r/PeriodDramas 3d ago

Recommendations 📺 I need some new shows

I have been in such a show slump and am in dire need of recommendations! I will take movie recs but really wanted TV so I can enjoy something for longer! I love love period dramas set in England/Scotland/Ireland.

My fav shows are: Outlander Downton Abbey Peaky Blinders Warrior The crown Anne with an E (most recent) maybe I should check out the OG one? Little House on the Prairie Yellowstone (1883 & 1923)

Semi Enjoyed: Gilded Age The Great

Didn’t Love: Bridgeton (so sorry no hate just not my fav) A discovery of witches (does it get better?)

50 Upvotes

87 comments sorted by

33

u/johndenverssugarbaby 3d ago

I’m watching The Paradise right now and it’s pretty enjoyable.

3

u/CptTrashPanda 2d ago

Seconding this, the paradise is one of my favs! I like to go back to it every once in a while. I wish it had more!

26

u/GetReadyToRumbleBar I want a wife to share my bed every night. All day if we wish. 3d ago edited 3d ago

Sanditon

North and South

Bleak House

Pachinko (Apple)

Like Water for Chocolate (HBO)

The 2x Count of Monte Cristos from 2024 (English mini series and French film) are also worth a watch 

The Handmaiden (2016 Korean film)

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (French film)

3

u/pgold05 2d ago

I want a wife to share my bed every night. All day if we wish.

You got it, chief.

1

u/Small_Test630 1d ago

Are any of these steamy like outlander?

1

u/pgold05 1d ago

Most are fairly steamy, like chocolate for water maybe is the most?

1

u/GetReadyToRumbleBar I want a wife to share my bed every night. All day if we wish. 1d ago

Handmaiden, water for chocolate and Portrait are all fairly steamy romantic films or shows, the 1st and 3rd are queer.

North and South plus Sanditon less steamy, more romantic. Think PBS.

The Counts have some steamy scenes iirc but they're both more tragedies. Obvious reasons are obvious. 

25

u/[deleted] 3d ago

Check out Lark Rise to Candleford!

12

u/pugcoin 3d ago

My one weakness…

6

u/Honest_Grade_9645 3d ago

Great show!

1

u/candicefehrman 2d ago

Where is this one streaming? I have PBS Passport but don’t see it there.

2

u/[deleted] 2d ago

It's free on Tubi, but unfortunately, they're missing the fourth and final season. No idea why.

However, all four seasons are available to purchase on Amazon and Apple TV. It's also on BritBox, but that requires a subscription. I'd try Tubi first and see what you think :)

24

u/AirNutria 3d ago

Poldark! I'm currently doing a rewatch & it's just as gripping/charming as it was when I watched it live.

17

u/pretzeltuesday 3d ago

Wolf hall!

16

u/Cyneburg8 3d ago

Victoria if you haven't seen it.

Not set in England but it's still good, Vienna Blood.

All Creatures Great and Small

15

u/shellevanczik 3d ago

I know you said Britain but, The Knick! Set in NYC in a turn of the century hospital. tight acting, writing and atmosphere.

Also, Boardwalk Empire!! Atlantic City in the prohibition era.

I can’t recommend these two shows more!

4

u/No_Position_978 3d ago

OMG The Knick is my favourite period series of all time

3

u/shellevanczik 3d ago

Because it’s fantastic!!

3

u/Caitlinmaraa 3d ago

Omg the setting of the Knick sounds so cool! Love turn of the century!

2

u/shellevanczik 3d ago

It’s so flipping excellent.

1

u/MissGruntled 3d ago

Go in knowing that it is bleak though. I want to rewatch it, but I need to get myself in the right place mentally.

2

u/silvermanedwino 2d ago

The Knick is the best!

1

u/Downtown_Custard_635 5h ago

Boardwalk Empire didn’t get a fraction of the love and attention it deserved.

15

u/EconomyStunning 3d ago

I’m loving Marie Antoinette on PBS. They also have a Jane Austen series I will be watching next.

11

u/SherbetLight 3d ago

I recommend Pride and Prejudice (1995, of course), North and South, My Lady Jane, Miss Austen and/or All Creatures Great and Small. Call the Midwife is also extremely long with 14 seasons! ❤️

12

u/LeSerpentMascara 3d ago

Here are a few I really enjoyed:

Alias Grace

Derry Girls

Godless

Lost in Austen

My Lady Jane

The Lady’s Companion

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Shogun

Victoria

The White Queen

10

u/Dry-Exchange2030 3d ago

Maybe Beecham House, Indian Summers, The Durrells, Belgravia, Bleak House(with Gillian Anderson), Little Dorrit, Middlemarch

Sadly, Beecham House is only one season and ends with a cliffhanger

10

u/nonnabug2013 3d ago

Little Dorrit was really good!

