While most are not historically accurate, period dramas are a fun way to be transported to a different time and see how people lived back then. Not to mention the glittering costumes are all part of the fun of watching them. Here’s a list of the best period dramas that I’ve seen!
- Downton Abbey
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Downton Abbey is by far my favorite show ever and I am so excited for the movie to come out this weekend, I already bought my ticket! Set in the early 1900’s Downton Abbey allows you to follow the scandalous lives of the Lord and Lady Grantham and their daughters Lady Mary, Lady Edith and Lady Sybil as the world around them is changing fast. The Crawley’s live on a large Estate in England with a household of footmen, chauffeurs, cooks, maids, ladies maids and of course a butler. The people that work in the house live with there and dedicate their lives to the Crawley family and think of it as an honor to serve such a great family. Not only does the show delve into the drama of the Crawleys but also the drama of the lives of the workers. With the women’s suffrage movement spreading, and Europe on the brink of World War I the world is becoming a whole new place that the Crawleys must adapt to.
Downton Abbey is available to watch on PBS Masterpiece
- The Tudors
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The Tudors follows the life of the infamous King Henry VIII who is most famous for his six wives. The show explores the lives of each wife including the more famous ones like Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boelyn to Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. And of course the show dives into the lives of King Henry’s children Mary I, Catherine of Aragon’s daughter, Elizabeth I, Anne Boelyn’s daughter and Edward VI, Jane Seymour’s son and how the children came in and out of favor with Henry throughout the show. In the start of the show, England is a Catholic country with King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, a Spanish princess, as it’s rulers. As the show goes on you can see the transitions and causes of the reformation and the growth of Protestantism and how the rest of the world reacts.
- Reign
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Reign tells the story of Mary Queen of Scots as she is sent to France to marry it’s future king in order to secure an alliance. Mary faces many pressures including France wanting her to lay a claim to the English Throne as its rightful heir instead of her bastard cousin Elizabeth I, daughter of King henry VIII and Anne Boelyn. At this time, Protestantism is spreading in England while France and Scotland are strictly Catholic countries, another reason having a Catholic queen lay claim to the English throne may cost her her life. The show also focuses on the rivalry between Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I. If you read and enjoyed the Phillippa Gregory book The Other Queen, you will like Reign because it is very similar and both the book and show explore the lives of Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots.
Reign in available on Netflix
- Les Miserables – Mini Series
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If you liked the play Les Miserables or the movie, you’ll probably be excited as I was to hear that there is another version of it on PBS. The stars include actress Lily Collins as Fantine, Dominic West as Jean Valjean and David Oyelowo as Inspector Javert. The mini series is only a few episodes long and definitely worth watching. Not only does it portray a different version of the story but it shows how the main characters lives were before they came crashing down, unlike the movie.
Les Miserables is available on PBS Masterpiece