Forget Netflix’s The Empress, Here Are 5 More Entertaining Period Drama Love Stories
History was never this fun.
There's no doubt that period dramas are having a renaissance and are more popular than ever. Some are based on real events, some are just inspired by them, or are a total fiction (which you can never tell).
One of the most influential series of recent times was Netflix ’s The Empress, the story of the young Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who at the age of 16 falls in love with her sister’s intended fiancé, Emperor Franz Joseph, and marries him.
The love story in the series is quite captivating, but there are actually even more entertaining love stories in other period dramas. And here are 5 of them.
1. Harlots (2017-2019)
We start with a rather unlikely choice, because Harlots is not a romantic story per se, and it's not even about royalty. But like The Empress, it focuses on a woman's place in society and how hard it is to keep it.
Hulu 's Harlots is a fresh take on period dramas, focusing on a London brothel in the 1700s, with Madam Margaret Wells doing her best to give her family a better life through business or marriage. The romantic stories in this series are everything you'd never expect to see in a period drama.
2. Cable Girls (2017-2020)
Cable Girls is a modern historical drama, if you compare it with The Empress, set in Madrid in the 1920s. It centers on four women taking the jobs of switchboard operators and fighting hard for their rights to be successful in their male-dominated world.
While there is almost no focus on romance, the love story at the center of the series is far more important: the love for yourself, for what you do in life and for what you want to become. Cable Girls explores stories of self-love, and that’s something worth experiencing.
3. The Spanish Princess (2019-2020)
Time for some royal history, right? The historical drama follows Catherine of Aragon, the Spanish princess who became the first wife of King Henry VIII. Of course, the series covers the whole story, from the beginning to the wedding itself.
It focuses on the ups and downs of married life, highlighting all the complications that can come from such a controversial union, but then shows Catherine earning the love and respect of the King.
“I’ve always read about how deeply in love Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII were, how he would joke with her and run into her chambers with his friends with masks on and faux-scare her and her ladies, but it’s always sort of been brushed over. I love the detail the show puts into recreating these earlier moments,” Redditor gg3867 said.
4. Vanity Fair (2018)
As you may have guessed, Vanity Fair is based on the novel of the same name by William Thackeray and tells the story of Becky Sharp, a woman so desperate to become a part of high society that she is willing to go to any lengths to succeed in her mission.
It's exciting to follow a young woman as she tries to fit in with people who despise her, breaking many hearts in the process. Wearing pink glasses, she romanticizes the lives of people in high society and can't help but fall in love with everything she lacks.
5. Victoria (2016-2019)
One of the most popular period dramas of recent years, Victoria is a must-see for anyone who loves royal drama and intrigue. As The Empress, it follows a strong female protagonist, but the main character in Victoria knows full well that she will be the Queen. But that doesn't change the fact that her journey as such is definitely a thrill to explore.
And while the stories focus on all the royal shenanigans, there's also room for love and romance. But with an interesting twist.