Don’t we all love how detail-oriented period dramas can be? The thoughtful costumes, intense background music, well-portrayed characters, and, most importantly, the intimate and well-developed plots always sweep me off my feet.
If you love period dramas, you would not want to miss this post a Reddit user made on the “Period Dramas” subreddit.
The poster said, “What good period dramas would you recommend on Netflix and HBO Max?”
OP went ahead and added that they had watched the following:
- Midnight at the Pera Palace
- Versailles
- Bridgerton
- Queen Charlotte
- The Cook of Castamar
- The Tudors
- Downton Abbey
- Call the Midwife
- Anne With an E
- Kingdom
He has been looking for something new to watch, and here is what the subreddit’s members recommended.
Reddit Users’ Recommendations
One commenter truly went overboard and gave a list of period dramas, organized them by streaming services, and even gave their time periods.
Here is the list they gave:
Netflix
- Peaky Blinders – British crime family in the 1920s and 1930s
- The Crown – about Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family in the 1950s-1990s
- The Queen’s Gambit – about an American Chess prodigy in the 1960s
- Derry Girls – Northern Ireland teens coming of age in the 1990s
HBO Max
- John Adams – based on David McCullough’s biography of John Adams’ life 1730-1826
- Warrior – Chinese immigrants in San Francisco 1900s
- Boardwalk Empire – ‘Criminal’ activities in New Jersey during prohibition in the 1920s
- Perry Mason – about a lawyer in the 1930s
- Band of Brothers – recounts the experiences of American GIs of the 101st Airborne Division during World War II in the European Theatre in the 1940s
- The Pacific – recounts experiences of American GIs during World War II in the Pacific Theatre in the 1940s
- Julia – about cook Julia Child at the beginning of her television career in the 1960s
- Chornobyl – about the Chornobyl nuclear disaster in the 1980s
- Tokyo Vice – is set in Japan and explores Yakuza crime families from the perspective of an American journalist in the 1990s
This was such an excellent recommendation, especially because the commenter gives a summary of each drama they recommend.
In reply to the above comment, another user said, “Peaky Blinders is one of my favorite shows; it’s really, really good. The whole thing is perfectly done, so so so good! Cannot recommend it enough!”
More Recommendations
Another user with new recommendations said, “Check out Bonfire of Destiny and Women at War on Netflix. They’re both French and fantastic period dramas.”
Additionally, The Gilded Age was among the most recommended in the comment section. One user said, “I’ll second The Gilded Age and Gentleman Jack. I also really enjoyed My Brilliant Friend. It’s an Italian/Neapolitan period drama on HBO. Not a period drama, but House of the Dragon is pretty good too! And on Netflix, you might like The Last Kingdom, The Crown or The Empress.”
Asian Period Dramas
OP had added that they would love to get into Chinese and Korean period dramas, so one user offered some recommendations. They said, “Also, if you want to get into Korean dramas, I recommend Under the Queen’s Umbrella on Netflix*.* That is a great drama. Another drama I have heard positive things about is Mr. Sunshine on Netflix. These are some fairly dark dramas, so I just wanted to let you know. As for Chinese dramas, I recommend Princess Weiyoung on Netflix. That is one of my favorites and so much fun to watch.”
Period Dramas Set in the 80-90’s
When looking for period dramas to watch, many people focus on those that go way back in history. We get the energy they come with, but if you want to watch something more recent, you may find this list a commenter made useful.
They said, “Are you interested in period dramas set more recently? Like in the 80s-90s? If so, I’d additionally recommend the following:
- GLOW (1980s) (Netflix)
- It’s A Sin (1980s) (HBO Max)
- Veneno (1960s – present day, though mostly set in the 90s and the present)(HBO Max)
- Isabel: The Intimate Story of Isabel Allende (1970s – present) (HBO Max)
- Derry Girls (1990s) (Netflix).”
Have any period dramas you would like to recommend?
This article was produced and syndicated by A Dime Saved.
