Dive into the world of captivating period dramas that are setting screens on fire! From royal intrigues to passionate romances, we're exploring the most addictive historical TV shows that will transport you to different eras and keep you glued to your screen.
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00:00Come here often. Jane is the first person in history to ever use that line
00:05and two seconds later the first to regret it. Welcome to Ms Mojo and today we're counting
00:12down our picks for the most addictive television series set in the olden days.
00:16I might meet one or two one day. I might even die.
00:22Number 10. The Gilded Age. If you were a fan of the new versus old money aesthetics that
00:27dominated social media for a hot minute, this series is for you. Now you need to know we only
00:32receive the old people in this house, not the new, never the new. What's the difference? From the
00:40creator of Downton Abbey comes this riveting piece that you can neither take too seriously nor
00:45dismiss easily. As if New York today wasn't challenging enough to navigate, our protagonist
00:50Marion Brooke must deal with the ins and outs of New York's high society in the 1880s. Will you
00:55include Mrs Russell among your stallholders? Apparently not. We still want her check though,
01:00we just mean to insult her first. Her husband won't take kindly to the snub.
01:05This bazaar is an aid of children. We need everything to be as pure as the driven snow.
01:11And so you mean to tangle with a man who will own most of the railroads in this country?
01:15The Russells, who've just gone from rags to riches, contest against the famously exclusive
01:20old guard, led by blue-blooded queen bee Lena Astor. What ensues is a sumptuous soap opera
01:26with enough entertainment to last you several hours of binge watching. It's true and I will be
01:31a good friend to you if you will let me. Number nine, The Empress. The strength of this show lies
01:40in our main character Sisi, who is loosely based on Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
01:50Fiercely independent, free-spirited and defiant, Sisi catches the eye of Emperor of Austria Franz
02:00Josef. However, the world stands between their smoldering romance. Well, that and
02:04the raging patriarchy just can't handle her chutzpah.
02:20Still, as cliche as it sounds, they have love on their side and it triumphs, most times. Don't expect much historical accuracy,
02:27but their intense passion and the otherworldly kisses more than make up for it.
02:39Number eight, Outlander. This series transports viewers and the heroine to the 18th century.
02:51What you've always wanted. Shortly following the end of the Second World War, Claire Randall,
02:56a British nurse, is sent back in time by the mysterious standing stones of Scotland's Cregna
03:01Dune. There, she finds herself smack dab in the middle of the Jacobite Rising and a
03:06melodramatic romance with a dashing rebel Jamie Fraser. Lord, you gave me a rare woman.
03:13God, I loved her well. In her modern life, she's married, which raises the stakes for her time-traveling
03:24romance. More importantly, she knows the future of history all too well. Still, she risks changing
03:30it anyway, which creates much of the conflict in the show. With ample seasons to satisfy you,
03:35Outlander is definitely worth the watch. You said you wouldn't have come into your full power until
03:40your hair turned white? I haven't thought about that in ages. What's made you think of that?
03:51I was thinking I still had a wee bit of time yet before you become too dangerous.
03:58Number seven, Bridgerton. You were the bane of my existence
04:03and the object of all my desires. Gorgeous balls, blushing brides, and gossipy mamas,
04:09this show takes everything we love about period dramas and packages it all together with a pretty
04:13little bow. Meanwhile, it does away with much of the ancient problematic bits,
04:17instead choosing to be quite modern in its sensibilities. So you're an admirer of my work?
04:23I would not go so far. It is serviceable, I suppose. And yet, you still have to be
04:28far. You're a long way from Mayfair for writings that are merely serviceable.
04:39You get passionate love affairs set in Regency-era London, rumor mills going into
04:44overdrive for some juicy scandals, and characters worth getting attached to. This is the type of
04:49story that lets you sit back, relax with a cuppa, and enjoy some good old wish fulfillment as you
04:53live vicariously through it. It is you I cannot sacrifice. I burn for you.
05:03Number six, The Serpent Queen. You've been listening to my story for a few days now.
