5 Prime Video Series Every Bridgerton Fan Needs to Watch
What to watch if you too miss our favorite Regency-era show.
When Ross Poldark returns from fighting in the American Revolutionary War, he finds his father dead, the estate in ruins, and his beloved now engaged to someone else. Smoldering hunks with tragic backstories? Check! Ladies dressed as boys? For sure! Evil bankers? You betcha. Poldark’s first season set the bar high for period romances, and although the later seasons fall a bit short it’s still a swoon-worthy time.
Watch if you want: Brooding, damaged heroes who keep taking their shirt off.
When WW2 nurse Claire Randall gets thrown back in time to 18th-century Scotland, it sets off an epic romance with Highland warrior Jamie Fraser. Their love regularly transcends space and time, and the sex scenes are even hotter (and more explicit, FYI) than Bridgerton’s saucy romps. Just a heads-up though… if you can’t handle violence, Outlander is not for you.
Watch if you want: High-stakes, high-intensity drama and lots of steam.
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Sanditon
Based on Jane Austen’s unfinished novel, Sanditon’s Season 1 is about the romance between Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) and the brooding Sidney Parker (Theo James). Season 1 is a bit slow and the love story divided fans, but after a brief cancellation and a soft reboot (Theo James moved on and Charlotte found a new love interest) Sanditon found its way forward with rapid-fire pacing, swoony romance, a bajillion Jane Austen references, and a plot that may actually be more progressive than Bridgerton’s.
Watch if you want: Naked Theo James (S1) or tall brooding Captain Von Trapp/Mr. Darcy types (S2 & S3)
It doesn’t have to take place hundreds of years ago to be a great period piece! Midge Maisel is content to be a classic ‘50s housewife until her husband has an affair and her life implodes. Her razor-sharp wit sends her on a journey to be a stand-up comedian alongside her diminutive, ambitious manager. There is some minor romance in the show, but largely this one is about one woman’s journey to success.
Watch if you want: Incredible, gorgeous dialogue and incredible, gorgeous outfits.
Criminally underappreciated, The Great is a sometimes hilarious, sometimes horrifying, always entertaining look at the rise of Russia’s Catherine the Great, played with aplomb by Elle Fanning. Her main antagonist is her husband Peter (Nicholas Hoult), who will keep you howling with laughter all the way through.
Watch if you want: A gangbusters plot and dialogue that combines the contemporary and historical.