Period dramas have always had the potential to become major sensations. With their lavish costumes, beautiful historical settings, and intertwined stories of love, class, gender, and much more, they are always a welcome watch.
But if you are over re-running ‘Bridgerton’ and want something new, here are some very refreshing underrated period dramas that you should give attention to next.
10. The Terror (2018-)
With its unique format, ‘The Terror’ tells a different historical story each season, blending it with supernatural elements. The first season follows the crews of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, two ships trapped in Arctic ice searching for the Northwest Passage. Nature shows its cruelest face, and the crew faces harsh conditions. From severe freezing to starvation, paranoia, and a terrifying supernatural menace, there are many things waiting for them in the dark.
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9. Black Sails (2014-2017)
Set as a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novel ‘Treasure Island’, ‘Black Sails’ is a beautiful historical adventure following pirates operating around Nassau. The series has a unique feature: it blends fictional characters with real historical figures and events. We follow the group of pirates as they hunt treasure, survive dangerous voyages, and fight to build better lives.
8. Hornblower (1998-2003)
Based on C.S. Forester’s novels, ‘Hornblower’ is a British historical war series following the famous Horatio Hornblower, a Royal Navy officer during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. We follow his journey from a seasick midshipman to fighting dangerous naval battles as a capable captain. The series has some very impressive production values and sweeping action that deserves more attention.
7. Bleak House (2005)
This fifteen-part adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel explores the injustices of the 19th-century legal system through a sprawling inheritance dispute. Lady Dedlock and John Jarndyce become entangled in the seemingly endless Jarndyce and Jarndyce case, while suspicion starts to grow all around Lady Dedlock. The series is atmospheric, very detailed and dramatically suspenseful.
6. The Forsyte Saga (2002-2003)
Based on John Galsworthy’s novels, ‘The Forsyte Saga’ follows the three generations of an upper-middle-class family from the 1870s through the 1920s. At its center are the rigid Soames Forsyte and his free-spirited cousin Jolyon, whose opposite values shape their family’s future. Across three decades, a sprawling tale of love, ambition, and resentment among the Forsyte family unfolds.
5. The Artful Dodger (2023)
A surprisingly overlooked recent series, ‘The Artful Dodger’ acts as a sequel to Charles Dickens’ ‘Oliver Twist’. It relocates the story to 1850s Australia, where Jack Dawkins, once London’s infamous pickpocket, has reinvented himself as a respected surgeon. He has a bond with the governor’s daughter, Lady Belle Fox, who aspires to be a surgeon. But Jack gets pulled back into the world of crime when his past catches up to him.
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4. North & South (2004)
A true gem among Victorian dramas, ‘North & South’ adapts Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel against the backdrop of industrial England. Margaret Hale moves from the South to a northern mill town, where she clashes with proud mill owner John Thornton. As their attraction grows, the series starts exploring class, gender, and workers’ struggles, balancing romance beautifully with social commentary.
3. The Knicks (2014-2015)
Set in early 20th-century New York, ‘The Knicks’ follows Dr John W. Thackery and the staff of the Knickerbocker Hospital as they push against the limits of medical knowledge. Brilliant yet deeply troubled Thackery becomes the new leader of the surgery staff and tries to balance his medical ambitions with his addiction. The series is a very unflinching take on medicine during a very dark period.
2. Harlots (2017-2019)
Another recent watch that is slowly growing more famous, ‘Harlots’ is set in 18th-century London. It follows Margaret Wells, a brothel owner determined to secure a better future for her daughter. But when she moves to Soho seeking wealthier clients, she finds herself locked in a dangerous rivalry with her former employer, Lydia Quigley. Clever, ambitious, and refreshingly female-driven, the series has some very sharp writing and some very complex characters.
1. The Duchess Of Duke Street (1976-1977)
A true hidden gem, ‘The Duchess of Duke Street’ is one of the most beautifully done period dramas. It tells the story of Louisa Trotter, a determined woman who rises from servant to renowned cook and eventually hotel proprietor in Victorian London. It is loosely inspired by a real woman’s career and remarkably takes up the themes of class dynamics, gender inequality, and changing social values of the era.
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