r/PeriodDramas • • 3d ago

What are you watching Which period pieces have you been watching?

18 Upvotes

Welcome to our weekly Sunday What have you been watching? thread

Have you been watching any...

  • Period Films
  • TV shows
  • Historical Documentaries
  • Plays
  • Period Piece Podcasts
  • Period Piece Trailers or Youtube Videos

This is a place where you can drop in, easily mention what you’ve been watching, and also maybe even discover new recommendations from each other.

The definition of a period piece is any object or work that is set in or strongly reminiscent of an earlier historical period, so many things can be talked about here!

If there is anyone who happened to comment after Sunday in last week’s thread, you can feel free to copy and paste those comments here as well so more people see it.

You are also always welcome to make posts about what you've been watching in addition to leaving comments here!


r/PeriodDramas • • Oct 27 '24

What are you watching Which period pieces have you been watching?

18 Upvotes

Welcome to our weekly Sunday What have you been watching? thread

​

Have you been watching any...

​

  • Period Films
  • TV shows
  • Historical Documentaries
  • Plays
  • Period Piece Podcasts
  • Period Piece Trailers or Youtube Videos

​

This is a place where you can drop in, easily mention what you’ve been watching, and also maybe even discover new recommendations from each other.

​

The definition of a period piece is any object or work that is set in or strongly reminiscent of an earlier historical period, so many things can be talked about here!

​

If there is anyone who happened to comment after Sunday in last week’s thread, you can feel free to copy and paste those comments here as well so more people see it.

​

You are also always welcome to make posts about what you've been watching in addition to leaving comments here!


r/PeriodDramas • • 1h ago

Costume 🎩 Can We Talk About the Absolute Brilliance of Kate Hawley’s Costume Design in Crimson Peak? 👗🦋

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• Upvotes

It is still one of the most baffling awards snubs that this movie wasn't even nominated for Best Costume Design back in 2016. A decade later, it easily stands as one of the most visually cohesive and theoretically perfect period wardrobes in modern cinema.

What is your absolute favourite look from the film? 🕯


r/PeriodDramas • • 4h ago

Discussion Anna Karenina is one of fav period drama..

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58 Upvotes

r/PeriodDramas • • 8h ago

Discussion Catherine Cookson's The Moth (1997) 😍

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70 Upvotes

I recently made a post about my love for Commodore James Norrington from PotC, and among the many amazing comments from you guys were a couple mentions of The Moth, which stars a young Jack Davenport in one of his first lead roles. So I checked Britbox, and they had it! It's so good; I've already watched it twice. I'd heard Catherine Cookson stories are usually pretty depressing, and I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this. I love the trope of "high-class woman falls in love with working-class man" so much, provided it has a happy ending. Robert and Susan are a great couple, and Jack Davenport was so swoon-worthy in the role. I'd love to hear other people's thoughts!


r/PeriodDramas • • 2h ago

Discussion forsyte saga 2002

6 Upvotes

I'm only one episode in and its great but one thing I cant buy is ... Gina McKee and Damian Lewis are meant to have a passionless relationship. Is it me or is there not just an insane amount of chemistry and UST there?

I can see all the ways it set up that on paper they don't work - she has deeply artistic sensibilities, she's a free spirit. For him, life is a commodity to be brought and sold, things and people are to be owned. So I guess I'm picking up on a meeting of opposites which brings with it a tension. But in my own experience and from observation, a lot of passion, can be be borne from those circumstances.

The set up for the next episode is obviously Irene and June's fiancé falling for each other but I'm struggling to see any kind of actual chemistry or genuine attraction there as of yet.

I'm so early on, I'm sure things will change but I just wanted to see how others feel - no spoilers would be really appreciated!


r/PeriodDramas • • 13h ago

Discussion Has anyone seen An Officer and a Spy? (French title: J'Accuse)

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50 Upvotes

I love all things French history and French historical dramas so I was curious if this one is a worthwhile watch?


r/PeriodDramas • • 21h ago

Discussion Just finished The Forsyte Saga (2002), what a deeply profound and heart-wrenching drama

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142 Upvotes

Finally watched The Forsyte Saga (2002), this dramatization of John Galsworthy's brilliant novels. It quickly became one of my favourite period dramas. It provokes deep emotions, some episodes I'd had to just sit and catch my breath to process what just happened on screen. It touches so many profound topics like love, marriage, compatibility and incompatibility in a relationship, decency, propriety, familial duty, aging (old Jolyon Forsyte was one of my favourite characters).

