Top 10 Romantic Period Drama Series for Bridgerton Fans
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00:00Do you like me?
00:03I could learn to.
00:04Welcome to Ms Mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the
00:08swooniest period shows we think Bridgerton fans will love.
00:11Some mild spoilers are mentioned.
00:14How frugal and punctilious you are in all of your duties.
00:18Oh yeah, I'm a real catch.
00:21Number 10.
00:22Emma.
00:22Who will you dance with?
00:25Why you?
00:27If you will ask me.
00:28Most period drama aficionados will already be familiar with Colin Firth's Mr Darcy in
00:33his wet shirt, but Pride and Prejudice isn't the only Jane Austen miniseries worth watching.
00:382009's Emma is a real treat for fans of the genre.
00:41The costumes are gorgeous, the music is uplifting, and the slow build romance is everything.
00:48Now we have both made our argument, let us not quarrel.
00:52Really, it is better to be without wits than apply them as you do, Emma.
00:55There, don't you see how you add force to my argument?
00:59Ramala Garai and Johnny Lee Miller are perfect as Jane Austen's
01:02ultimate friends-to-lovers couple, arguing, scolding, and teasing each other by turns.
01:08Settle in for a heartwarming journey with lovable characters,
01:11gentle wit, and even a hint of mystery.
01:14I cannot make speeches.
01:19If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.
01:22Number 9.
01:23Victoria.
01:24We tend to think of Queen Victoria in her later years, grieving and dressed in black.
01:28We know how her life ends, but how did her story begin?
01:32Yes, I think before your first levée, we should probably try to find a throne that fits.
01:37It is hard to be dignified when your feet are six inches from the floor.
01:40This lavish historical series tells the tale of a young Victoria,
01:44fresh to the throne and ready to fall in love.
01:46Jenna Coleman stars as the diminutive monarch,
01:49while Tom Hughes plays the German prince who will ultimately win her heart.
01:53This country has a past as well as a future.
02:03Do you think our future might involve more of this?
02:10Their love story is as romantic as you might expect,
02:13but Prince Albert isn't the only man in Victoria's life.
02:16In Series 1, we also meet the dashing Lord Melbourne,
02:19Victoria's first prime minister, played to perfection by Rufus Sewell.
02:23Through you I've been given a reason to continue.
02:29And you must do the same.
02:31Number 8.
02:32The Empress.
02:46Historical dramas often focus on jolly old England,
02:49but The Empress takes us across the sea to the Austrian royal court.
02:52Elisabeth von Wittelsbach, sometimes called Sisi,
02:56is a 16-year-old duchess from Bavaria who accompanies her elder sister
03:00to meet with her future fiancé, Franz Josef of Austria.
03:03When the archduke falls for the wrong sibling, however,
03:06Sisi's thrown into a world of political intrigue and scheming and laws.
03:10The German-language series is based on real events,
03:14but the love story between the central characters is straight out of a fairy tale.
03:18With elaborate costuming and stunning real-life locations,
03:21it's hard not to be swept up in this sumptuous coming-of-age romance.
03:41Number 7.
03:42Belgravia and Belgravia the Next Chapter.
03:45If you love Downton Abbey as well as Bridgerton,
03:47then you should definitely check out Belgravia,
03:50another upstairs-downstairs drama from Downton creator Julian Fellowes.
03:54We open on the Duchess of Richmond's ball,
03:56and the events of that night bring consequences that echo down the generations.
04:11Will the secrets finally come to the surface?
04:20And what happens when they do?
04:21This self-contained miniseries had a satisfying end,
04:24but four years later, it was also followed by a sequel, The Next Chapter.
04:35Both are a lot of fun and can be watched together or as standalones.
04:39The servants aren't a patch on the Downton gang,
04:41but there's enough going on upstairs to keep us entertained.
04:50Number 6.
04:51Outlander.
04:52For fans of passionate romance in a historical setting,
04:56Outlander is a great place to start.
04:58Throw in some time travel, political intrigue, and an arranged marriage plot,
05:02and what more could you want from a love story?
05:09God, I loved her well.
05:16Katrina Balfe stars as Claire,
05:18a World War II nurse visiting Scotland on her honeymoon.
05:21In a twist of fate, she's transported through time to the era of the Jacobites
05:25and falls into the path of a handsome clansman named Jamie Fraser.
05:29I want you to freeze the first sun up.
05:32Sun up?
05:34You mean we'll be riding all night?
05:36All night.
05:38On the next one too, I reckon.
05:39The journey takes them to some dark places,
05:42but their romance is one for the ages.
05:44Why not take a break from the English ballrooms
05:46and immerse yourself in the wild Scottish highlands instead?
05:49Fine.
05:51If I must, I may as well join in.
05:56No.
05:57That's more in the spirit.
05:59Number 5.
06:00Poldark.
06:01You make me ashamed.
06:04Your heart is so generous.
06:08You always see the good in things.
06:09Set in Georgian England on the rugged Cornish coast,
06:13Poldark is a sweeping saga with a central romance to set your heart racing.
06:17The eponymous hero returns from the war in America
06:19to discover that his childhood sweetheart has accepted his cousin's hand in marriage.
06:24The story that follows is as dramatic as the scenery,
06:27encompassing true love, social justice, and family politics.
06:31You know what people say of us?
06:34Yeah.
06:37If we behave like this,
06:42it will be true.
06:43There's also quite a lot about mining,
06:45but it's worth sitting through for the good stuff.
06:47Ross and Demelza are an iconic TV pairing,
06:50but if they don't float your boat,
06:51there are plenty of other characters to fall in love with as the series progresses.
06:55Did my letters not satisfy you?
06:58They evoke pleasure and pain in equal measure.
