10 Best Period Dramas on Netflix, Ranked — Perfect For When You Need an Escape
When the world outside gets to be too much, there’s nothing quite like sinking into a different era with a good period drama. Here are the 10 best period dramas on Netflix right now, ranked for when you need an escape from the present day.
1.Bridgerton
Regency London has never looked more scandalous than in Shondaland’s hit series. With opulent sets, beautiful costumes, and an enthralling plot, “Bridgerton” offers a fresh take on high society and its secrets.
2.The Crown
This award-winning series chronicles the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and the events that shaped the second half of the 20th century. Rich in historical detail, “The Crown” is as educational as it is captivating.
3.Downton Abbey
Although it originally aired on ITV, Netflix has gifted us with this gem. Following the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants, “Downton Abbey” is a narrative of ambition, love, and heartbreak during post-Edwardian England.
4.Peaky Blinders Set in post-WWI Birmingham, this gritty drama follows the Shelby crime family led by the ambitious Tommy Shelby. With its sharp storytelling and a cinematic feel, “Peaky Blinders” grabs you from the first episode.
5.Outlander
Combining time travel with historical drama, “Outlander” follows a World War II nurse who finds herself in 18th-century Scotland embroiled in rebellion and romance.
6.Call The Midwife
This touching series set in East London in the 1950s and 1960s depicts the lives of a group of midwives working in a nursing convent—addressing social, cultural, and medical challenges.
7.Anne with an E
Based on L.M. Montgomery’s classic, this show reimagines the story of Anne Shirley, a bright young orphan finding her way through various adventures in late 19th-century Canada.
8.Poldark
Follow Captain Ross Poldark’s tumultuous return to Cornwall after the American Revolutionary War as he navigates romance and industry in this sweeping saga.
9.The Last Kingdom An epic tale based on Bernard Cornwell’s “The Saxon Stories” series is set during England’s earliest days when Viking invasions were commonplace.
10.Medici: Masters of Florence
Dive into Renaissance Italy with “Medici,” depicting how this influential family rose to power and ignited an economic and cultural revolution.
Netflix’s ever-growing library ensures that whatever your historical taste buds crave—the polite intrigue of high tea or rough-and-tumble street fights—there’s a period drama waiting to become your next escapism obsession.