37 Best Period Dramas & Historical TV Shows on Netflix (May 2024)

Typically you simply need to take away your self from the current and immerse your self previously, taking a break from all your on a regular basis stresses and issues, and historic drama tv collection are an ideal means to do that. Who doesn’t need to reside in a citadel with lavish clothes and enticing suitors? Or combat in a battle that can resolve the way forward for a complete nation? Irrespective of the explanation why, individuals merely love interval dramas. For followers of this TV style, streaming platforms are sometimes one of the best place to seek out these collection, and Netflix specifically has rather a lot to supply. Listed here are one of the best interval dramas on Netflix.

For extra historic content material, try our listing of Best Historical Dramas That Are True to Life or Best Award-Winning Historical Movies, or browse our suggestions for the best shows and movies on Netflix.

Disclaimer: These titles can be found on US Netflix.

‘Bridgerton’ (2020 – Current)

Rotten Tomatoes: 85% IMDb: 7.4/10

Shondaland’s Bridgerton is triumphantly one in all Netflix’s best-loved reveals, telling tales of raunchy romance within the excessive society of London within the early nineteenth century. In its most up-to-date third season, Nicola Coughlan’s Penelope Featherington and Luke Newton’s Colin Bridgerton turn out to be embroiled in a cat-and-mouse recreation of affection, however will they discover happiness? Set towards the backdrop of the attractive British countryside, Bridgerton is each a surprising cinematic expertise and an intricate interval story. Bolstered by an excellent ensemble forged, together with the likes of Season 2’s central couple Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley, Bridgerton champions one of the best of younger British actors. Indulgent however actually NSFW, this can be a collection everybody should watch as soon as. – Jake Hodges

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‘Vikings: Valhalla’ (2022 – Current)

Rotten Tomatoes: 95% | IMDb: 7.3/10

When Vikings first premiered on the Historical past channel it was a violent and thrilling look into the traditional Scandinavians following the legendary Ragnar Lothbrok, Vikings: Valhalla is the sequel collection that follows America’s favourite viking, Leif Erikson. Set over 100 years after the occasions of the primary collection, the Scandinavian tradition has now combined with the English and Valhalla brings with it cultural clashes between vikings in addition to non secular stress. After Ragnar landed in England, the vikings who adopted started to transform to Christianity and Valhalla investigates the 2 warring religions. Depicting historic occasions, the present units up what’s going to probably be an thrilling journey for a brand new era of raiders. — Therese Lacson

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‘All of the Mild We Can not See’ (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes: 27% | IMDb: 7.5/10

Based mostly on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the identical title by acclaimed creator Anthony Doerr, All of the Mild We Can not See is about towards the backdrop of World Warfare II as blind French teen Maurie-Laure (Aria Mia Loberti) and German soldier Werner (Louis Hofmann) develop an unlikely bond amongst the devastation of a wartorn world. Discovering a way of religion in humanity regardless of its perils, All of the Mild We Can not See is each uplifting and galvanizing because the interwoven narratives of those two very totally different individuals turn out to be aligned by sheer kindness. Regardless of the horrific setting, Steven Knight and Shawn Levy, utilizing Doerr’s highly effective story, handle to conjure a visceral sense of aspiration and expectation that, it doesn’t matter what, issues may get higher. – Jake Hodges

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‘Freud’ (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes: 50% | IMDb: 6.5/10

Freud is a German-language thriller thriller that appears like an attention-grabbing mixture of BBC’s Sherlock and The Alienist. The eight-episode collection creates a smooth younger Sigmund Freud (Robert Finster) that makes use of his psychological experience to seek out a assassin in 1886 Vienna. Cleverly combining Freud’s precise theories with fringe supernatural psychological theories, the present creates an unsteady platform that by no means reveals its twists and turns to the viewers till simply the fitting second. The collection additionally embraces the 1800s Victorian-era aesthetic with spectacular costuming and units that immerse the viewer within the setting whereas additionally dazzling with attention-grabbing shot composition and coloration schemes to spotlight the mysterious nature of the investigation.

