Is Downton Abbey, starring Hugh Bonneville and Jim Carter, the greatest period drama of all time? Photo / Supplied
Bonnets, britches, bullets… Historical drama doesn’t have to be genteel and strait-laced, as our what-to-watch list proves
Close your eyes and picture a TV period drama. One inevitably imagines bonnets and britches, top hats and horses, fluttering fans and formal balls. Yet there’s far more to the genre than bringing a well-thumbed Penguin Classic to the small screen.
Our eclectic selection of the all-time best spans from ancient Rome to 1960s Manhattan and all eras in between. Similarly, it runs the social gamut from real-life royalty, down to the criminal underworld. Truly, all human life is here.
We’ve steered away from genre pieces that would fit better on war, sci-fi or crime lists – the likes of Band of Brothers, Shōgun, Life on Mars and For All Mankind.
Pachinko, The English, The Way We Live Now, When the Boat Comes In, Elizabeth R and The Camomile Lawn can all consider themselves unlucky for missing the cut. Neither was there room for recent hits such as Bridgerton, Outlander, Poldark, The Queen’s Gambit, All Creatures Great and Small and Call the Midwife. Apologies to their devoted fans.
Instead we’ve come up with a carefully curated collection of historical hits and costume classics. Here’s our countdown of the 20 best. We’ve listed which platform you can stream, rent or buy them on in NZ. Some you’ll have to track down the DVD box-sets – try stores such as JB Hi-Fi, Real Groovy, Mighty Ape, eBay and Trade Me.
This huge hit followed the lives, loves and shifting social dynamics at 165 Eaton Place. The family was headed by Tory MP Richard Bellamy (David Langton) and his aristocratic wife Lady Marjorie (Rachel Gurney). Below-stairs staff were led by authoritarian butler Angus Hudson (Gordon Jackson), alongside maid Rose Buck (Jean Marsh) and cook Mrs Bridges (Angela Baddeley). Setting the template for successors The Duchess of Duke Street and Downton Abbey, the drama played out against the backdrop of Edwardian London, taking in events such as women’s suffrage, the Great War and the Wall Street Crash. The 2010 BBC reboot wasn’t bad either.
Watch it on: Not currently available to stream in NZ
An under-appreciated masterpiece. Tom Stoppard’s intelligent adaptation of Ford Madox Ford’s quartet of novels was hailed as “the highbrow Downton” and deserved a wider audience. Benedict Cumberbatch, fresh from going supernova in Sherlock, was deeply moving as uptight government statistician Christopher Tietjens, torn between unreciprocated loyalty to socialite wife Sylvia (Rebecca Hall) and his attraction to free-spirited suffragette Valentine Wannop (Adelaide Clemens). When “Chrissy” was wounded in the war, life would never be the same again. A stellar supporting cast included Rupert Everett, Miranda Richardson, Anne-Marie Duff, Roger Allam, Janet McTeer and Stephen Graham.
Watch it on: Not currently available to stream in NZ
It tends to be pigeon-holed as a period Sopranos – it was created by writer Terence Winter and Martin Scorsese directed the $18 million pilot – but across five sumptuous series, this gangland epic wove its own spell. Set in Prohibition-era Atlantic City, it followed the machinations of kingpin Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi), who struck deals with bootleggers and bribed politicians, while evading the attentions of federal agents. Lavish production values, panoramic scope and a constellation of indelible supporting characters added up to high-class historical thrills.
Watch it on: Neon
He’s now best known as a TV action man-for-hire but actor Richard Armitage made his name in this BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s 1855 novel (which was edited by no less than Charles Dickens). The four-parter followed Hampshire clergyman’s daughter Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby-Ashe), who relocated to a northern mill town. As she struggled to adjust to her new life, she clashed with the Thornton family of cotton magnates – before falling for son John (Armitage in Mr Darcy mode). An engaging story of love across the social divide, touching on issues of class, gender and industrialisation.
Watch it on: Not currently available to stream in NZ
The show that reinvented the Western for the 21st century. Hailed as “Shakespeare in the mud”, writer David Milch’s down-and-dirty saga was set in a lawless South Dakota gold-mining settlement during the 1870s. A rogue’s gallery of shady characters descended on the frontier town to seek their fortune – chief among them lawman Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) and Ian McShane’s foul-mouthed saloon owner, the aptly named Al Swearengen. Rootin’ and tootin’, wild and wicked, it ran for three seasons, averaging 1.56 F-bombs per minute. Fans campaigned for more until a follow-up film in 2019 completed the story.
Watch it on: TVNZ+
The last major British drama to be made in black and white was a trailblazer for large-scale period pieces. This 26-part adaptation of John Galsworthy’s novels followed several generations of the Forsyte family between 1879 and 1926. Obsessive Soames (Eric Porter) became a national anti-hero, while wife Irene (Nyree Dawn Porter) was dubbed “the first romantic sex symbol of the television age”. With its twists and cliffhangers, the serial attracted audiences of 18 million on Sunday nights, prompting pubs to close early and churches to move their Evensong services to avoid clashing. It became the first BBC programme to be sold to the Soviet Union and was watched by more than 160 million people in 26 countries. A 2002 Granada remake starred Damian Lewis but could never compete.
