“Bridgerton” is a pretty unique show, with its incredible mix of historical romance, scandal, and family drama. But what happens when you’ve binged every available episode and you’re left craving more? Fear not! Here are 18 TV shows that will fill the Bridgerton-shaped hole in your heart.
Downton Abbey
How could we not start with this classic? Downton Abbey is a show where every glance has a backstory, and every whispered word could start a war. Here, family ties are a mix of love and the occasional backstabbing (metaphorically, of course). It’s the kind of place where you’ll get emotional when the footman gets a promotion!
The Crown
The Crown takes you behind the velvet curtains of Buckingham Palace to expose the drama of the British royal family. Watch as Queen Elizabeth II faces being a monarch in a rapidly changing world, dealing with everything from political drama to family issues. There’s a reason it has won so many awards, after all!
Poldark
Ross Poldark is the brooding hero with a heart of gold and a face to match. However, the show is about more than just abs, although they do deserve their own credit. The show focuses on fighting for what’s right in a world that often seems wrong. Between breathtaking cliffside rides and smoldering looks across candlelit rooms, you’ll be rooting for Ross no matter what.
Outlander
Outlander is basically your favorite history textbook but with 100% more kilts and time travel. Follow Claire as she juggles two husbands and two centuries, with all the drama that would bring. Plus, the historical side of the show might teach you a thing or two about the Jacobite revolution.
Sanditon
Sanditon takes the cake for seaside drama. This series serves up a scoop of social satire with every helping of heartbreak, proving that even in Regency England, beach resorts were the place to see and be seen. Just maybe don’t get too attached to anyone – unfinished novels make for uncertain futures.
The Great
For The Great, the writers turned the history books upside down by giving us a Catherine the Great who’s part strategy genius, part comedic goldmine. It’s a royal court where the politics are as twisted as the humor and where any royal decisions come with some sass. If only all our history classes could be this entertaining!
Victoria
In Victoria, Queen Victoria rewrote the rules of the monarchy. This show depicts a queen who is trying to balance the crown on her head while dealing with uprisings and an overbearing mother. Watching her relationship with Albert is truly a movie moment, including the awkward first encounters and grand, romantic gestures.
Call the Midwife
In Poplar, Call the Midwife shows us that delivering babies in post-war London requires more than just breathing techniques. It’s a series about community with tales that tug at your heartstrings. Each episode delivers a bundle of joy and tears, proving that life goes on, even when your TV show doesn’t.
Gentleman Jack
Gentleman Jack explores the life of the ever-energetic Anne Lister. Her love life is a Regency version of a modern dating app, except she’s swiping right in her diary. Her aim? To transform Shibden Hall from a sleepy estate into a buzzing hive of industry. Unfortunately, HBO did cancel the show prematurely after two seasons, but it’s still worth a watch!
Belgravia
In Belgravia, the streets are lined with secrets, and the tea always comes with scandal. This show goes behind the scenes of London’s elite to reveal that behind every well-mannered nod is a potential dagger. The Trenchards are new to the area, and they find themselves trapped in a web that could destroy them all.
The Spanish Princess
The Spanish Princess tells the story of Catherine of Aragon. However, she’s not an ordinary monarch – this is a woman on a mission, armed with a heart as strong as her Spanish armor and challenging gender norms all the way. Plus, Henry VIII actually has a personality here, and it’s more complex than just his marital record.
Reign
Reign gives Mary, Queen of Scots, a wardrobe and drama worthy of any 21st-century influencer. Sure, the show plays fast and loose with the facts, but who needs accuracy when you’ve got love hexagons (not just triangles) and political intrigue? The show’s take on the truth also helps to humanize these historical categories just a little bit more.
Versailles
Versailles is a how all about excess, where every frame is decked out with luxury. King Louis XIV is an ambitious man who turned governance into an art form as he tries to build a new palace. But while this is happening, we also get to see the spectacle of his quest for more power. It’s all the drama of Bridgerton turned up to an 11!
Harlots
Step into the powdered world of Harlots, where London’s ladies of the night are entrepreneurs in petticoats. Forget vice and virtue – this show is about the struggles and triumphs of women carving out their independence in a society that prefers them silent. Sadly, the show’s cancellation means we never got an answer about what happened to Anne at the end.
Wolf Hall
In Wolf Hall, we follow the life of Thomas Cromwell, a man who is trying to climb the dangerous ladder of Tudor politics. The show focuses on the price of ambition and the cost of trying to earn a king’s favor – it’s more deadly than you might think! Throughout Wolf Hall, we see Cromwell’s journey from blacksmith’s son to the halls of power and risks involved.
The Tudors
When you think of Henry VIII, you might think about how he created the Church of England, among other things. However, in the Tudors, the focus is on the king’s personal drama and political power plays. Instead of being a tyrant, this Henry is a troubled rock star with a love for weddings and a temper that could turn on a dime.
The Musketeers
The Musketeers takes us on an action-packed, high-stakes journey through 17th-century France. This famous band of brothers fights for king and country, justice, and honor. With swords flashing and muskets blazing, D’Artagnan and company turn every skirmish into a spectacle.
Jamestown
Jamestown thrusts us into the muddy, bug-bitten reality of the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. Here, women are shipped over as “maids to make wives,” while the men are about as civilized as the wildlife. Eventually, as we know, the Jamestown’s settlers carve out a place for themselves – but this show is about the struggles it took them to get there.
