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Top 10 Period Dramas On Netflix

Sometimes modern times are too much for us. That’s when we want to go back in time to a simpler age, when men were gentlemen and women were only allowed to be wives, mothers, and spinster governesses. We want to watch a period drama.

Now the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride & Prejudice is considered the gold standard of this genre — but you can’t find it on Netflix. You can only watch it on here on Hulu or on Prime Video. Indeed, most of Masterpiece’s catalogue and just about all of the Jane Austen adaptations ever made have landed on Amazon or Hulu. So, what’s a Netflix subscriber to do? How about try one of the 10 best period dramas on the popular streaming service.

We combed through the Netflix catalogue and zeroed in on ten titles that represent the best of what the genre can do.

 

 

1

'North & South'

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BBC

The BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is usually held up as the greatest period drama of all time, but North & South gives it a real run for its money. North & South reframes Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy’s romantic battle of wills against the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution (and the changing cultural landscape of 19th century Britain). Now, our spirited heroine is an idealistic Southerner committed disgusted by working conditions in the North. Her brooding and wealthy (and unwanted) suitor? A Northern factory owner. [Watch North & South on Netflix]

2

'A Room With A View'

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Everett Collection

This charming Merchant Ivory flick is rather ubiquitous in the world of streaming — I mean, it’s on EVERY PLATFORM, AMIRIGHT? — but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the best period dramas specifically on Netflix. Everything about this film is perfect, from Lucy and George’s sex-charged makeout scenes to Dame Maggie Smith’s tottering (and forever scandalized) Eleanor Lavish. This film will sweep you away and make you believe in romance again. [Watch A Room With A View on Netflix]

3

'Peaky Blinders’

peaky blinders

Technically, yes, Peaky Blinders is a period drama. Sure, no one’s wearing a cravat and there aren’t many civil tea ceremonies, but this rough and tumble crime drama is firmly rooted in another time and place. Check this Netflix Original out if you want to upend all your misconceptions about the genre. [Watch Peaky Blinders on Netflix]

4

'Death Comes To Pemberley’

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Photo: PBS

Sure, Amazon Prime and Hulu might have tied up the streaming rights to Pride & Prejudice years ago, but you can still watch a charming miniseries about a certain Elizabeth Bennet and a particular Mr. Darcy. Death Comes To Pemberley features Matthew Rhys, Matthew Goode, and Jenna Louise-Coleman in this Austen adaptation with a twist. Now happily married, Mr. (and Mrs.) Darcy have to confront a murder mystery on their estate. [Watch Death Comes To Pemberley on Netflix]

5

‘Casanova’

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BBC

The BBC’s offbeat take on Casanova comes on and off Netflix all the time, but you can catch it on the streaming platform right now. Before he was the Doctor, David Tennant was the greatest lover in history. He didn’t woo women with his looks, but with his madcap wit and all-encompassing empathy. This pithy miniseries also co-stars Rose Byrne and Peter O’Toole. [Watch Casanova on Netflix]

6

'The Borgias’

THE BORGIAS, Jeremy Irons (center), 'Day of Ashes', (Season 2, ep. 206, aired May 13, 2012), 2011-.
Photo: Everett Collection

Yes, Netflix has The Tudors, but why not skip the English court and visit the wild hedonism of medieval Italy? Jeremy Irons stars as Pope Alexander VI, aka Rodrigo Borgia, one of the most maligned and debauched popes in history. His family is plagued by scandal and involved in the dirtiest, bloodiest power plays. Oh, and there’s incest. For more on The Borgias, check out our Game of Thrones recapper John DeVore’s treatise on why he loves the sumptuous series. [Watch The Borgias on Netflix]

7

'Jane Eyre’ (2011)

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Everett Collection

Before he dazzled everyone with True Detective, director Cary Fukunaga was bringing fresh life to a tried and true literary classic. His 2011 version of Jane Eyre brings the tale back to its moody, gothic roots. This isn’t just a romance between a governess and her master. This is a ghost story about what haunts the human soul. [Watch Jane Eyre (2001) on Netflix]

8

‘Elizabeth’

ELIZABETH, Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I, 1998, © Gramercy/courtesy Everett Collection
Everett Collection

The Virgin Queen has certainly lent her life story to many riveting dramas over the years, but only one film captures both the sensuality and the danger of her early days as Queen. Elizabeth is a masterful look at how a victim becomes a victor and a noblewoman transforms into a goddess. It also launched the career of one Cate Blanchett. [Watch Elizabeth on Netflix]

9

'Mansfield Park'

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Miramax

Oh, you know how we said Hulu and Prime Video have snatched up just about every Jane Austen title? Well there’s one “traditional” Jane Austen adaptation still on Netflix. Mansfield Park tells the story of a poor girl named Fanny Price who grows up in the opulence of her relatives’ estate. When she grows into a kind beauty, she finds herself at the center of quite a lot of romantic drama. She must choose to pine after her kind, but uninterested, cousin or fall for the advances of a handsome flirt. [Watch Mansfield Park on Netflix]

10

'Dancing on the Edge’

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Starz/Everett Collection

Dancing on the Edge is a gem of a miniseries that fell under a lot of people’s radar. The Starz miniseries stars Matthew Goode as a 1930s music journalist who is trying to discover the next big thing in jazz. He thinks he’s found it in an all-black band fronted by Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Louis Lester. Soon, the two are carried off into a world of opulence, greed, and high-stakes danger. [Watch Dancing on the Edge on Netflix]