Watch it on: Not currently available to stream in NZ
Writer Steven Knight took his grandparents' tall tales of flat-capped street gangs in Birmingham, Britain, and turned them into a global cultural phenomenon, starring New Zealand’s own Sam Neill. Cillian Murphy delivers a towering performance as ice-cool mobster Thomas Shelby, who outmanoeuvres police, ruthlessly defeats rivals and forms an alliance with Winston Churchill on his rise to power. The stylised violence and anachronistic soundtrack isn’t for everyone but a killer ensemble ensures six series of swaggering thrills. A Western relocated to the West Midlands, where folk heroes rub shoulders with historical figures. A film sequel is currently in production.
Watch it on: Netflix
The sublime HBO adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s bestselling Neapolitan Novels is one of the most criminally underrated shows on-air. Following two working-class girls, bookish Lenu (Margherita Mazzucco) and wild Lila (Gaia Girace), across half a century, it’s a gorgeously nuanced portrait of lifelong female friendship. The cinematography is beautiful, the atmosphere is immersive and viewers can’t help falling for its beguiling charms. The fourth and heartbreakingly final season arrives later this year. Ratings have reached seven million in its native Italy. It remains a cult concern in Britain but merits far more.
Watch it on: Not currently available to stream in NZ
TV doesn’t get more comforting than Julian Fellowes’ country house classic, set during the turbulent early decades of the 20th century. Said to be one of the most expensive British TV dramas ever filmed, the sumptuous production followed the aristocratic Crawley family and their loyal staff at their Yorkshire estate. With shock deaths, torrid romance and Rolls-Royce performances, it became a ratings phenomenon for ITV and a global hit when it was exported to America, winning Emmys and spawning film spin-offs. An elegant exploration of the post-Edwardian era but also a compellingly soapy family epic.
Watch it on: The Downton Abbey TV series is not currently available to stream in NZ, but the first movie and its sequel, Downton Abbey: A New Era, are available to stream on Netflix and Prime Video, and to rent from Apple TV Store, Google TV, YouTube and Neon Rentals
It’s become a cliche that if Charles Dickens was writing today, he’d be making TV drama. Andrew Davies’ landmark BBC adaptation imagined just that, distilling his classic doorstopper into half-hour instalments to echo the novel’s serialised publication, airing straight after EastEnders which only emphasised the soapy format further. A heavyweight cast was led by Gillian Anderson and Charles Dance, alongside newcomers Anna Maxwell Martin and Carey Mulligan. There have been other superb TV takes on Dickens – we’re partial to the 1980 Nicholas Nickleby, the 1994 Martin Chuzzlewit and the 2008 Little Dorrit – but this was the boldest and best.
Watch it on: Not currently available to stream in NZ
An astonishing 100 million Americans tuned in for the climax of this miniseries phenomenon, based on Alex Haley’s novel and aired by ABC over eight consecutive nights. The story began in 1750 with teenage Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton) taken captive in Gambia and sold into slavery, before following his descendants’ decades of brutal oppression and fight for freedom. Powerful performances and cinematic scope made it a landmark in US TV drama. A worthy spiritual successor arrived three years ago with The Underground Railroad, Barry Jenkins’ magical realist Amazon adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning novel.
Watch it on: Not currently available to stream in NZ
Sure, it plays fairly fast and loose with history. Okay, quality declined towards the end of its six-series reign (ghost Diana was undoubtedly a low). Yet writer Peter Morgan’s mainly true story of the British monarchy was as much social history as slavish biopic. Lavish production values and mighty performances made for fine filigree TV, beginning with Claire Foy’s steely young queen and following her fascinatingly stiff-lipped reign across 58 years. Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton took the throne for later eras, while a revolving cast brought to life the struggles and scandals to beset the royal family. A majestic saga of a dysfunctional family, fairytale romance and the intersection of the personal with the political.
Watch it on: Netflix
Alan Bleasdale’s four-parter about a First World War army deserter – the playwright’s first historical screenplay – proved so incendiary, it drew accusations of BBC “left-wing bias” and contributed to the ousting of director-general Alasdair Milne. Kneejerk vilification and strict authenticity aside, it was enormously entertaining, hence attracting 10 million viewers. Dramatising the 1917 Etaples mutiny, it was handsomely realised and sparkily scripted, with Paul McGann roguishly charismatic as rebel Percy Toplis, who became the most wanted man in Britain. It earned 10 Bafta nominations but is rarely repeated due to the controversy it stirred.
Watch it on: Not currently available to stream in NZ
Based on Paul Scott’s quartet of novels, Granada’s plush miniseries about the British Raj’s dying days in India was another high-water mark for 80s TV. As a naive English nurse (Susan Wooldridge) formed an attraction to an Oxbridge-educated Indian (Art Malik), it captured a country in flux. The series drew more than seven million viewers per episode with its resonant storytelling and ravishing settings. It hogged all four nominations for Best TV Actress at that year’s Baftas, with Peggy Ashcroft winning over castmates Wooldridge, Geraldine James and Judy Parfitt. Tim Pigott-Smith won Best TV Actor, while it propelled Malik and Charles Dance to stardom.