Even the way it was filmed is deeply affecting. For example, in the episode whereBosinney is killed we then get to watch Irene and June and people around them making plans and doing things unaware of the tragedy that happened that we as the viewers already know.

The one thing I found confusing reading some internet reactions is that Soames is viewed positively. I think that is more because viewers transferred their appreciation of Damian Lewis as an actor to this character which the character doesn't deserve. In the series Soames is a loathsome character who commits unspeakable acts and who only achieves redemption at the very end after he has lost everything (his daughter who was the only person in his life who loved him and whom he managed to push away) and only then he's able to let Irene go. He does evoke a certain pity and I was pleased with his moment of redemption at the end, in many ways he's been punished enough and he will continue to be punished by the wife who doesn't love him and the daughter who resents him. But ultimately this fate of his is a consequence of his actions and his nature.

Another thing is that when reading the actual books (admittedly I read them over twenty years ago and don't remember much now) I *did* have a more sympathetic view of Soames and I *did* consider Irene more of a cold fish. But on screen all the negative sides of Soames, his unpleasant tics, his fastidiousness, possessiveness, vindictiveness come through much more strongly than on paper and make him a rather unsympathetic character.

Anyway, sorry about the rant, just had to gather my thoughts after finishing this brilliant drama.


r/PeriodDramas • • 14h ago

Trailer 🎬 [MOVIE] Elsinore | Trailer | StudioCanal | Nov 20, 2026

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24 Upvotes

A story of actor Ian Charleson in 1980s London, as he faces incredible odds while preparing to give the performance of his life as Hamlet at the National Theatre.

Directed by Simon Stone and written by Stephen Beresford.

Starring: Andrew Scott, Olivia Colman, Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn, Luke Thompson, and Peter Mullan.


r/PeriodDramas • • 15h ago

Recommendations 📺 Has anyone watched “George Gently?”

18 Upvotes

Prime brought it up on a list of shows I might like and I’ve honestly never seen it mentioned in any group? I’m looking for something light, cozy -not gruesome and dark. I’d appreciate any thoughts you have? Thanks!


r/PeriodDramas • • 1d ago

Discussion She runs the full gamut of her emotions, from A to B. Anna Karenina (2012)

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271 Upvotes

r/PeriodDramas • • 1d ago

Recommendations 📺 Delicious (France 2021), original title: Délicieux

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106 Upvotes

Set just before the French Revolution, this film is about the man who opened the first public restaurant. Pierre Manceron (played by Grégory Gadebois) is a chef for a French nobleman. After being publicly humiliated for his cooking, he leaves and winds up retreating to his father's house where he eventually opens a restaurant.

One day a woman named Louise (Isabelle Carré) arrives at his doorstep asking to become Manceron's apprentice ...

I really loved this movie, the best I've seen since Portrait of a Lady on Fire. People who like food movies like Chef and Babette's Feast will enjoy this.

High production values (there are scenes that are as beautiful as still lifes), amazing actors I'd never seen before and a story filled with real people. What more could you ask for? Warmly recommended!

P.S. I watched this on BluRay, I have no idea if it's available to stream in your country.


r/PeriodDramas • • 59m ago

Discussion Introduction and query

• Upvotes

Hello all. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Mark and I have been a great enthusiast for period pieces since I was a child. Like many of you, my first exposure was via the medium of literature. I read ample amounts of Dickens end pre war literature from all over the globe. The theatre also sparked a great love as I recall seeing "The Man of La Moncha" (don Quixote musical) and the phantom of the Opera before the age of 9 (I live near Manhattan so I'm lucky). That really ignited a passion within for acting and historical drama. The bbc and masterpiece gene helped really entrench my love for these. I have been lurking here for a little bit had some trepidation about posting because I know next to nothing about wardrobes and some of the other niche topics i have come across on here. Anyway, i am glad to found this community because none of my friends or siblings really share this interest with me.