05:11Would you like to know how it ends? Based on the life of the Queen of France, Catherine de Medici,
05:16this series earned a hundred percent rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes for a reason.
05:21Featuring standout performances by a brilliant cast, it chronicles Catherine's road to the
05:25throne fraught with political intrigue. Her reign isn't without its fair share of villainy either,
05:31although the show does rely heavily on legends rather than facts to build its plot.
05:35You look hungry.
05:43You've heard too many stories.
05:45The Queen's breed of cunning is deliciously evil and rather punk rock,
05:49worthy of her titular nickname. As a bonus, there's a healthy dose of black comedy too.
05:53It feels good to be bad, doesn't it?
05:57It feels better to get my own back.
06:02Exactly.
06:03Number five, The Great.
06:04There are many versions of you, and you know I'm the only one who sees them all.
06:10Yes.
06:10And you know I love them all, even when I find them baffling and idiotic.
06:16Yes, you do.
06:17If highbrow, ultra-serious historical fiction is not your cup of tea,
06:22you need to add this L-fanning fronted piece to your watch list.
06:25It is so out of pocket that Hulu even labeled it as anti-historical.
06:29Touche.
06:31What?
06:31Touche.
06:33Do you mean touche?
06:34What, is it not touche?
06:36No, touche.
06:38That's great. How smart you are.
06:39Inspired by Catherine the Great, the Empress of Russia,
06:42the show is a witty revisionist take on her rule.
06:45In this version, she's the epitome of feminism,
06:48much to her male subjects' dismay.
06:50Shoot them if need be.
06:51I'm free.
06:53Of him?
06:53Yes.
06:54Of life and the possibility of more rib-sticking pain and suffering
06:57than you could ever imagine?
06:59No.
06:59The situations that are thus created offer satirical dark humor
07:03rather than slapstick comedy,
07:05although the latter isn't completely absent.
07:07Trust us, you'll be walking away from this show
07:09making it your whole personality for at least a week.
07:12I am fond of you and that is why you still walk the earth.
07:15Do not push me to a corner I do not wish to be in.
07:18I am sorry to speak harshly.
07:20Let us put it behind us,
07:22agree to our accommodations as pleasing for all,
07:24and finish me off!
07:28Number 4
07:29Harlots
07:30The dark underbelly of London in the 1700s
07:33is exposed in this tale of love, sex, and betrayal.
07:36Harlots follows courtesans in rival brothels,
07:38run by madames Margaret Wells and Lydia Quigley,
07:41fighting it out for power in a society violently coming down on them.
07:45Are you coming after me?
07:47We lawmen and judges, you!
07:49See how the sluicer act behaves at the opera.
07:52While the title of the show is self-explanatory,
07:54given the subject matter, it's also a reclamation of the term.
07:57The women in the narrative have little agency,
08:00but you best believe they're determined to hold on to it.
08:02What a hell-bound spider you are.
08:07I'm clawing my way upwards in the world, Mr. Gibbon.
08:11Not down.
08:12Morals are gray, often leaning to the darker end of the spectrum,
08:15but the language is colorful,
08:17which makes the viewing experience infinitely more entertaining.
08:20Harlots undeniably redefined the genre.
08:23You are the pineapple of Great Britain.
08:26Most lovers would bring pearls.
08:29Number 3
08:30The Artful Dodger
08:31If you've ever wondered what happened to Jack Dawkins
08:33from Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist,
08:35this is where you'll find out.
08:36The question, though, is who cuts?
08:40Heads.
08:48Me.
08:51I bet you can't do under 43.
08:53Pounds says 29.
08:54When have you ever had a pound?
08:55Our protagonist is Dawkins himself,
08:57better known as the eponymous Artful Dodger,
09:00who left his pickpocketing ways behind for a career in medicine in Australia.
09:04After serving as a surgeon for the Royal Navy,
09:06he has built quite the reputation as a talented doctor.
09:09However, his new life is threatened
09:11when his past comes knocking at his door.
09:13What do you want?
09:16Well, a little bird flapped in and whispered to me
09:18that you'd escaped from prison in London.
