply going MIA without explanation in the second half.

Former showrunner Chris Van Dusen (who has now handed the reins to Jess Brownell for season 3) confirmed to fans at the time that Francesca’s vanishing act was simply due to scheduling conflicts for actress Ruby Stokes, who was also shooting fellow Netflix show Lockwood & Co at the time. Given the troublesome logistics of making both series, then, it maybe wasn’t a huge surprise when Stokes was announced to have left Bridgerton just two months after season 2 aired in March 2022.

In May 2022, the news arrived that Hannah Dodd would assume the role of Francesca from Stokes in season 3. At the same time, it was confirmed that Dodd would be a regular cast member, whereas her predecessor was only recurring. An updated character description was also provided, teasing a Francesca who is much less confident than her two older sisters:

 “[Francesca is] a bit of a mystery with her chatty, extroverted family. Despite her reserved nature, she goes along to get along when it comes to society affairs, fortified with a dry wit and pragmatism that confound the fickle ton yet seem to draw attention when she least desires it.”

Ironically, the makers of Bridgerton didn’t actually need to worry about Stokes’ scheduling clashes, as Lockwood & Co was ultimately cancelled after just one season once it aired in January 2023. Nevertheless, Dodd seems to have made an instant impression on the fandom and she certainly has a strong resemblance to Phoebe Dynevor, which makes her an uncanny choice to play Daphne’s younger sibling.

Now that she’s here, hopefully Dodd will stick around for the long haul. According to the book’s timeline, she should step into the limelight and get her own romance in season 6.