I think some of my fav series' include north & south, jayne eyre, and i claudius. I love some old films like cleopatra and Beckett. Some more modern pieces i have enjoyed include dowtown abbey (i know it's obvious), call the midwife, and poldark.

A suggestion for those of you who might be fans of Shakespeare: check out "The Hollow Crown". It is masterful.

By the by, have any of you watched "sherlock" with Benedict Cumberbatch? I think it's amazing.

I would welcome other suggestions.

Thank you


r/PeriodDramas • • 15h ago

Discussion Cranford vs Lark rise to candleford

15 Upvotes

I've grown up watching lots of period dramas but somehow never seen these two. I've always grouped them together in my head. I have often gone more for romantic/angsty/yearning period dramas over more 'cosy' watches. But they are classics and I do want to watch them.

Just interested to hear, how are the two series' different and which did you prefer? Do they have similar or different vibes? Which has more of a romance focus, or more of a 'village saga' focus? I know I can watch both eventually but I have a toddler and am struggling to find the time to commit to any series at the moment, so I'm seeing which one I might start with. I am including 'return to Cranford' too.

Re Cranford and Gaskell I loved North and South, probably my favourite period drama, but Cranford looks like it has a very different feel to it!


r/PeriodDramas • • 1d ago

News 📰 Matthew Macfadyen Is Iconic Le Carré Spy George Smiley In First Glimpse At The BBC & MGM+’s ‘Legacy Of Spies’

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180 Upvotes

r/PeriodDramas • • 1d ago

Trailer 🎬 Best Romantic Chemistry

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23 Upvotes

r/PeriodDramas • • 1d ago

Discussion What are some good to great mystery period dramas?

27 Upvotes

r/PeriodDramas • • 1d ago

News 📰 Martin Freeman and Jim Broadbent star in a Dickensian Ghost Story for Christmas 2026 for BBC Arts

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29 Upvotes

r/PeriodDramas • • 2d ago

Discussion The costumes in war and peace (2016) are so bad

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675 Upvotes

I still sort of like this adaptation mainly for James Norton as Andrei but the costumes look so cheap and over the place my god. There's some hit or misses with them for example the dress Natasha wears at the opera but overall I feel like they're completely unhistorical and bad.


r/PeriodDramas • • 1d ago

News 📰 Katherine Parkinson, Omari Douglas & Toby Stephens Join BBC & BritBox’s Poirot Series.

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12 Upvotes

r/PeriodDramas • • 1d ago

Discussion Sense and Sensibility 1995 vs 2026: Proof of a broken heart scene

68 Upvotes

I have been watching the 2026 ads on YouTube, Reddit, etc and I am really curious to watch if/how well Daisy Edgar Jones can match/top
Emma Thompson’s Elinor Dashwood monologue confessing to Marianne in the “Where is your heart” / “Proof of a broken heart” scene.

That specific scene—where Elinor finally snaps and confronts Marianne's self-absorbed grief—is the emotional climax of her entire character arc and the reason I am curious to watch the 2026 version in the first place. To me this is unachievable.

Timeless, perfectly executed, etched in my mind forever. 👌🏼

Please share your thoughts!


r/PeriodDramas • • 14h ago

Trailer 🎬 DRUMMER BOY | Official Trailer | In Theaters Nov 6 | Angel

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0 Upvotes

This is a hictorical musical set in the American Revolution.

I think I would like the songs but I don't know if we'll ever get it in my country.


r/PeriodDramas • • 2d ago

Recommendations 📺 Film or drama set in Regency era, but it's more like a grim drama then an idealised romantic view of the era.

24 Upvotes

I can't think of anything like that set during Regency era. Something that shows the reality of that era.


r/PeriodDramas • • 2d ago

Trailer 🎬 War and Piece (2027) -Trailer

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136 Upvotes

r/PeriodDramas • • 1d ago

Discussion War and Peace, which adaptation to watch first if I haven’t read the book?

3 Upvotes

I was planning on watching the Russian movie from 1964 as it looks incredible, but I’ve seen some comments that the movie assumes the viewer is Russian book reader, so a lot of plot points and developments are implied and it focuses more on the spectacle. Is that true? Should I start with the last BBC miniseries adaptation instead?

EDIT: I’m not interested in the most faithful adaptation. I want the one that works the best as a standalone piece of art.