This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Furman chapter.
Season two of Bridgerton will drop March 25th on Netflix. If you loved the first season as much as I did, you probably are also planning on binging this new season. In order to get my Bridgerton fix after finishing the first season, I got really into period piece shows. I love the romance, scandal, and history that fills these shows. If you finish this new Bridgerton season and are looking for similar shows to watch, here are a few of my favorites.
- Downton Abbey (6 seasons, available on Netflix and Amazon Prime): This is the peak of all period pieces. It is set in England during the early 20th century and follows the lives of a wealthy family and their servants. The show begins with the death of the heir to the estate, and the drama that ensues as a new heir is set to be determined.
- The Gilded Age (1 season, available on HBO): This is a new show that has new episodes released weekly. Written by the same creator as Downton Abbey, this show depicts families and servants living in New York City in the 1880’s. As one family is of “new money” due to their holdings in the newly invented railroads and attempting to establish their place in society, the “old money” families in the city work hard to keep them out of the society in which they control.
- Victoria (3 seasons, available on Amazon Prime): This show follows Queen Victoria as she becomes queen at the age of 18 and is pressured to wed and produce an heir. These early years of her monarchy are rather interesting with wars, scandals, medicine, and romance. The show does a really great job of depicting the strain that being queen places on a marriage, and the tension between duty and being free to live as you wish.
- The Crown (4 seasons, available on Netflix): Obviously, I could not recommend period pieces without mentioning this show. The Crown follows many different eras of the British monarchy. The circumstances surrounding the current Queen Elizabeth’s coronation are depicted as well as the lives of her family members and children. The show makes great attempts to present history accurately and fairly and is very educational, but also entertaining.
- Belgravia (1 season, available on Amazon Prime): I have to admit, I have not watched this show yet, but it is next on my list. Also made by the creator of Downton Abbey, this show illustrates what happens when decades of secrets threaten to unravel the lives of London’s most wealthy and prominent families in the early 19th Century.
If you try any of these recommendations, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Happy watching!