Best period dramas: films & series
by Jingleling | created - 03 Jun 2013 | updated - 11 Dec 2021 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Bleak House (2005)
TV-PG | 30 min | Crime, Drama
A suspenseful tale about the injustices of the 19th Century English legal system.
Stars: Anna Maxwell Martin, Carey Mulligan, Denis Lawson, Gillian Anderson
Votes: 10,625
2. Oliver Twist (2007–2008)
TV-PG | 35 min | Drama, History
The adventures of the orphaned Oliver Twist in Victorian London.
Stars: William Miller, Tom Hardy, Sophie Okonedo, Sarah Lancashire
Votes: 3,126
3. Great Expectations (2011–2012)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama
The orphan Pip becomes a gentleman when his life is transformed by a mystery benefactor.
Stars: Douglas Booth, Jack Roth, Ray Winstone, David Suchet
Votes: 8,238
4. Mildred Pierce (2011)
TV-MA | 67 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Divorced single mom Mildred Pierce decides to open a restaurant business, which tears at the already-strained relationship with her ambitious elder daughter, Veda.
Stars: Kate Winslet, Guy Pearce, Evan Rachel Wood, Brían F. O'Byrne
Votes: 24,088
5. Horatio Hornblower: The Duel (1998 TV Movie)
93 min | Adventure, Drama, War
Horatio Hornblower begins his naval career, but a deadly feud with a despicable mate is causing complications.
Director: Andrew Grieve | Stars: Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, Dorian Healy, Michael Byrne
Votes: 6,062
6. Jane Eyre (2006)
TV-PG | 58 min | Drama, Romance
A young governess falls in love with her brooding and complex master. However, his dark past may destroy their relationship forever.
Stars: Ruth Wilson, Toby Stephens, Lorraine Ashbourne, Aidan McArdle
Votes: 22,365
7. Berkeley Square (1998)
50 min | Drama, History, Romance
Three young women from very different backgrounds meet, become friends and share experiences when they all gain positions as nannies in the wealthy households of London's exclusive Berkeley Square.
Stars: Victoria Smurfit, Clare Wilkie, Tabitha Wady, Hermione Norris
Votes: 1,215
8. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
PG-13 | 138 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd, James D'Arcy
Votes: 237,902 | Gross: $93.93M
9. Pride & Prejudice (2005)
PG | 129 min | Drama, Romance
Sparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy. But Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class. Can each overcome their own pride and prejudice?
Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland
Votes: 330,649 | Gross: $38.41M
10. Sense and Sensibility (1995)
PG | 136 min | Drama, Romance
Rich Mr. Dashwood dies, leaving his second wife and her three daughters poor by the rules of inheritance. The two eldest daughters are the title opposites.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, James Fleet, Tom Wilkinson
Votes: 125,708 | Gross: $43.18M
11. Anonymous (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 130 min | Drama, Thriller
The theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford, who penned Shakespeare's plays. Set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I and the Essex rebellion against her.
Director: Roland Emmerich | Stars: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, David Thewlis, Sebastian Armesto
Votes: 42,131 | Gross: $4.46M
12. The Painted Veil (2006)
PG-13 | 125 min | Drama, Romance
Dr Walter gets married to the beautiful Kitty but soon finds out that she is cheating on him. Battling his way through problems, he heads to China to fight a dreaded disease spread in a small village.
Director: John Curran | Stars: Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, Catherine An
Votes: 95,931 | Gross: $8.06M
13. Howards End (1992)
PG | 142 min | Drama, Romance
Set in the early 20th century, class distinctions and troubled relations affect the relationship between two families and the ownership of a cherished British estate known as Howards End.
Director: James Ivory | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Vanessa Redgrave, Helena Bonham Carter
Votes: 35,841 | Gross: $25.97M
14. The Remains of the Day (1993)
PG | 134 min | Drama, Romance
A butler who sacrificed body and soul to service in the years leading up to World War II realizes too late how misguided his loyalty was to his lordly employer.
Director: James Ivory | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, John Haycraft, Christopher Reeve
Votes: 84,426 | Gross: $22.95M
15.
Screen Two (1985–1998)
Episode:
Persuasion
(1995)
PG | 103 min | Drama
Theatrical film of Persuasion with Ciaran Hinds & Amanda Root. Directed by Roger Michell.
Director: Roger Michell | Stars: Amanda Root, Ciarán Hinds, Susan Fleetwood, Corin Redgrave
Votes: 11,397 | Gross: $5.46M
16. The Duchess of Duke Street (1976–1977)
TV-PG | 50 min | Drama
Louisa Trotter works her way up from being a skivvy to being the queen of cooks, cook to the King, and owner of the Bentinck Hotel. Her life and happenings among the guests and staff of the hotel make up the 31 episodes.
Stars: Gemma Jones, Victoria Plucknett, John Welsh, John Cater
Votes: 1,541
17. Wuthering Heights (2009)
TV-PG | 71 min | Drama, Romance
Foundling Heathcliff is raised by the wealthy Earnshaws in Yorkshire but in later life launches a vendetta against the family.