Watch it on: Not currently available to stream in NZ
Literary adaptor supreme Andrew Davies tackled Leo Tolstoy’s epic, and expertly corralled the sprawling source material into this richly satisfying six-part stunner. The saga began in the Russian empire in 1805 and ended with Napoleon’s 1812 invasion. Visually breathtaking, narratively intoxicating and psychologically acute, it struck the perfect balance between set piece action and private passion. Wry wit sweetened an already heady mix. It cleverly cast a generation of rising talent, with James Norton, Lily James and Paul Dano playing the leads, while veterans Brian Cox, Gillian Anderson and Jim Broadbent added heft.
Watch it on: Not currently available to stream in NZ
It might not be a period drama in the traditional sense – forget ballgowns, and instead think Brook Brothers suits, skinny ties and slick side partings – but Matthew Weiner’s AMC drama is an exquisite rendering of a bygone era. As philandering anti-hero Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and his fellow Madison Avenue advertising execs negotiated the shifting socio-cultural landscape of 1960s America – usually through a haze of cigarette smoke and Martini fumes – it built into a slow-burning masterpiece. Replete with memorable moments, it miraculously maintained its skyscraper-high quality across seven seasons. TV has rarely been sexier, more stylish or better scripted.
Watch it on: Netflix, AMC+, Three Now
Narrowly eclipsing War & Peace as the finest British-produced period piece of the past decade is the BBC’s acclaimed take on Hilary Mantel’s first two Thomas Cromwell novels. Director Peter Kosminsky filmed in candlelit darkness for atmospheric authenticity but his masterstroke was persuading Mark Rylance, Britain’s greatest living stage actor, to grace the small screen as master manipulator Thomas Cromwell. Writer Peter Straughan captured the scheming and subterfuge of Henry VIII’s court – a political minefield where stakes are high and heads roll. Complex, meaty and utterly riveting, it is soon to be followed by the long-awaited sequel, adapted from Mantel’s final novel, The Mirror and the Light. The wheel turns once more.
Watch it on: Not currently available to stream in NZ
Mr Darcy emerging from the Pemberley lake has become its defining image but there’s more to the BBC’s Jane Austen adaptation than that. Indeed, it can be credited with rebooting period drama for the modern age. It is a truth universally acknowledged that there would be no Bridget Jones nor Bridgerton without it. Screenwriter Andrew Davies won the 1813 novel a new generation of fans by staying true to Austen’s subtle comedy of manners, while injecting a modern romantic sensibility – not to mention some wet-shirted sexiness. An audience of 10 million was rapt as sparks flew between Jennifer Ehle’s Elizabeth Bennet and Colin Firth’s Fitzwilliam Darcy, while Alison Steadman screeched in the background as Mrs Bennet.
Watch it on: Not currently available to stream in NZ
Dynasty in togas. Dallas in laurels. Macbeth on the Ides of March. Succession in sandals. Robert Graves’ juicy novels about the early Roman empire were ingeniously reworked by screenwriter Jack Pulman into a political conspiracy classic, full of gallows humour. Told in flashback by Derek Jacobi’s elderly Emperor Claudius, it draws viewers into a tangled web of debauchery, double-crossing and devious machinations as the stammering anti-hero rises to power as much by accident as design. Fizzing dialogue is delivered with relish by a seminal cast at the peak of their powers – notably Brian Blessed as Augustus, John Hurt as Caligula and, best of all, the reptilian Sian Phillips as murderous matriarch Livia.
Watch it on: Not currently available to stream in NZ
From the teddy bears to the floppy fringes, from the waspish one-liners to the love, loss and Catholicism, Granada’s garlanded adaptation was pleasingly faithful to Evelyn Waugh’s novel. This proto-Saltburn saw protagonist Charles Ryder (Jeremy Irons) form an unlikely university friendship with charmingly eccentric aristocrat Sebastian Flyte (Anthony Andrews). Ryder was soon drawn into the stormy world of the wealthy Flyte family. Spanning from the 1920s to the 1940s, it was a paean to extinct English nobility, a meditation on the unreliable nature of nostalgia, and a treatise on the battle between faith and freedom.
The locations – Oxford, Venice, Castle Howard, the QE2 liner – were enviably lavish. Period detail was precise. Waugh’s wit shone from the script. Crucially, the cast was to die for. As well as Irons and Andrews in career-defining roles, we were blessed with Laurence Olivier, Claire Bloom and scene-stealer John Gielgud. Over 11 stately episodes, it took its time but was worth every minute. The entire enterprise oozes quality and confidence. This was British TV and period drama at the very top of their games.
Watch it on: Not currently available to stream in NZ
'I forbade my mother from seeing it. There's a lot of sex talk in the show.'