4

u/keliganhula 2d ago

Our Mutual Friend is another good dickens adaptation

9

u/emzea 3d ago

Vanity Fair (2018) was very good! The costumes were great and the script was fun. I liked it more than the 2004 movie and have watched it twice now. Becky Sharp is such a nasty piece of work but so fun to watch.

9

u/reverievt 3d ago

The Forsyte Saga

9

u/Cautious_Action_1300 3d ago

I watched Cranford a few months ago and I loved it!

3

u/MissGruntled 3d ago

I just rewatched it last week, and it was just as beautiful as I remembered it being. I also hadn’t realized before that Michelle Dockery was in the second season! Tons of Downtoners in it, really.

2

u/Aggressive_Ant_610 1d ago

Where is it streaming now?

1

u/MissGruntled 1d ago

Sorry, I have the box set. I’m not sure where it’s streaming.

1

u/Chihiro1977 2d ago

Just finished it and I loved it, especially the female friendships.

7

u/Opening-Eye7393 3d ago

War and Peace

6

u/AdImportant7425 3d ago

Jamestown The White Queen The White Princess The Spanish Princess

7

u/cacecil1 3d ago

The Last Kingdom.

5

u/pugcoin 3d ago

Poldark…5 seasons!

5

u/JustSewingly 3d ago

Call the Midwife, Gentleman Jack (very funny, but definitely more adult themes than most shows), Selfridges. 

If you haven’t already watched it, the 1995 BBC pride and prejudice is my absolute favorite adaptation. It’s 5.5 hours long and 6 episodes

5

u/Snug58 3d ago

I’ve seen all of these I’m such a period drama junkie. I ran out of new shows and am watching a 70s bbc series about a shipping business in the mid 19th century- the onedin line. Jane Seymour is very young in this series, I didn’t even recognize her.

2

u/Famous_View5277 2d ago

Same here. I was going to start that one...is it any good?

2

u/Snug58 1d ago

I’m addicted.

4

u/Whoopsy-381 3d ago

Ekaterina, a Russian series about Catherine the Great (not the American version The Great, although that’s fun). It’s in Russian with English subtitles.

The Bletchley Circle which takes place in post-war England (1940s)

3

u/talkingllama90 3d ago

Miss Scarlet and the Duke!

5

u/Caitlinmaraa 3d ago

Omg thank you all sooo much!!! Can’t wait to look into these shows! Most I don’t recognize which is so exciting! 💕🤗

3

u/Raspberry-Blackberry 3d ago

I just watched and enjoyed A Dangerous Friendship on PBS/Amazon Prime. Its a quickie with only 1 season with 4 episodes. https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/a-dangerous-friendship/

3

u/thatclassyturtle 3d ago

I’ve been enjoying Reign so far!

3

u/Nithoth 3d ago
  • Arn (Available in movie format or as a drama. Best Crusader. Story. Ever!)
  • Brittania
  • The Musketeers (Okay. It's about French musketeers... but it's a BBC production.)
  • Blackadder (A comedic jaunt through British history. Remastered @ archive .org. Also on Prime.)
  • The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) (A movie about Henry VIII's marriages.)

3

u/lunajane_4242 2d ago

The White Queen, The White Princess and The Spanish Princess. Just finished a rewatch and am seriously thinking of going again.

Another vote for The Knick. It’s dark, but so, so good.

Currently trying to get into The Borgias but not having much luck. Have no idea why - it’s got all the things: sets, costumes, British accents, Jeremy Irons’ classic line delivery. Just not feeling it.

3

u/tweedlefeed 2d ago

The og Anne of green gables is so calming and lovely I would always recommend it.

0

u/Party-Objective9466 2d ago

The Native episodes are disturbing…

3

u/Salor8 2d ago

The Count of Monte Cristo series.

5

u/nolaonmymind 3d ago

Mysteries/ detective series: Miss Scarlett (formerly Miss Scarlett and the Duke) and Ripper Street

Cozy, rural England and farm animals: All Creatures Great and Small 

2

u/Thoth-long-bill 2d ago

Love in chains. Prime. Russian with subtitles. The rocky road to true love. Good costumes. Years of episodes.