Stars: Tom Hardy, Charlotte Riley, Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Lancashire
Votes: 9,833
18. The Winslow Boy (1999)
G | 104 min | Drama, Romance
Following the theft of a postal order, a 14-year-old cadet is expelled from Naval College. To save the honour of the boy and his family, the pre-eminent barrister of the day is engaged to take on the might of the Admiralty.
Director: David Mamet | Stars: Rebecca Pidgeon, Jeremy Northam, Nigel Hawthorne, Matthew Pidgeon
Votes: 9,450 | Gross: $3.96M
19. Little Dorrit (2008)
TV-PG | 34 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
The Dorrits are a family whose life revolves around the Marshalsea, a debtor's prison. Amy Dorrit's kind nature brings the family into contact with a wide swath of English society, from the poorest to the richest, and back again.
Stars: Matthew Macfadyen, Claire Foy, Tom Courtenay, Judy Parfitt
Votes: 10,485
20. Parade's End (2012)
TV-MA | 57 min | Action, Drama, Romance
Revolves around a love triangle between a conservative English aristocrat, his mean socialite wife and a young suffragette.
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, Roger Allam, Adelaide Clemens
Votes: 10,739
21. Gosford Park (2001)
R | 137 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Set in the 1930s, a group of pretentious rich and famous get together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort. But when a murder occurs, each one of these interesting characters becomes a suspect.
Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Maggie Smith, Ryan Phillippe, Michael Gambon, Kristin Scott Thomas
Votes: 94,015 | Gross: $41.31M
22. Ripper Street (2012–2016)
TV-MA | 59 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The streets of Whitechapel are the haunt of Detective Inspector Edmund Reid and his team of officers, who aim to maintain law and order in a place once terrorized by Jack the Ripper.
Stars: Matthew Macfadyen, Adam Rothenberg, MyAnna Buring, Jerome Flynn
Votes: 22,500
23. Cranford (2007–2009)
TV-PG | 469 min | Drama
In the 1840s, Cranford is ruled by the ladies. They adore good gossip, and romance and change is in the air, as the unwelcome grasp of the Industrial Revolution rapidly approaches their beloved rural market-town.
Stars: Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Julia McKenzie, Deborah Findlay
Votes: 10,621
24. The Crimson Field (2014)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, War
During the First World War, Kitty Trevelyan tries to put the past troubles behind her as she joins two other girls to volunteer at one of the busy war hospitals in northern France.
Stars: Hermione Norris, Oona Chaplin, Richard Rankin, Marianne Oldham
Votes: 3,394
25. Poldark (2015–2019)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Romance
Ross Poldark returns home after American Revolutionary War and rebuilds his life with a new business venture, making new enemies and finding a new love where he least expects it.
Stars: Aidan Turner, Eleanor Tomlinson, Jack Farthing, Beatie Edney
Votes: 36,092
26. War & Peace (2016)
TV-14 | 63 min | Drama, History, Romance
As the Russian conflict with Napoleon reaches its peak, five aristocratic families face the possibility of their lives being changed forever.
Stars: Paul Dano, James Norton, Lily James, Adrian Edmondson
Votes: 26,626
27. Marco Polo (2014–2016)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In a world replete with greed, betrayal, sexual intrigue and rivalry, "Marco Polo" is based on the famed explorer's adventures in Kublai Khan's court in 13th century Mongolia.
Stars: Lorenzo Richelmy, Benedict Wong, Joan Chen, Remy Hii
Votes: 78,655
28. Wolf Hall (2015)
TV-14 | 60 min | Biography, Drama, History
After the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey, his secretary, Thomas Cromwell, finds himself amongst the treachery and intrigue of King Henry VIII's court and soon becomes a close advisor to the King, a role fraught with danger.
Stars: Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis, Claire Foy, Thomas Brodie-Sangster
Votes: 13,088
29. Anne with an E (2017–2019)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Family
The adventures of a young orphan girl living in the late 19th century. Follow Anne as she learns to navigate her new life on Prince Edward Island, in this new take on L.M. Montgomery's classic novels.
Stars: Amybeth McNulty, Geraldine James, R.H. Thomson, Andrea Arruti
Votes: 66,381
30. Howards End (2017–2018)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Romance
The social and class divisions in early 20th century England through the intersection of three families - the wealthy Wilcoxes, the gentle and idealistic Schlegels and the lower-middle class Basts.
Stars: Matthew Macfadyen, Hayley Atwell, Philippa Coulthard, Alex Lawther
Votes: 6,615
31. Quacks (2017–2018)
30 min | Comedy
In Victorian London four pioneers, friends, and rivals fighting to make a mark on the world and save lives.
Stars: Rory Kinnear, Tom Basden, Mathew Baynton, Lydia Leonard
Votes: 1,437
32. Effie Gray (2014)
PG-13 | 104 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A look at the scandalous love triangle between Victorian art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise), his teenage bride Euphemia "Effie" Gray (Dakota Fanning), and Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge).
Director: Richard Laxton | Stars: Dakota Fanning, Greg Wise, Tom Sturridge, Emma Thompson
Votes: 6,836 | Gross: $0.34M
33. The Moth (1997– )
152 min | Drama
Set in 1913 Northumbria, England, the story is about Robert Bradley, a strong-willed young worker at a Jarrow shipyard, who arrives home one day to find that his father has died. That leads to a total new set of circumstances in his life.
