Top Period Dramas That Surpass Bridgerton in Quality and Charm

Netflix’s blockbuster series “Bridgerton” is packed with appealing elements. Rooted in Julia Quinn’s beloved historical romance novels, the show cleverly embraces anachronisms, featuring classical renditions of modern pop songs that have become its signature. Benefiting from the freedom of streaming platforms, “Bridgerton” indulges in bold, explicit storytelling, meeting the demands of adult romance aficionados eager to see their favorite book pairings vividly come to life.

However, despite its shining moments, “Bridgerton” often falls short of greatness. Issues such as the Francesca controversy and inconsistent chemistry among season leads contribute to its failure as a wholly satisfying book adaptation. While talented actors like Jonathan Bailey and Nicola Coughlin occasionally manage to shine, their performances are often hampered by mediocre scripts and inconsistent pacing. The series sometimes feels like it’s fumbling through narrative decisions as if patching up immediate plot crises without a coherent long-term vision.

For viewers seeking sumptuous costumes and intricate historical dilemmas reminiscent of “Bridgerton,” a treasure trove of period dramas awaits. While these series might not be backed by a built-in fan base of literary enthusiasts, they deliver some of the most compelling romances on screen today. These shows dive into rich narratives, offering layers of depth and drama that will captivate fans of corseted tales and handwritten letters.

While “Harlots” met an untimely end after three seasons on Hulu, it remains a noteworthy hidden gem for period drama aficionados. Set in 18th-century London, prior to “Bridgerton’s” timeline, “Harlots” is a provocative drama about sex work. Despite the risky territory it treads, the series provides a deeply nuanced portrayal of its characters, showcasing the unique agency that some women of that era managed to exert against societal norms.

Though the brothel setting is fraught with challenges, “Harlots” shuns cliché morality plays. Margaret Wells, portrayed by Samantha Morton, is a shrewd and caring brothel owner committed to her workers yet unafraid to usher her daughters into the family business. Her elder daughter Charlotte, played by Jessica Brown Findlay, is a captivating beauty revered for her allure but constantly navigating the whims of her benefactors. As the series unfolds, new characters and historical perspectives emerge, weaving in authentic romance and keeping viewers engaged with its rich storytelling.

Funnily enough, “Bridgerton” is not Netflix’s only dramatic period series. “House of Guinness,” which has only aired one season so far (though it has been renewed for a second), is about the Irish-British Guinness family and their brewing empire. Similarly to “Peaky Blinders,” the show follows a set of siblings who must navigate constant threats, challenges, and entanglements in order to retain their wealth and status, especially as a family without aristocratic heritage. Edward (Louis Partridge), Arthur (Anthony Boyle), Anne (Emily Fairn), and Ben (Fionn O’Shea) each have a distinct personality, complete with fatal flaws and opportunities for growth, and the series doesn’t back away from that complexity.

Unlike “Bridgerton,” “House of Guinness” is about many more things besides interpersonal relationships. The series — set in 19th-century Ireland — offers an interesting vision of the country’s political landscape at the time. As the Guinness family becomes more wealthy and socially prominent, they must still contend with the criminal element of Dublin that has worked in congress with their business for so long, as well as the Fenians and their fight for independence from Britain. The many overlapping factions and steadily rising stakes also provide an atmosphere ripe for dramatic romance.

Now that British historical drama “Victoria” is available to stream on Netflix, fans of romance and period dramas can enjoy one of the better historical screen adaptations to come out of the United Kingdom in the past couple decades. While there are people depicted in “Bridgerton” who did exist, like Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel), the series is almost completely removed from its own historical context. “Victoria,” on the other hand, is about one of the most formative monarchs in the history of the British Empire, and frequently addresses key historical moments that coincided with her reign, like the abolitionist movement and the invention of the postage stamp. It’s a genuinely interesting series for people who are curious about the past, but that doesn’t mean it’s short on romance.

Queen Victoria (Jenna Coleman) and Prince Albert (Tom Hughes) had one of the world’s most famous real-life love stories, and it’s a delicious treat to watch that story unfold with the benefit of gorgeous costumes, artful scene composition, and sensual actors. Coleman and Hughes have a necessary magnetism as couple and as individual performers, and they don’t disappoint as the centerpiece of the show. That said, the side romance between Victoria’s new dressing maid, Nancy Skerrett (Nell Hudson) and Buckingham Palace’s impressive head chef, Mr. Francatelli (Ferdinand Kingsley) is a surprisingly poignant subplot, as is the romance between a married court lady and Albert’s older brother, Prince Ernest (David Oakes).

The odds are good that anyone who’s familiar with “Bridgerton” is already aware of “Outlander.” “Outlander” was one of the first major adaptations of a literary romance series to find success on television, and it’s likely that “Bridgerton” wouldn’t have been made at all had “Outlander” not paved the way. “Outlander,” which aired its eighth and final season in Spring 2026, is just as good by the end as it was in the beginning. The series follows an English woman named Claire Randall (Caitríona Balfe) as she is inexplicably transported from the year 1945 to 1743 while on holiday in Scotland. While stuck in the past, she meets Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan)— a strong, noble, gentle Scot with beautiful curls.

As many people would, Claire falls quickly in love with Jamie, and Jamie is just as much a sucker for Claire’s steely, demure beauty and unflinching spirit. If life were kind, Claire and Jamie’s love story would have ended there. But life is not kind, and as such, they experience some of the most harrowing, genuinely despairing circumstances of adversity and separation ever faced by a fictional couple. “Outlander” is a genuinely epic love story — there’s never been anything quite like it, a story that manages to straddle the lines between sci-fi and fantasy, tragedy and drama. Every season of “Outlander” can be streamed, so hopefully more folks will have a chance to enjoy it. 

The most unique element of “Bridgerton” is definitely its unabashed anachronisms, such as the aforementioned classical covers of pop songs as well as the modernized social consciousness of its society and constant glitz of its fashion. They’re anachronisms, but they make the show more fun to watch, and give more opportunity for artistic license to fly free. “Dickinson” is another show that indulges in splashes of modernity. The series offers an interpretation of Emily Dickinson’s young adulthood in 19th-century Amherst, Massachusetts. One recurring motif shows Emily chatting with Death, who appears in the guise of Wiz Khalifa; another has each episode paying homage to one  specific Emily Dickinson poem. It is reminiscent of Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” in the sense that both depictions of real-life figures employ transcendent style to convey their character’s identity.

Hailee Steinfeld does a precise job of balancing Dickinson’s notorious interiority and her character’s attachment to people close to her. Ella Hunt shines as Sue, capturing a sort of gentle gravity that pulls in the kind of people who can usually barely help from falling into the sky. Together, Emily and Sue have one of the most compelling romances ever told on television. Add in the fact that Sue gets engaged to Emily’s brother, Austin (Adrian Blake Enscoe), and the show is cooking with gas before the end of Episode 1. “Dickinson” is worth watching just for the weird history jokes and lush visuals, but those things are just a cherry on top of a story that is uniquely emotionally compelling.