Bridgerton, Shonda Rhimes' candy-colored, ultra-stylized period piece has been a legitimate sensation for Netflix, adapting the Julia Quinn novel series that itself owes plenty to Jane Austen (as does just about any Regency romance). With a large, rotating ensemble—led, perhaps, by Nicola Coughlan's Penelope Bridgerton, who is ably assisted by Adjoa Andoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ruth Gemmell, Polly Walker, and Julie Andrews (as the voice of the mysterious Lady Whistledown)—the show revels in the tropes of the literature of the era while turning up the dial on sex, scandal, and drama. With four seasons and a spin-off, Bridgerton doesn't show signs of slowing down—but it's hardly the only hot period drama in town.
The Buccaneers(2023 – )
While not quite going fullBridgertonin terms of hyper-stylization, this 1870s-set adaptation of an unfinished Edith Wharton novel isn't afraid to take several liberties in terms of costuming and music (see, for example, a key second season moment set to Sabrina Carpenter's "Looking at Me.") The buccaneers of the title are among the so-called dollar princesses of the era: Nan St. George (Kristine Froseth) and her friends are young women from upperclass American families on the make among the British aristocracy—the Americans get titles, and the English lords get to keep their frequently cash-poor estates running. What starts as soapy mercenary mission for the strong and spirited young women becomes a hunt for true love. It's been renewed for a third season at Apple.StreamThe Buccaneerson Apple TV+.
My Lady Jane(2024)
What if we did a steamy period drama involving England's first (if only for nine days) queen, Jane Grey? But with an oppressed class of humans who can turn into animals? Based on a book from Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows, the show stars Emily Bader as the titular queenly contender, dealing with a dying king cousin, a sketchy marriage, and competition from sisters Elizabeth and Mary. The magic and shapeshifting make the whole thing sufficiently bonkers and a lot of fun, kicking off with the invocation: "She could have been the leader England needed. Instead, history remembers her as the ultimate damsel in distress. Fuck that."StreamMy Lady Janeon Prime Video.
The Great(2020 – 2023)
Catherine the Great had a little bit of a moment a couple of years back, kicked off by that high-profile HBO miniseries starring Helen Mirren. This is not that. The opening credits offer up that this is an “occasionally true story,” so you know what you're in for. No real history lessons here, but a legitimately funny political satire, and of costume dramas in general, from the guy who co-wroteThe Favourite, and starring everyone’sfavouriteFanning alongside Nicholas Hoult. He plays Emperor Peter III, the husband who Catherine would ultimately overthrow, and the show plays on the sexual tension (and sometimes outright lust) between this married couple/political rivals always on the verge of either killing each other or ripping each other's clothes off.StreamThe Greaton Hulu.
The Gilded Age(2022 – )
Julian Fellowes made period drama buzz-worthy withDownton Abbey, and does something similar here while shifting the time and place to the 1880s in New York City. We're introduced to the world of upper and thenextremelyupper-class New York City society by Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson), poor relation to the estranged aunties who take her in, and Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), a young Black writer from a solidly middle-class family who becomes a secretary to Christine Baranski's Agnes van Rhijn. Old-money Agnes and sister Ada (Cynthia Nixon) live across the street from new-money social climbers the Russells (led with juicy imperiousness by Carrie Coon's Bertha); established society isn't keen on letting in these upstarts—though money very much talks. In one sense, the stakes here could not possibly be lower (Bertha wants a better seat at the opera! Twink footman invents a new clock!)—so why is the show so addictive? It's been renewed for a fourth season.StreamThe Gilded Ageon HBO Max.
Sanditon(2019 – 2023)
Sanditonis based on Jane Austen's final, incomplete work, which allows for plenty of creative leeway—it doesn't have the stylistic whimsy of Bridgerton, but serves as a purer distillation of the regency-drama thrills that Austen bequeathed to us. Here, the wildly independent Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) sets out to reinvent herself while moving to the title's growing seaside resort town (based, probably, on the real-life Worthing). She discovers that commercial prospects have drawn schemers and chancers to the area, creating a unique and vibrant social scene, with all of the balls and fancy costumes you'd expect. Naturally, romantic complications ensue when Charlotte gets judgy about the entrepreneurial Parker family and finds herself at odds with, and then getting close to, the wild youngest son, Sidney (Theo James).StreamSanditonon PBS Passportor buy episodes fromPrime Video.
Dickinson(2019 – 2021)
Dickinsonis so scrupulously weird that it gets points just for being unexpected. The most surprising thing about it, though, is that it's not merely idiosyncratic—it’s good. The show imagines the life of 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson, with the conceit that she didn’t fit especially well in her own time, a fact the show reflects stylistically through the casual use of anachronisms and more modern sensibilities (think Sofia Coppola'sMarie Antoinetteor, for that matter,Bridgerton). It’s also beautifully filmed and acted, and impressively light for a show about a figure as mysterious and haunted as Emily herself.StreamDickinsonon Apple TV+.