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‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’ (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes: 95% | IMDb: 7.5/10

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is a double dose of interval drama that jumps between the late 18th century and the early nineteenth century following the lifetime of Queen Charlotte from the unique Bridgerton collection. This spectacular spin-off lays the muse for the racially built-in world of the primary collection whereas delivering a captivating love story between Queen Charlotte and King George that slowly erupts into insanity. The breakout star of the collection is India Amarteifio (The Midwich Cuckoos) as younger Queen Charlotte, who embodies the authority and defiance that we’ve come to like from the older model with a rambunctious edge. This prequel collection is a worthy addition to the Bridgerton mythos and a welcome change of tempo. – Tauri Miller

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‘The Prepare dinner of Castamar’ (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes: 87% | IMDb: 7.4/10

Based mostly on Fernando J. Múñez’s novel, The Prepare dinner of Castamar is a steamy romantic collection set in early 18th-century Madrid. Created for tv by Tatiana Rodríguez, The Prepare dinner of Castamar is a Spanish drama that reveals the budding romance between the widowed Duke of Castamar (Roberto Enríquez) searching for to rejoin aristocratic society and a younger agoraphobic girl named Clara Belmonte (Michelle Jenner). The Prepare dinner of Castamar might solely have lasted a single season, nevertheless it wove a stunning story of second possibilities, self-reflection, and rediscovery for each Clara and the Duke. – Yael Tygiel

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‘The Regulation In accordance with Lidia Poët’ (2023 – Current)

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 7.4/10

The Regulation In accordance with Lidia Poët relies on the true story of the primary feminine lawyer in nineteenth century Italy who fought for girls’s proper to apply regulation in a male-exclusive area. Lidia Poët, performed by Matilda De Angelis, is tenacious, bold, and refuses to let anybody cease her from investigating murders — even when her license is taken away. The collection takes on the sexism of the time whereas feeling immensely fashionable and reminds us that the world received’t change except individuals are keen to combat for it. This Italian authorized drama is difficult to object to with such gorgeous units, wardrobe, and many provocative sequences out and in of the courtroom. – Tauri Miller

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‘1899’ (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes: 77% | IMDb: 7.3/10

1899 is a short-lived thriller collection from Dark co-creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese. Starring Emily Beecham, Aneurin Barnard, Andreas Pietschmann, and Miguel Bernardeau, 1899 tantalizes with an enchanting puzzle set towards the backdrop of the open sea. Over eight thrilling episodes, 1899 unfolds the story of a multinational immigrant steamship heading in direction of New York that inexplicably encounters one other ship on the open sea. Every episode of 1899 intentionally reveals secrets and techniques whereas introducing a pile of recent questions and mysteries, seamlessly mixing genres because the intelligent writers lean on the time interval to mesmerize. – Yael Tygiel

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‘The Empress’ (2022 – Current)

Rotten Tomatoes: 80% | IMDb:​​​​​​​ 7.8/10

Philip Froissant and Devrim Lingnau star in The Empress, a German romance about Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary (Froissant) and his betrothal to the sister of Elisabeth von Wittelsbach, Princess of Bavaria. Creators Katharina Eyssen and Lena Stahl emphasize the younger girls within the story of The Empress, leaning into these girls’s quests for love and energy by household motivations and strategic actions. Exploring an neglected time in historical past, The Empress reveals a progressive journey which, though entrenched in probably fictional and exaggerated drama, navigates the trajectory of European politics. – Yael Tygiel

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‘Rise up’ (2016 – 2019)

Rotten Tomatoes: 40% | IMDb:​​​​​​​ 7.1/10

A dramatization of the occasions surrounding the 1916 Easter Rising, Rise up showcases the start of recent Eire. The collection focuses on a bunch of pals from Dublin, Belfast, and London and follows how they every play essential – and typically conflicting – roles in Eire’s quest for independence. That includes wonderful performances, Rise up shines a light-weight on a chunk of historical past that has usually been neglected. – Taylor Gates