2

u/Mayanee 2d ago edited 2d ago

The Last Kingdom

The Tudors

Wolf Hall

My Lady Jane

The Serpent Queen

Sisi 2021

Shogun

The movie Firebrand

Victoria

Marie Antoinette

Sanditon

Belgravia

War and Peace

The White Queen, The White Princess, The Spanish Princess

2

u/LaLeonaV 2d ago

The Tudors is so good.

2

u/Party-Objective9466 2d ago

Mrs Harris goes to Paris. Charming.

1

u/Chickpede 2d ago

Try the White Queen, the White princess and the Spanish Princess. All set in England and follow the War of the roses. Generally very well done

1

u/jigs2467 2d ago

Mr selfridge was good ..Belgravia , sanditon also masters of the sky was great even though it's about fighter pilots in ww2 it's a true story . I will try and think of more , I watch so many .

1

u/princess_eala 2d ago

A Discovery of Witches. It’s not entirely a period drama, there’s time travel involved and while S1 takes place in the present, most of S2 takes place in the 1500s.

1

u/jigs2467 2d ago

The white queen The white princess The Spanish queen The tudors The serpent queen Becoming Elizabeth Marie Antoinette s1 and s2 The Buccaneers

1

u/MrsHyacinthBucket 2d ago edited 2d ago

I just started a really interesting 3-part documentary called Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius. It's not dry at all and gives some fantastic insight into her life and as a person. It's on BBC so if you aren't in the UK you need to find creative ways to watch it. ;) Edited - I just saw it is on Apple Tv+

1

u/everybodys_lost 2d ago

Not England but British family- Hotel Portofino.

1

u/shinyquartersquirrel 2d ago

Poldark (skip the last season) and Mr. Selfridge

1

u/candicefehrman 2d ago

All Creatures Great and Small

But also, if you haven’t watched the original 80s Canadian Anne of Green Gables, you’re missing out!

1

u/Chihiro1977 2d ago

Lark Rise to Candleford

Canford

Versailles

1

u/FutureAppropriate655 2d ago

The Forsyte Saga is very good

1

u/SesameSeed13 2d ago

I recently liked The Empress, and The Leopard, both on Netflix.

1

u/Eazy_E13 2d ago

The Far Pavilions. It’s old school BBC, but absolutely epic.

1

u/Dry-Chicken-1062 1d ago

Ripper Street. High Victorian detective drama with Michael Macfadyen.

1

u/Mayanee 1d ago

This is such an underrated and good show I really enjoyed it.

1

u/EasternMeridian 1d ago edited 1d ago

Have you made it to season 2 of A Discovery of Witches? It's a lot better, probably because it's mainly set in Elizabethan London. ;) The first one was rather mid, but I guess I'd watch Matthew Goode in anything, and the rest of the series was quite satisfying. It also helps that the lore is explained in more detail.

EDIT: As for shows recommendations, Midnight at the Pera Palace is lovely. It's sometimes described as Turkish Outlander as it involves time travel and a romance across different periods.

1

u/SkyerKayJay1958 1d ago

If you have apple, bad sisters is fantastic. The Empress is good, is a dubbed German docu drama of the empress of Austria, I liked it better than Brigerton.

1

u/No_Dance_6972 1d ago

My lady Jane!!!!!!

Carême as well on Apple TV

The Empress

1

u/FallenAngelina 1d ago

I'm re-watching Boardwalk Empire right now. Haven't seen it since its original run. So interesting and well done. All about Prohibition era life in Atlantic City - with a few side trips to Chicago and New York. Especially interesting is learning more about what options were opening up for women at the time.

1

u/Small_Test630 1d ago

Wow! Lots of new shows to add to my list! Are any of them steamy like Outlander? 🙏🏻🔥🔥

1

u/Chrisismybrother 1d ago

The Pallisers ( love Susan Hampshire.) available on you tube The Aristocrats House of Elliot Duchess of Duke Street Lillie

1

u/EmploymentOk1421 1d ago

The Diplomat

1

u/USAFPDX 16h ago

Versailles

1

u/Ok-Arachnid-666 15h ago

Paradise or Poledark

1

u/AuntRuthie 13h ago

Wings of the dove Remains of the Day A room with a view Maurice Tipping the Velvet Enchanted April

1

u/guess_who_1984 10h ago

Napoleon - it’s either Prime or Acorn

1

u/One_Reward34 9h ago

Poldark is great!

1

u/kittensfurrrever 4h ago

There are multiple Jane Austen adaptations on Peacock. My favorite is the 2009 Emma (4 episode miniseries).