The Decameron(2024)
Moving the clock back a few centuries and heading to Italy,The Decameronis a funny, dark, ultimately surprisingly humane (after a fashion) show that takes on Giovanni Boccaccio's 14th-century short story collection withBridgerton-esque swagger. With the plague ravaging Florence, a bunch of nobles and attendants make their way to a countryside villa to wait out the plague and drain the liquor supplies. Rules and mores are turned upside down, particularly by the servant Licisca (Tanya Reynolds), who kind of accidentally kills her lady on the way to the villa and decides to take her place. Somehow, despite being about mostly terrible people, this makes for an entirely addictive binge experience that deserved a lot more attention than it got when it was released.StreamThe Decameronon Netflix.
The Tudors(2007 – 2010)
The show may play fast and loose with history, but does remind us that the Tudors were far hornier than all those archbishops would have us believe. The show’s Jonathan Rhys Meyers is quite a bit hotter and probably a fair bit more lovable than the actual sociopathic, serial-killing Henry—but many of the women characters give as well as they get (both politically and in bed), particularly Natalie Dormer’s Anne Boleyn.StreamThe Tudorson Paramount+and Prime Video.
Reign(2013 – 2017)
We didn't come here for historical accuracy, and this CW drama isn't offering much. Adelaide Kane stars as Queen Mary Stuart, better known as Mary, Queen of Scots, beginning the series as a teenage girlboss coming of age while also coming into her royal power. It's soapy, sexy, and a little bit campy—which I absolutely mean as a compliment.StreamReignon Prime Video.
Washington Black(2025)
With much of the heightened style ofBridgerton, but a steampunk aesthetic,Washington Blackfollows a young genius (Ernest Kingsley Jr.), once enslaved, with as inventive a mind and spirit as any Jules Verne character as he comes under the mentorship of Sterling K. Brown's Medwin Harris. That introduction to a larger world sets our lead off on a series of adventures that are whimsical without ignoring the particular dangers and challenges to be faced by a Black man in the 19th century. In the absence of more complex narratives about real historical figures, this show (and the Esi Edugyan novel on which it's based) at least centers the notion that Black North American history included innovation, progress, and even joy.StreamWashington Blackon Hulu.
The Cook of Castamar(2021)
Let's head over to Madrid, just a few decades earlier than Bridgerton, where Clara Belmonte (Michelle Jenner) has just taken a job in the kitchens of the Duke of Castamar (Roberto Enríquez). He's been a virtual recluse since the unexpected death of his wife, though now the King and various family members are pressuring him to get back on the horse, literally and figuratively, and fulfill his obligations as a noble. Clara, on the other hand, had developed a bit of agoraphobia following the execution of her father, and she's perfectly content to toil in the gloomy kitchens rather than go outside. Of course, the grieving Duke takes notice of her just as he's being plied with marriage prospects. Plenty of characters, subplots, and sex in this Spanish import.StreamThe Cook of Castamaron Netflix.
The Law According to Lidia Poët(2023 – )
A fun and fast-moving historical crime drama, the show (heavily) dramatizes the live of the real-lifePoët,Italy's first female lawyer—disbarred as the series opens in 1883 because LADY LAWYER?! WHAT? While she fights the ruling, she takes a job at her brother's law firm where, of course, she's the real brains of the operation, solving big cases in grand period style (and with a fair bit of sex, as well). It's been renewed for a third season.StreamThe Law According to Lidia Poëton Netflix.
Harlots(2017 – 2019)
Harlotstakes the historical costume drama in unique directions, and deserved more attention than it got during its three-season run. Its women aren’t dressed in fancy dresses because they’re royalty, but because they’re high-end sex workers (if the title didn’t make clear) in Georgian England. When Margaret Wells moves her brothel to Soho, she comes into direct competition with her own former madam, who runs a high-end establishment in the same neighborhood. It’s got more sex and moves at a faster pace than more traditional period pieces, and the chess game between rival houses (as they both fight the male-dominated law enforcement establishment) makes for juicy entertainment.StreamHarlotson Hulu.
Gentleman Jack(2019 – 2022)
Though her love dared not speak its name, the real-life Anne Lister certainly had no problem putting words to it—something like five million of them across her many diaries. So many, in fact, that the production of this show necessitated new transcriptions of works that hadn't been fully examined, despite having been written in the 1830s. Suranne Jones stars as Anne Lister, landowner and budding industrialist who returns to her inherited family estate only to discover that the neighbors are snatching coal from her land—and also that Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle), a wealthy estate owner, is looking pretty fine. It's a clever, funny series, and its use of Lister's prolific diaries gives it a real sense of verisimilitude in its depiction of a queer trailblazer.StreamGentleman JackonHBO Maxor buy episodes fromPrime Video.
Queen Charlotte(2023)
This one's probably obvious, given its direct relationship, but, just in case you missed it, let's give thisBridgertonspin-off series its due. Maintaining much of the original show's style, but with a laser focus on the title character,Charlotterather brilliantly crafts a passionate, tortured romance between the Queen (here played as a young woman by India Amarteifio, with Golda Rosheuvel reprising the role for the framing bits), and King George III (Corey Mylchreest). The pressures of royal life and the king's growing mental illness create a rocky road for the young couple, but their passion is moving and deeply, deeply horny.StreamQueen Charlotteon Netflix.