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‘Barbarians’ (2020 – Current)

Rotten Tomatoes: 86% | IMDb:​​​​​​​ 7.2/10

In search of a facet of intercourse and violence together with your historical past, a la Game of Thrones or Spartacus? Add Barbarians to your listing. The present facilities across the Roman Empire’s occupation of Germania and the following revolt of the Germanic tribes. From disagreements between tribal chiefs to sure leaders wanting peace with the Romans, freedom is not going to come straightforward. Nonetheless, it’s certain to be a bloody, entertaining experience chock-full of battles and betrayal. – Taylor Gates

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‘The Final Czars’ (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes: 56% | IMDb:​​​​​​​ 7.3/10

The Final Czars is a compelling six-part docuseries that follows the lifetime of Nicholas II, the final Emperor of the Romanov Dynasty, from his rise to energy in 1894 to his tragic assassination in 1918. This fascinating peek into Russian historical past is grounded by Robert Jack’s efficiency, as we get to see Nicholas II as each a ruler and loving husband and father. Should you’re a fan of reveals like The Crown, you’re certain to take pleasure in it. – Taylor Gates

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‘Mindhunter’ (2017 – 2019)

Rotten Tomatoes: 97% | IMDb:​​​​​​​ 8.6/10

Oh Mindhunter, how we miss you so. Whereas it’s unlikely we are going to get a 3rd season of the present anytime quickly, the primary two seasons seize a few of the most unnerving and engaging components of serial killers ever put to display screen. It follows Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff), Invoice Tench (Holt McCallany), and Dr. Wendy Carr (Anna Torv) as they try to realize a complete understanding of the psychology of historical past’s most horrible monsters. Intentionally paced and meticulously acted, the present doesn’t supply all that many specific solutions because it as an alternative finds its terror within the darkness of the unknown. With every new horrific killer Ford and Tench interview, the present will get deeper into the darkness of the thoughts of such murderers. Every such scene takes its time, capturing a suffocating sense of stress in seeing atypical individuals discuss essentially the most horrible of violence. It isn’t at all times straightforward to abdomen, although my goodness does it stick to you. — Chase Hutchinson

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‘Name the Midwife’ (2012 – Current)

Rotten Tomatoes: 95% | IMDb:​​​​​​​ 8.6/10

Based mostly on a collection of memoirs by Jennifer Value, the BAFTA award-winning drama collection Name the Midwife explores the unpredictable and demanding work of midwives in late Nineteen Fifties to Sixties East London. Every episode of the decade-long collection addresses heavy political and social points corresponding to poverty, illness, and racism in addition to the potential issues that include being pregnant. These nurses kind sturdy, lifelong bonds with each other as they persevere by the numerous difficulties that come from being a midwife in the course of the postwar period. All 11 Seasons of the critically acclaimed collection can be found on Netflix. –Emily Bernard

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‘The English Recreation’ (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes: 53% | IMDb:​​​​​​​ 7.6/10

Ever marvel how soccer (or as Individuals name it, soccer) got here to be? Effectively, it’s time to hit the pitch and discover out! Set in 1870s Nice Britain, the restricted collection The English Recreation explains how the immensely in style sport went from being a sport for the rich members of society to turning into a world-renowned recreation for individuals from all walks of life. Because of the teamwork of two gamers on reverse ends of the monetary spectrum, soccer was capable of increase and evolve into the vastly profitable sport that it’s immediately. This collection additionally options some very spectacular prime hats. – Emily Bernard

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‘Narcos: Mexico’ (2018 – 2021)

