Bridgerton was undoubtedly a defining moment for the period drama genre. I can picture it clearly – it was Christmas, a third lockdown was imminent, and morale was low. Here came Bridgerton with its colourful, raunchy joy to save us. Fast forward a few years and the Bridgerton effect has reached heights I could not have foreseen. Now, it seems, that every show or film that is attempting a period drama style is highly influenced by the series. Namely, the use of modern language, loosely historically accurate costuming, and some instrumental Beyoncé or Taylor Swift in the background for good measure. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however, as someone who is a self-proclaimed expert of period dramas, the lack of variety and to an extent, the disrespect of the originals, is frustrating.
Let’s take the new Apple TV series, The Buccaneers, as an example. This is a story of five wealthy American girls in England who are involved in the London Season. Like Bridgerton, there is somewhat diverse casting and an exploration of feminism, racism, and queer themes, all which I think should be encouraged. My gripe with the new style is not with the content but with the aesthetic. The reason I watch or read historical fiction is to escape from the present reality, and with the modern feel and lacklustre costuming, my suspension of disbelief is severely challenged. In The Buccaneers, the costumes seem to be stripped back or simpler, perhaps to appear more flattering in the eyes of a 2023 audience. Similarly, the music seems to have been chosen to attract a specific audience of young women, using recently released pop music instead of music that may fit the meaning or style of the scene better. There is just a sense that the choices are made quickly and without much thought for the integrity of the art.
What I find most interesting though is the use of language in this new style of period drama. In my opinion, these shows are confused about what they want to be. They use a mixture of heightened ‘old’ sounding language (which is even more ridiculous than what was being written in the 1800s). Then, on the other hand, they use modern day slang and idioms which completely pulls me out of the genre. It almost feels like the show’s creators do not respect their audience and cannot fathom that they would be intelligent enough to pick up on the subtext of the ‘older’ language. The worst offender of this must be Netflix’s Persuasion, where they broke the fourth wall to deliver the inspired dialogue of “now we’re worse than exes, we’re friends” and “if you’re a five in London, you’re a ten in Bath.” The jarring nature of this dialogue, to me, cheapens the entire narrative.
In contrast, I want to explore my all-time favourite period drama: the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice adaptation. It has everything I want, music that is incorporated within the scenes which creates the sense that this is a real place. The costumes reflect the time and they re-wear outfits to demonstrate how limited number of clothes these people had. It is these small choices that help the viewer believe in the world that has been created. It is still funny and relevant to us, the creators even added things that were not in the book (hint, the hot Colin Firth lake scene) but these additions did not take away from the source material nor did it confuse the viewer with shifting genre every few scenes. I wonder if the quality of this show has created something more timeless, which we will return to more often.
Despite my frustrations with elements of this trend, I do appreciate the innovative aspects of it. When the piece is bold and unique, I think a distinctive style is to its benefit. I also think this trend speaks to the time we are living in more so than the time they are claiming it is set in. It is significant that Bridgerton and all the shows that followed came out during, or after Covid and a cost-of-living crisis. The bold tone of these type of shows, which draws particularly on the current culture, seems to be a reaction to the perhaps dreary times we feel we are living in. All of this is to say that I will continue to watch and love period dramas (in all their shapes and sizes), however this is an official appeal for more variety!