As far as great period dramas go, Bridgerton Checks all of the boxes. You may want to keep the party going after watching all eight episodes of the Netflix series. The only problem is Season two of Bridgerton isn’t coming out for quite some time. Knowing that we’ve compiled a solid list of historical dramas we know You’ll love to watch In the meantime. But before we start make sure to hit that like button and Subscribe to The Black Slate Studio.
Number 1: Vanity Fair
Born to poor parents, Becky Sharp (Reese Witherspoon) has always aspired to be a member of England’s upper classes. Leaving her boarding school and best friend, Amelia (Romola Garai), behind, Becky associates herself with the Crawleys, eventually falling in love with their son, Rawdon (James Purefoy). The marriage is happy at first, but deteriorates when Rawdon’s fortune dwindles. Becky is then supported by the lecherous Marquess of Steyne (Gabriel Byrne), whose motives are less than pure.
Number 2: The Great
The Great is a, follow-up to Bridgerton, particularly if you’re into the unexpected humor of Bridgerton. The series comes from screenwriter Tony McNamara, who previously proved that period pieces could be fun with his Oscar-nominated script for the film The Favorite, and follows a young Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning) as she’s shipped to Russia to marry Peter III (Nicholas Hoult) and ultimately overthrow him and rule on her own when her fantasies of a royally good time are crushed. It’s not as steamy as Bridgerton, but it is a whole lot funnier, especially Hoult, who shines as the spoiled doofus bro emperor.
Number 3: Dickinson
If Bridgerton was your first binge of a period piece that’s been unstuffed from the rigid stuffiness of the typical old-timey drama, then Dickinson is like a direct wormhole between today’s millennials and 19th century author Emily Dickinson. Emily, played by the wonderful up-and-comer Hailee Steinfeld, has aspirations to become a famous writer, while her traditional parents (Toby Huss and Jane Krakowski) prefer she settle down and be a housewife. The timeless story and era-appropriate clothing and sets are injected with modernity through present-day music (full on blasting tracks, not the undercover string quartet covers that Bridgerton did) and dialogue (pretty sure they didn’t say “stoked” back then), adding a fresh coat of paint to a genre otherwise reserved for the olds. Also of extreme importance, Wiz Khalifa appears as Emily’s obsession, Death.
Number 4: Poldark
In this film version of the British miniseries, set in the 19th century, the Poldark family is plagued by both new and old problems. Ross Poldark (John Bowe), who started a family with his servant Demelza (Mel Martin), must leave home to fight against the French. The family must also protect themselves from George (Michael Attwell), the head of the Warleggan family, with whom the Poldarks have longstanding issues. Meanwhile, Clowance (Kelly Reilly) must decide between two romantic paths.
Number 5: Gentleman Jack
Another period drama about love in 1800s England, HBO’s Gentleman Jack thankfully shows an alternative to the heteronormative romance and sexuality that dominates many of the other shows on this list. In a stirring performance, Suranne Jones portrays Anne Lister, a real historical figure who was a prominent landowner and industrialist. She also happened to be a lesbian, and courts her fellow landowner Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle) while recording the courtship through a series of cryptic messages that only she can decode.
Number 6: Gossip Girl
In the same way that Clueless is a wholly modernized remake of Jane Austen’s Emma, so too is Gossip Girl basically the mid-aughts version of Bridgerton. There’s an ensemble cast of characters causing scandals and falling in love, all encircling a core family-like group of friends, and all documented by an anonymous gossipmonger.
Number 7: Harlots
Taking place just a few years before Bridgerton and in a decidedly different part of London, Harlots follows a brothel owner’s struggles to singlehandedly provide a better life for her daughters. The series places women at the forefront—during a time in which they were all too often shunted to the sidelines—and also takes a very clear-eyed and empowering view of sex work, normalizing and destigmatizing the “oldest profession.”
Number 8: Downton Abbey
The beloved Crawleys and their intrepid staff prepare for the most important moment of their lives. A royal visit from the king and queen of England soon unleashes scandal, romance and intrigue — leaving the future of Downton hanging in the balance. The series takes place a century later than Bridgerton, but is just as jam-packed with society scandals, historical references, and a blunt take on the inherent classism of the British aristocracy.
Number 9: The Pursuit of Love
The Pursuit of Love is a three-episode miniseries written and directed by Emily Mortimer that stars Lily James and Emily Beecham as cousins and BFFs who come of age between the World Wars and drool over boys together, despite their wildly different personalities. Like many period pieces recently — especially Bridgerton. The story follows the adventures of the charismatic and fearless Linda Radlett, and her best friend/cousin Fanny Logan. Consumed by a desire for love and marriage, they both seek out the ideal husband.
Number 10: The Cook of Castamar
The show on this list that’s probably most like Bridgerton — on paper, at least — is the new Spanish series The Cook of Castmar, which debuted on Netflix in July 2021 after airing in its native country earlier in the year. Both shows are set in the days of wigs and extravagant dress, and both are awfully frisky, with lust the preferred hobby of its wealthy, privileged characters.
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