07:01Number 4.
07:02Rain.
07:07We're overrun by Scots.
07:10If you're searching for a historically accurate depiction of Mary, Queen of Scots,
07:14then Rain is probably not for you.
07:17However, if you're into pretty dresses,
07:19pagan plots,
07:20strong female characters,
07:21and plenty of drama,
07:23then look no further.
07:24In essence, it's Gossip Girl meets The Tudors.
07:27You do realize that we could all be dead.
07:30My children.
07:32Slaughtered.
07:33And all because you couldn't stand being lonely in your role as queen, as wife.
07:38That's the job, Mary.
07:40Get used to it.
07:41The engaging cast of characters spend most of their time scheming in cute outfits,
07:45navigating the politics of the French court,
07:47and falling madly in love.
07:49Our favorite is Mary's wicked mother-in-law,
07:52Catherine de Medici,
07:53played with relish by Anne of Green Gables actress Megan Follows.
07:57Like Bridgerton, there's also a modern soundtrack,
07:59with familiar songs often played on strings in a ballroom setting.
08:03Do doubt me.
08:06As long as Francis has doubts, so will I.
08:14Number 3.
08:16Vanity Fair
08:16I am the daughter of a painter and an opera girl.
08:20I've never hidden it, but today, my lord, I put it behind me forever.
08:26Always the charming optimist.
08:28William Makepeace Thackeray's classic novel is brought bang up-to-date
08:32in this adaptation from 2018.
08:34Starring Olivia Cooke and Bridgerton's Claudia Jesse,
08:37it follows two very different young women making their way in Regency society.
08:42Becky Sharp is one of literature's most intriguing heroines,
08:45and Cooke really brings her to life.
08:48Meanwhile, Tom Bateman, Johnny Flynn, and Charlie Rowe
08:51play the leading men in our ladies' lives, and they look good doing it.
08:55Whichever lady Crawley wore that particular brocade,
08:58she cannot possibly have looked as adorable in it as you do.
09:01It's not, um...
09:02If you cannot carry it off, nobody can.
09:04It's a big book to be squeezed into seven episodes,
09:06but despite modern music and a contemporary feel,
09:10it's a mostly faithful retelling.
09:12And really, just a lot of fun.
09:14Becky's always so lively.
09:16She has a light heart.
09:17It's a good thing in a woman.
09:19You like her better now.
09:20I'm glad.
09:21Number 2.
09:22Sanditon
09:23Based on an unfinished novel by Jane Austen,
09:26Sanditon is definitely one for the Bridgerton fans.
09:29I went down to the beach to gather shells and time ran away with me.
09:34Anything impressive catch your eye?
09:39Shell-wise?
09:40Oh, uh, no.
09:42I came back empty-handed.
09:43It follows Charlotte Haywood, a quintessential Austen heroine,
09:47who travels to the up-and-coming seaside town of Sanditon.
09:50The show also stars a smoldering Theo James,
09:53as well as Jane Austen's first character of color,
09:56the heiress Georgiana Lamb.
09:58I should never have expected such a warm reception.
10:00It is not you.
10:02It is because I have arrived.
10:04Sanditon was cancelled after just one series.
10:07However, after an outpouring of indignation from the fans,
10:10it was picked up by PBS,
10:12who brought in a new cast of characters to see Charlotte's story through to its happy end.
10:16Forgive yourself.
10:17I cannot.
10:19I can't, I cannot.
10:20You must.
10:21Whilst the past will thwart the future.
10:26A future that I imagine could be very dear indeed.
10:28Before we unveil our top pick,
10:30here are a few honorable mentions.
10:33The Artful Dodger.
10:34A grown-up Jack Dawkins gets a sweet romance in this fun adventure series.
10:38You have unnerved me more than any other woman I have ever met.
10:46Is that a good thing?
10:48Dickinson.
10:49Author Emily Dickinson is reimagined as a modern teen breaking free from the confines of society.
10:54Hey Emily.
10:55Oh come on, George!
10:59Hey.
11:01You have already made my daughter's acquaintance?
11:04Mom, this is George.
11:05He's in the Lit Club with Austin.
11:06We hang out like all the time.
11:08War and Peace.
11:09A classic tale, a cast packed with famous faces and costumes,
11:13A classic tale, a cast packed with famous faces and costumes to die for.
11:18I keep hearing reports you're making waves in the court circles reforming the army.
11:23The old Sparks.
11:24Burning bright again, isn't it?
11:25Downton Abbey.
11:27If you haven't watched this yet, where have you been?
11:29I don't believe you need my forgiveness.
11:34You've lived your life and I've lived mine.
11:39And now it's time we lived them together.
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11:58Number 1.
11:59The Buccaneers.
12:01Here is to a new world, marriages, men, parties.
12:05Not particularly in that order.
12:07The Buccaneers is set in the glamorous era nicknamed the Gilded Age.
12:11But don't confuse it with that Julian Fellowes show.
12:14Both series are worth a watch.
12:16But while the Gilded Age feels like a traditional period drama,
12:19the Buccaneers has a younger, more contemporary vibe.
12:22Everybody look, you can see her through her mouth.
12:29Look and learn, see the party.
12:32The costumes are fabulous, though not always period accurate.
12:35The characters and dialogue feel modern and inclusive.
12:38And it's all set to a soundtrack of 2020's bangers.
12:42However, the plot has been adapted from an unfinished Edith Wharton novel.
12:46So you can expect all the marriage market drama that makes these kinds of shows so juicy.
12:51The big question is, will you be cheering for team Guy or team Theo?
12:55Which period dramas would you recommend to satisfy our Bridgerton cravings?
13:12Share your favorites in the comments.
13:20Do you agree with our picks?
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