“Bridgerton” is straying from their usual two-year release pattern, with Netflix confirming the next installment is coming next year. The upcoming season continues the adaptation of Julia Quinn’s novels, with season five shifting focus to a new romance plot with Francesca Bridgerton, played by Hannah Dodd. Production on the eight-episode season is already underway in the UK. According to the official logline, “Two years after losing her beloved husband John, Fran decides to reenter the marriage mart for practical reasons. But when John’s cousin Michaela (Masali Baduza) returns to London to tend to the Kilmartin estate, Fran’s complicated feelings will have her questioning whether to stick to her pragmatic intentions or pursue her inner passions.”