Stars: Jack Davenport, David Howey, Janet Dale, Sally Grey
Votes: 693
34. Rag Nymph (1997– )
180 min | Drama, History
In 1854 Newcastle, 10-year-old Millie's mother dies in a brothel, leaving her to be taken in by 'Raggie Aggie'. On the streets, spirited Millie faces the city's corrupting influences again.
Stars: Val McLane, Alec Newman, Christine Anderson, Tracey Wilkinson
Votes: 578
35. The Glass Virgin (1995– )
180 min | Drama, Romance
Set in 1870s England, the story tells of Annabella Lagrange and the terrible secret her wealthy parents have kept from her. When she finally learns the truth, she runs away and eventually ... See full summary »
Stars: Jan Graveson, Christine Kavanagh, Brendan Coyle, Emily Mortimer
Votes: 774
36. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996)
53 min | Drama
An adaptation of Anne Bronte's novel; a young widow takes her son and moves to Yorkshire.
Stars: Toby Stephens, Tara Fitzgerald, Rupert Graves, Sarah Badel
Votes: 3,009
37. Mary Shelley (2017)
PG-13 | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
Life and facts of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, who at 16 met 21 year old poet Percy Shelley, resulting in the writing of Frankenstein.
Director: Haifaa Al-Mansour | Stars: Elle Fanning, Bel Powley, Owen Richards, Joanne Froggatt
Votes: 17,767 | Gross: $0.11M
38. The Terror (2018–2025)
TV-14 | 60 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
Supernatural, semihistorical, horror anthology series, where each season is inspired by a different infamous or mysterious real life historical tragedy.
Stars: Jared Harris, Derek Mio, Tobias Menzies, Kiki Sukezane
Votes: 51,357
39. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984–1985)
TV-PG | 688 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson solve the mysteries of copper beeches, a Greek interpreter, the Norwood builder, a resident patient, the red-headed league, and one final problem.
Stars: Jeremy Brett, David Burke, Rosalie Williams, Eric Porter
Votes: 24,212
40. The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1986–1988)
TV-PG | 781 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson solve the mysteries of the devil's foot, Silver Blaze, Wisteria Lodge and the Bruce-Partington Plans.
Stars: Jeremy Brett, Edward Hardwicke, Rosalie Williams, Colin Jeavons
Votes: 13,399
41. Colette (I) (2018)
R | 111 min | Biography, Drama, History
Colette is pushed by her husband to write novels under his name. Upon their success, she fights to make her talents known, challenging gender norms.
Director: Wash Westmoreland | Stars: Keira Knightley, Fiona Shaw, Dominic West, Robert Pugh
Votes: 26,428 | Gross: $5.14M
42. Gentleman Jack (2019–2022)
TV-MA | 60 min | Biography, Drama, History
A dramatization of the life of lesbian trailblazer, voracious learner, and cryptic diarist Anne Lister.
Stars: Suranne Jones, Sophie Rundle, Gemma Whelan, Ben Hunter
Votes: 15,938
43. To Walk Invisible: The Brontë Sisters (2016 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
A chronicle of the Brontë sisters' battle to overcome obstacles and publish their novels, which would become some of the greatest in the English language.
Director: Sally Wainwright | Stars: Finn Atkins, Charlie Murphy, Chloe Pirrie, Adam Nagaitis
Votes: 3,095
44. Alias Grace (2017)
TV-MA | 45 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Grace, an Irish immigrant in 19th-century Canada, is convicted of the murder of her employer. However, things take a different turn when a psychiatrist arrives to analyze her mental state.
Stars: Sarah Gadon, Edward Holcroft, Rebecca Liddiard, Zachary Levi
Votes: 37,811
45. The Piano (1993)
R | 121 min | Drama, Music, Romance
In the mid-19th century a mute woman is sent to New Zealand along with her young daughter and prized piano for an arranged marriage to a farmer, but is soon lusted after by a farm worker.
Director: Jane Campion | Stars: Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin
Votes: 95,142 | Gross: $40.16M
46. The Nevers (2021–2023)
TV-MA | 58 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
An epic tale following a gang of Victorian women who find themselves with unusual abilities, relentless enemies, and a mission that might change the world.
Stars: Laura Donnelly, Ann Skelly, Olivia Williams, James Norton
Votes: 27,736
47. The North Water (2021)
TV-MA | 300 min | Adventure, Drama, Mystery
A disgraced former military doctor embarks as a surgeon aboard a whaler bound for the Arctic, where his quest for redemption becomes a fight for survival.
Stars: Jack O'Connell, Colin Farrell, Sam Spruell, Roland Møller
Votes: 16,334
48. Dickinson (2019–2021)
TV-14 | 30 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Set in the 19th century, it explores the constraints of society, gender and family from the perspective of rebellious young poet, Emily Dickinson.
Stars: Hailee Steinfeld, Adrian Enscoe, Anna Baryshnikov, Jane Krakowski
Votes: 19,733
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