Rotten Tomatoes: 90% | IMDb:​​​​​​​ 8.4/10

Narcos might have wrapped up its third and closing season again in 2017, however the collection swapped nations for the equally compelling spinoff Narcos: Mexico. Centered on the rise of the Guadalajara Cartel and its ruthless chief Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo (Diego Luna) within the Eighties, Narcos: Mexico comprises the identical mix of fast-paced motion and historic insights that made the unique present so binge-worthy. When you don’t essentially should have seen Narcos to understand the riveting depiction of the early Mexican drug battle in Narcos: Mexico, there are some enjoyable crossover components that longtime followers might admire. – Liam Gaughan

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‘Wormwood’ (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes: 90% | IMDb:​​​​​​​ 7.0/10

The legendary documentarian Errol Morris crafts an intriguing mixture of the docudrama and psychological thriller genres along with his in-depth examine of an actual CIA organic analysis program within the Nineteen Fifties. The six-part miniseries incorporates precise historic footage and interviews with the scientist Frank Olson, who mysteriously died in 1953 after engaged on a covert authorities job in Maryland. Alleged homicide, LSD dosing, and biblical allusions all crop up on this fascinating true crime story that’s stranger than fiction. Nonetheless, Morris additionally contains dramatic recreations of the occasions that includes the always underratedPeter Sarsgaard as Olson. It’s prone to preserve you puzzled over its secrets and techniques lengthy after you end watching. – Liam Gaughan

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‘The Queen’s Gambit’ (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes: 96% | IMDb:​​​​​​​ 8.5/10

It’s in all probability secure to say that just about everybody is aware of about The Queen’s Gambit already, nevertheless it must be highlighted on this listing. Starring Anya Taylor-Pleasure, The Queen’s Gambit relies on Walter Tevis‘s 1983 novel of the identical title, telling the story of a younger chess prodigy named Beth Harmon. The present takes place within the Nineteen Fifties and ‘60s, focusing on Beth’s journey to becoming an elite chess player in an especially patriarchal society, battling habit and despair on prime of sexism. The present additionally stars Invoice Camp, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and Moses Ingram in supporting roles. Mentioned to be one in all Netflix’s most-watched unique collection, The Queen’s Gambit received 11 Emmys in 2021, in addition to two Golden Globes, and Taylor-Pleasure has gotten notably sturdy reward for her main efficiency. — Devon Ahead

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‘Outlander’ (2014 – Current)

Rotten Tomatoes: 92% | IMDb:​​​​​​​ 8.4/10

Outlander truly explores a number of time durations all through the seasons, however the majority of the story takes place in Scotland within the 1700s. Following Caitríona Balfe as former World Warfare II nurse Claire Randall, the present begins in 1945 whereas she is on a honeymoon journey along with her husband, Frank Randall (Tobias Menzies), till an encounter with standing stones at Craigh na Dun sends Claire again to 1743. There she meets a younger Scottish Highlander named Jamie Fraser, performed by Sam Heughan, and they soon fall in love, as Claire makes an attempt to navigate a interval of historical past that she is aware of could be very harmful. Outlander has been going for 5 seasons now and it’s a tremendous collection, so should you haven’t checked it out but, now’s the time. — Devon Ahead

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‘Alias Grace’ (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes: 99% | IMDb:​​​​​​​ 7.6/10

Based mostly on Margaret Atwood‘s 1996 novel of the identical title, Alias Grace is a fictionalized portrayal of the 1843 murders of Thomas Kinnear and Nancy Montgomery by their family servants Grace Marks and James McDermott, and the TV present particularly focuses on Grace. Starring Sarah Gadon as Grace, Alias Grace performs out on two timelines — one displaying an investigation by a psychiatrist named Dr. Simon Jordan (Edward Holcroft) who Grace tells her story to, and flashbacks to Grace’s upbringing and the occasions resulting in the murders. All through Alias Grace, you by no means actually know if Grace is telling the reality or manipulating her story to win Jordan’s favor, and the present can have you continually switching forwards and backwards as as to if you suppose she’s responsible. A implausible critique of societal points all through the 1800s, Alias Grace is a haunting watch. — Devon Ahead

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