The Gilded Age

After Downton Abbey, the show’s creator Julian Fellowes jumped across the pond for The Gilded Age. The series is set in 1880s New York City and depicts the real-life high society battle between old money and new money.

The dramatic HBO period piece — starring Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson and Denée Benton, among others — has kept viewers clutching their pearls over the past three seasons.

After its highest-rated season yet, the series was renewed for a fourth round.

Belgravia

Fellowes’ other historical show, Belgravia, is based on his 2016 book of the same name, and it takes place in the wealthy neighborhood of London.

The series follows the Trenchard family, who have finally ascended to London’s upper class, just as secrets from their past threaten to bring their downfall.

“I’m interested in people’s ambition, and what they can change, and how much of their dreams they can get, and if they’re pleased with them when they get them,” Fellowes told Collider in April 2020. “All of that stuff interests me very much.”

The miniseries aired in 2020, and a sequel series, Belgravia: The Next Chapter, premiered in 2024.

Upstairs, Downstairs

Upstairs, Downstairs focused on the Bellamy family and their servants in a London townhouse in the early 1900s.

More than 50 years after its premiere, Upstairs, Downstairs is still considered a British TV classic that directly influenced later series like Downton Abbey.

A revival of Upstairs, Downstairs premiered in 2010 and ran for two seasons.

The Crown

The Crown was one of Netflix’s biggest hits, making stars out of actors like Claire Foy, Josh O’Connor and Vanessa Kirby, and winning several awards, including the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series.

Over its six seasons, The Crown told the true story of Queen Elizabeth’s historic life, starting with her marriage and ascension to the throne in her 20s, spanning 60 years.

The Buccaneers

The Buccaneers is the Apple TV+ series based on Edith Wharton’s unfinished final novel.

The lively romantic drama follows five young women in the 1870s, who travel from New York to London searching for husbands. So far, two seasons have been released, with the most recent ending on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger.

It has yet to be renewed for a season 3.

Brideshead Revisited

Brideshead Revisited is a 1981 adaptation of the Evelyn Waugh novel. It features Jeremy Irons as Charles Ryder, an Oxford student who befriends his classmate Sebastian Flyte, played by Anthony Andrews.

In the show, which aired for two seasons, Charles grows close to the Flyte family and makes summer memories at their palatial Brideshead Castle estate.

Sanditon

Inspired by Jane Austen’s unfinished 1817 novel, Sanditon follows Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams), a young woman who starts a new life in the fictional coastal seaside town of Sanditon, England.

Screenwriter Andrew Davies, who adapted Sanditon for television, said “it was a bit like Pride and Prejudice meets Boardwalk Empire,” since some of the series’ characters were entrepreneurial men “trying to change the world.”

“And I thought, ‘This is exciting!’ ” he recalled to the Masterpiece Studio podcast.

The series premiered in 2019 and ended in 2023.

Victoria

For those craving more royal spectacle after The Crown, Victoria is based on the early days of Queen Victoria’s reign and her marriage to Prince Albert.

The show ran for three seasons from 2016 to 2019, featuring Doctor Who‘s Jenna Coleman as the 19th-century British monarch.

Bridgerton

The Netflix breakout hit, Bridgerton, is another Regency drama, one that follows the siblings of the prominent Bridgerton family, whose lives are frequently the subject of the anonymous gossip columnist, Lady Whistledown.

The costume period piece, from executive producer Shonda Rhimes, first debuted in 2020 and has been renewed through season 6, as Netflix announced in May 2025. Season 4 is set to debut in 2026.

The show also spawned a prequel limited series, 2023’s Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.

A Place to Call Home

Called the “Down Under Downton Abbey,” A Place to Call Home tells the story of Sarah Adams (Marta Dusseldorp), a nurse who returns to Australia after 20 years in Europe post-World War II.

After her arrival, she finds herself in the world of the wealthy Bligh family, who live on an estate similar to Downton Abbey.

A Place to Call Home premiered in 2013 and aired six seasons before ending in 2018.