Most recently, when confronted with a mountain of online homework, I have turned to Netflix to procrastinate. Like many others, I can never find a good show or movie to watch. When I saw that “Pride & Prejudice” had finally been put on, I watched it immediately. Ever since then, I have dived into the new suggestions that Netflix has given to me. They all seem to be top notch and are wildly entertaining. So if you are looking for a new period-specific show, may I suggest any of these titles? Hopefully they will leave you as entertained as they have left me.
- “Medici, The Magnificent”
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Set in medieval Italy, the Medici family is on a quest to continue their rise to power, even after a devastating loss. Through the trials and tribulations of great social upheavals at the time, the Medici family struggles to keep their future in line. Richard Madden plays Cosimo Medici, the wildly attractive banker that is in charge of keeping this family’s business in line. He never had the desire to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a banker, rather he wanted to be an artist, and we can see this in how he tries to bring art into his great city of Florence. With such a great plot and the perfect mix of drama and suspense, “Medici, The Magnificent” kept me pressing the play next episode button every time.
- “The English Game”
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This is one of the newer shows I have started, and I am only a couple episodes in, but I love it. The accents are magnificent and the beards are something else (Edward Holcroft with a beard is*chef’s kiss*). I am not the biggest fan of sports, besides a Chiefs game during football season, so I was skeptical about this one. It started off strong, getting right into the plot of the origins of modern football in England. The team consists of a small factory and now has two new players, Suter and Love, both who are being paid to play (which is illegal at this time). They have been brought on to help this working team win and definitely have the skills to do so. In the hopes of not spoiling the plot, I won’t continue. You must go watch it yourself.
- “Outlander”.
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Now this one––AMAZING. I have no words to describe how perfect this show is. Based on the books of Diana Gabaldon, which are excellent in their own right, watching this show is so entertaining. Set in the Scottish Highlands, the scenery is beautiful, which only makes this easier to watch. Though it can be quite intense at times, this show embodies everything a period piece should have. The outfits, the accents and the drama make for an overall excellent show. Caitriona Balfe is absolutely gorgeous in the role of nurse Claire Randall and her equally handsome counterpart Sam Heughan plays the dashing Highland warrior Jamie Fraser. This show is definitely one the best period pieces I have watched, right up next to “Downton Abbey,” so I highly recommend.
I could add so many more to this list, but these are definitely my top three! The best part about watching them is that you might even learn something behind the drama and theatrics of it all. If you get through this list, the entire collection of period pieces on Netflix
is amazing, so browse through and see what you can find. Most of these are based on actual history too, so look into the beautiful places they are filmed! While we all are still in quarantine and lockdown, we might as well dream of far off places and new destinations. The first place on my list as soon as I can travel will definitely be the Scottish Highlands, purely because I want to find my very own Jamie Fraser, and I think most would agree. Happy watching, collegiettes!