Period Dramas
by riddhicdalal | created - 04 May 2013 | updated - 09 May 2013 | PublicThis list is mostly 21st century Costume dramas for Telvision
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1. The Tudors (2007–2010)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance
A dramatic series about the reign and marriages of King Henry VIII.
Stars: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill, Anthony Brophy, James Frain
Votes: 81,102
2. The Borgias (2011–2013)
TV-MA | 50 min | Crime, Drama, History
In the fifteenth century, Pope Alexander VI tries to control all power in Italy with the help of his several sons, through murder, intrigue, war, and marriage alliances.
Stars: Jeremy Irons, François Arnaud, Holliday Grainger, Peter Sullivan
Votes: 53,903
3. Da Vinci's Demons (2013–2015)
TV-MA | 60 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
Follows Leonardo Da Vinci during his early days in Florence, as a young artist, inventor and dreamer, trying to change the future.
Stars: Tom Riley, Gregg Chilingirian, Eros Vlahos, Laura Haddock
Votes: 79,141
4. Mad Men (2007–2015)
TV-MA | 45 min | Drama
A drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm's most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper.
Stars: Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones
Votes: 260,182
5. Emma (2009)
TV-PG | 62 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Emma Woodhouse, a wealthy young woman living in the early 19th century, whose misplaced confidence in her matchmaking abilities occasions several romantic misadventures, which leads her into deeper meanings of love and life
Stars: Romola Garai, Michael Gambon, Jonny Lee Miller, Jodhi May
Votes: 18,021
6. Dancing on the Edge (2013)
TV-MA | 449 min | Drama
Set in the 1930s, a black Jazz band rises in fame and popularity while becoming entangled in an intricate web of intrigue, mystery and suspense with the elite of London society.
Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthew Goode, Joanna Vanderham, Wunmi Mosaku
Votes: 2,837
7. The Crimson Petal and the White (2011)
TV-MA | 69 min | Drama, Romance
Set in 1870s London, a young prostitute finds potential power and status after becoming the mistress of a powerful patriarch.
Stars: Romola Garai, Chris O'Dowd, Amanda Hale, Shirley Henderson
Votes: 3,600
8. Garrow's Law (2009–2011)
Biography, Drama, History
Garrow's Law is the true tale of William Garrow, who acted as counsel for the accused, introducing the concept of 'innocent until proved guilty' at London's Old Bailey.
Stars: Andrew Buchan, Lyndsey Marshal, Rupert Graves, Aidan McArdle
Votes: 1,247
9. World Without End (2012)
TV-MA | 47 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
The English town of Kingsbridge works to survive as the King leads the nation into the Hundred Years' War with France while Europe deals with the outbreak of the Black Death.
Stars: Ben Chaplin, Charlotte Riley, Nora Waldstätten, Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Votes: 9,130
10. Downton Abbey (2010–2015)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Romance
A chronicle of the lives of the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early twentieth century.
Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Brendan Coyle
Votes: 224,592
11. Titanic (2012)
TV-PG | 48 min | Drama, History
The world's largest ship, the R.M.S. Titanic, meets with disaster when she strikes an iceberg on her maiden voyage.
Stars: Peter McDonald, Steven Waddington, Glen Blackhall, Ruth Bradley
Votes: 3,567
12. Daniel Deronda (2002)
53 min | Drama, Romance
Set in Victorian London, Gwendolen Harleth is drawn to Daniel Deronda, a selfless and intelligent gentleman of unknown parentage, but her own desperate need for financial security may destroy her chance at happiness.
Stars: Jodhi May, Edward Fox, Amanda Root, David Bamber
Votes: 5,196
13. Aristocrats (1999)
TV-14 | 300 min | Drama, History
18th-century England and Ireland viewed through the eyes of four beautiful high-born sisters - Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah Lennox, great-granddaughters of a king, daughters of a cabinet minister, and wives of politicians and peers.
Stars: Siân Phillips, Alun Armstrong, Ben Daniels, Serena Gordon
Votes: 1,763
14. The Forsyte Saga (2002–2003)
TV-PG | 276 min | Drama, History, Romance
Chronicles the lives of three generations of the upper-middle-class British family, the Forsytes, from the 1870s to 1920.
Stars: Damian Lewis, Rupert Graves, Gina McKee, Amanda Root
Votes: 6,538
15. The Pillars of the Earth (2010)
TV-MA | 59 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
Set against a backdrop of war, religious strife and power struggles which tears lives and families apart.
