5 Most Addictive Period Dramas to Binge if You Miss 'Downton Abbey'
Serious passions are raging behind the luxurious facades of these mansions.
Downton Abbey set the gold standard for costume dramas by seamlessly intertwining opulent sets and refined manners with poignant social conflicts and personal tragedies.
We've compiled a list of five more series that offer equally gripping love stories, brilliant dialogue, and meticulously crafted atmospheres of bygone eras.
1. 'Belgravia', 2020
IMDb Score: 7.5/10
London, 1840. Eager to establish themselves among the old English aristocracy, the newly wealthy Trenchards move into luxurious Belgravia. Their house is large, their plans are ambitious, and their manners are polished.
However, the past has a way of catching up with those who try to hide it. Twenty-five years earlier, their daughter Sophia had secretly loved the heir of a noble family. He died at Waterloo, she died in childbirth, and the newborn boy was quietly sent to live with a foster family.
Years later, this secret resurfaces – and does so loudly enough that the entire neighborhood once again begins to whisper.
2. 'Poldark', 2015-2019
IMDb Score: 8.3/10
After returning from war, Ross Poldark finds that his home has been destroyed, his father has died, and the love of his life is married to his cousin. Refusing to give up, Ross opens an abandoned mine to make money and help his impoverished fellow countrymen.
This acclaimed period drama tells about perseverance, honor, and love. There's less aristocracy here, but more social contrasts.
3. 'The Gilded Age', 2022-...
IMDb Score: 8.1/10
The US experienced an economic boom in the 1870s and 1880s, a period known as the Gilded Age. After her father's death, the young Marian Brook moves to New York to live with relatives, where she faces family conflict.
She must decide whether to conform to established norms or forge her own path.
Made by Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton Abbey, this series boasts the same level of intrigue, lavish costumes, and attention to detail.
4. 'The Forsyte Saga', 2002-2003
IMDb Score: 8.1/10
This story about three generations of a wealthy English family is perfect for those who enjoy beautiful interiors and even more beautiful scandals.
The Forsytes appear to be a model dynasty with impeccable manners, but beneath the surface, jealousy, possessiveness, family wars, and dangerous feelings boil over.
Similar to Downton Abbey, behind their beautiful facades, the Forsytes have painful conflicts, and family dinners are merely an excuse for new grievances and intrigues.
5. 'Howards End', 2017-2018
IMDb Score: 7.2/10
The Wilcoxes meet the Schlegel sisters, idealistic Londoners who love debating morality as much as others love tea. Margaret quickly grows close to Mrs. Wilcox, while Helen introduces the poor bank clerk Leonard Bast to this fragile world.
After Mrs. Wilcox passes away, a shocking detail is revealed: she left her family home, Howards End, to Margaret, not her own family.
Three very different families find themselves intertwined in a web of love, social conflict, and secrets that threaten to upend the established order.
