10 best period dramas to watch before Bridgerton season 4 arrives

Period dramas are one of the most engaging genres that take us through different worlds and transport us back to the past. One such masterful period drama is Bridgerton.

Fans are waiting with excitement and anticipation for another new season to drop. After three seasons of colorful drama, scandals, and romance, the show is expecting a fourth season. Due to its heartwarming tale, Bridgerton has become globally popular, merging historical fiction with modern storytelling in a masterful manner.

With every new season, the showmakers deliver newer twists and, of course, signature Bridgerton gossip from Lady Whistledown. As season 4’s anticipation bubbles up, it is a perfect time to explore other period dramas to pass the waiting time.

Each of the period dramas offers us something different and takes us back to different timelines, portraying varying cultures, classes, and identities. The narratives are mostly contoured by social rules, politics, or war, and how these real events shape human lives. From Downton Abbey to Harlots, here are 10 period dramas that offer thrilling tales of human lives, all the while being relatable and yet deeply rooted in history.

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1. Downton Abbey

Who’s in it: The cast of 2014’s historical drama Downton Abbey consists of Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley, and Elizabeth McGovern as Countess of Grantham, among others.

What’s in it: This period drama chronicles the lives of household staff in early 20th-century England. It captures key historical events of the time and how they influenced lives, starting from the tragic and infamous sinking of the Titanic to the dynamic rise of the middle class.

What makes it interesting: The show gives equal importance to characters and historical moments, highlighting their personal growth, loss, and love. It inspects how rigidly social structures of the time held up and how they soon eroded away.

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2. The Gilded Age

Who's in it: The ensemble cast of The Gilded Age consists of Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell, Morgan Spector as George Russell, Louisa Jacobson as Marian Brook, and Cynthia Nixon as Ada Brook.

What’s in it: The Gilded Age is a period drama set in 1880s New York that captures how rivalry and contest permeate two different types of families: the established old money families and new money families still trying to climb up the social ladder.

The show focuses on a multitude of themes like social mobility, class struggles, and the clash between tradition and progress, all the while weaving them together in an engaging plot.

What makes it interesting: What makes the show engaging is its vivid depiction of class tensions, power shifts, and the cost of social ambition. The sets and costumes are richly detailed. The Gilded Age also highlights women’s lives in the period. But the principal appeal is the show’s portrayal of opulent lifestyles and meticulously researched historical detail.

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3. The Crown

Who’s in it: The Crown is one of the most popular period dramas and consists of a star-studded cast including Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, Imelda Staunton, Matt Smith, and Dominic West.

What's in it: This dramatic story of The Crown centers on Queen Elizabeth II. As a young queen, she has to handle the duties of the throne in the tumultuous times of her era. It also weaves in the historical, unstable time of World War II.

The Crown, as a period drama, pays meticulous attention to detail and chronicles the life of young Queen Elizabeth II as she navigates responsibilities and evolving relationships.

What Makes It Interesting: The Crown is an engaging tale of personal sacrifice and the roles that are demanded from those holding positions of power and leadership. While the show includes historical events, it focuses more on how they affect the royal family up close.

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4. Outlander

Who's in it: Ronald D. Moore’s Outlander features Caitríona Balfe, Sam Heughan, and Tobias Menzies, among others.

What's in it: The story of Outlander blends in a little bit of fantasy with historical depiction. Keeping Claire, a nurse from the World War II period, at the center of the story, the show traces her journey as she is strangely transported to Scotland of the 18th century. She gets entangled in the Jacobite uprising.ed to Scotland of the 18th century. She gets entangled in the Jacobite uprising.

What Makes It Interesting: Outlander is a masterclass in blending history, romance, and fantasy. While delivering a politically charged narrative, it also weaves in intricate themes of loyalty, survival, and identity.

What makes it even more engaging is the connection between Claire and Jamie, a strong emotional core throughout the seasons.

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5. Victoria

Who's in it: Victoria’s cast includes Jenna Coleman, Tom Hughes, and Rufus Sewell, among others.

What's in it: The subject of the show is quite like The Crown. It focuses on Queen Victoria’s early life and reign, chronicling her rise to position and power.

What makes it interesting: The show portrays, with close and meticulous detail, the struggle of balancing the duties of the British crown and her personal life. The show’s emotional fulcrum is the evolving romance with Prince Albert and the pressures of being a female monarch in a male-dominated world.

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More period dramas to watch before Bridgerton season 4 hits the screen

6. The Great

Starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult, The Great is a satirical representation of Catherine the Great’s rise to power in Russia in a fast-paced narrative. The show is humorous and often unpredictable in telling its story.

The Great is not strict with its period drama requirements. It is marked by an occasional disregard for historical adherence, giving it the necessary space to emerge not just as refreshing but also as funny.

7. Poldark

The period drama Poldark features Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson in an engaging drama that centers around Ross Poldark, a man who returns from wars and later finds his estate in ruins and his life in utter despair. The setting is beautiful, against Cornwall’s stunning landscapes that the show meticulously tries to rebuild.

One of the reasons why the show became popular is its depiction of societal issues and its brilliant handling of themes of family politics, moral dilemmas, and the power of human actions to bring about gradual, meaningful change.

8. Sanditon

Sanditon has been inspired by Jane Austen’s unfinished novel. The story recounts the journey of Charlotte, played by Rose Williams.

Charlotte visits an upcoming seaside resort. Another remarkable cast member is Theo James, who appears in its first season. The show offers a fresh perspective on Austen’s work, giving subtle nods to the themes of new money, social ambition, and self-discovery.

9. Belgravia

Belgravia comes from the creator of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes. Starring Philip Glenister, Tamsin Greig, and Harriet Walter, Belgravia is a period drama that traces how a secret surfacing after the Battle of Waterloo can force two families to confront their past. This delivers a masterful blend of mystery and high-society politics that sets the stage for calm yet steady-paced storytelling.

10. Harlots

The last entry into this list is Harlots, a period drama set in 18th-century London that features Samantha Morton, Jessica Brown Findlay, and Lesley Manville. The story captures a brothel owner’s challenges as she tries to protect her daughters and business from enemies and societal judgments.

This bold and raw depiction shifts the spotlight from the elite to women in a different space where they survive outside polite society, emphasizing themes of power, resilience, and sisterhood.

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As we wait eagerly for the fourth season of Bridgerton to arrive with another rendition of love stories and family drama, these shows quench your thirst for thrilling historical narratives.

Also read: Bridgerton: 10 times Kate and Anthony’s chemistry stole the whole season