09:22Do they hang escaped convicts here?
09:27Well, I'll take that as a yes.
09:28The ensuing capers offer a great mix of humor,
09:31intrigue, and adventure.
09:32Equipped with an exceedingly charming performance
09:34by Thomas Brody-Sangster and his swoon-worthy chemistry
09:37with Maya Mitchell's enterprising Lady Belle,
09:40the Artful Dodger simply should not be missed.
09:42You should really never see each other.
09:44So should he.
09:46No, that wouldn't be right.
09:57If you like your period pieces melded with the fantastical and unusual,
10:01we've got your back.
10:03Enter My Lady Jane,
10:04a story based on the life of the Nine Days Queen, Lady Jane Grey.
10:08I'll need a dagger.
10:09Luckily, I have a spare.
10:12That's not a dagger.
10:15This is a dagger.
10:16The story starts when she's about to be married off
10:18to one Guildford Dudley against her will.
10:21However, this retelling paints her as a feminist
10:23who will not be spoken for.
10:25That all sounds fairly ordinary for a period drama
10:28until you find out there are shapeshifters in the mix.
10:30What?
10:31Don't say what.
10:32Say pardon.
10:33Guildford can't control his Aethian powers.
10:36Why?
10:37Aethians can change back and forth whenever they want.
10:39Everybody knows that.
10:40Not my boy.
10:41Though they're not accepted in society,
10:43this is a version of history where humans turn into animals all the time.
10:46Add to that a generous helping of raunchy romance
10:49and some good old sardonic comedy
10:51and you have My Lady Jane served hot.
10:54Guildford?
10:57Yes?
11:03Sleep well.
11:05You too.
11:05Good night.
11:06Good night.
11:06Good night.
11:09Before we unveil our top pick,
11:11here are a few honorable mentions.
11:13Renegade Nell.
11:14A dash of the supernatural makes this outlaw adventure
11:17a unique and compelling watch.
11:18You got anything else?
11:29Who are you?
11:30Pachinko.
11:31This sweeping generational epic will capture you
11:33with its strong performances and layered narrative.
11:46The Borgias.
11:47The papal power plays and personal entanglements will keep you hooked.
11:51May I call you something other than Cardinal?
11:57Call me Cesare.
11:58Cesare.
12:03Remind me why I'm here, Cesare.
12:09Because you want to be.
12:11The Tudors.
12:12The messy love life of King Henry VIII
12:14takes center stage in this British-Canadian show.
12:16Poor Catherine Howard.
12:19She lies in the cold ground next to me.
12:22Poor child.
12:25It was not her fault either.
12:28But we were like two moths drawn to the flame.
12:33And burned.
12:34Gentleman Jack.
12:35Fans of sapphic romance will find plenty to fall for here.
12:38One day.
12:42If you're very good.
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13:03Number 1.
13:04Mary and George
13:10Our title characters are a mother and son duo who join forces to seduce a king.
13:14We can't blame them though.
13:15They have no money or prospects in 17th century England
13:18after the death of a family's patriarch.
13:20So Mary pulls a remarriage of convenience
13:23and uses her newly acquired funds to ship George off to France.
13:26He has to be refined enough to woo King James VI and I after all.
13:30What if I go later?
13:32When I'm older?
13:33You could.
13:35But if you miss this chance you'll fail us all
13:37and live like your father smeared the unwashable excrement of eternal shame.
13:43Bon voyage.
13:45Don't mistake the show's levity for a lack of depth.
13:48Look beyond the bawdy social climbing and unclutch your pearls
13:51because there's much to appreciate in its queer representation
13:54and sly power struggles.
13:56Besides, it's based on real history and stars Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galatine.
14:01Need we say more?
14:02Are you pleased with me?
14:05As a snake, as Eve ate her dark fruit.
14:09If we tread right, George, he'll be yours.
14:13Mine.
14:15Ours.
14:16Which of these period TV shows would you want to be transported to?
14:19Tell us in the comments.
14:21On your feet, soldier.
14:26Take me home to Lalibroch.
14:28Do you agree with our picks?
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