Stars: Ian McShane, Matthew Macfadyen, Eddie Redmayne, Hayley Atwell
Votes: 33,086
16. Game of Thrones (2011–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
Stars: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey
Votes: 2,280,222
17. Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire (2006)
Not Rated | 59 min | Documentary, Drama, History
A docu-drama covering the rise and the fall of the Roman world, including the establishment of strong individual rule by Julius Caesar and the rebuilding of Rome under Nero.
Stars: Lyall B. Watson, Michael Sheen, James D'Arcy, Pip Torrens
Votes: 1,969
18. Rome (2005–2007)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A down-to-earth account of the lives of both illustrious and ordinary Romans set in the last days of the Roman Republic.
Stars: Kevin McKidd, Ray Stevenson, Polly Walker, Kerry Condon
Votes: 185,136
19. Spartacus (2010–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
The life of Spartacus, the gladiator who lead a rebellion against the Romans. From his time as an ally of the Romans, to his betrayal and becoming a gladiator, to the rebellion he leads and its ultimate outcome.
Stars: Andy Whitfield, Lucy Lawless, Manu Bennett, Daniel Feuerriegel
Votes: 256,730
20. Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011)
TV-MA | 55 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
In the time before the arrival of Spartacus, the House of Batiatus faces many challenges from competitors, and within its own household.
Stars: John Hannah, Manu Bennett, Peter Mensah, Dustin Clare
Votes: 145,222
21. The Paradise (2012–2013)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama
The story of a young woman who works in a department store and gets caught up in the charms of the modern world.
Stars: Joanna Vanderham, Emun Elliott, Stephen Wight, Sonya Cassidy
Votes: 12,588
22. War and Peace (2007)
394 min | Drama, History, Romance
The story of five aristocratic families in Russia during the Napoleonic Wars of 1812
Stars: Clémence Poésy, Alessio Boni, Alexander Beyer, Malcolm McDowell
Votes: 2,098
23. Parade's End (2012)
TV-MA | 57 min | Action, Drama, Romance
Revolves around a love triangle between a conservative English aristocrat, his mean socialite wife and a young suffragette.
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, Roger Allam, Adelaide Clemens
Votes: 10,732
24. Pan Am (2011–2012)
TV-PG | 583 min | Drama, History, Romance
Period drama about the pilots and flight attendants who once made Pan Am the most glamorous way to fly.
Stars: Christina Ricci, Margot Robbie, Michael Mosley, Karine Vanasse
Votes: 21,215
25. Mildred Pierce (2011)
TV-MA | 67 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Divorced single mom Mildred Pierce decides to open a restaurant business, which tears at the already-strained relationship with her ambitious elder daughter, Veda.
Stars: Kate Winslet, Guy Pearce, Evan Rachel Wood, Brían F. O'Byrne
Votes: 24,047
26. Robin Hood (2006–2009)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
After 5 years of fighting in the crusades, Robin returns to England and leads a band of outlaws to outwit the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Stars: Jonas Armstrong, Gordon Kennedy, Sam Troughton, Joe Armstrong
Votes: 17,286
27. Little Dorrit (2008)
TV-PG | 34 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
The Dorrits are a family whose life revolves around the Marshalsea, a debtor's prison. Amy Dorrit's kind nature brings the family into contact with a wide swath of English society, from the poorest to the richest, and back again.
Stars: Matthew Macfadyen, Claire Foy, Tom Courtenay, Judy Parfitt
Votes: 10,465
28. Tess of the D'Urbervilles (2008)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Romance
The story of Tess Durbeyfield, a low-born country girl whose family find they have noble connections.
Stars: Gemma Arterton, Eddie Redmayne, Ruth Jones, Hans Matheson
Votes: 6,619
29. North & South (2004)
TV-PG | 235 min | Drama, Romance
North and South is a four-part adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's love story of Margaret Hale, a middle-class southerner who is forced to move to the northern town of Milton.
Stars: Daniela Denby-Ashe, Richard Armitage, Tim Pigott-Smith, Sinéad Cusack
Votes: 34,911
30. Sense & Sensibility (2008)
TV-14 | 58 min | Drama, Romance
The sisters Eleanor and Marianne Dashwood try to find love and security in the 1800's. These two sisters coudn't be more different. Where Eleanor is calm and always acts proper Marianne is passionate and usally forgets herself.
Stars: Dominic Cooper, Charity Wakefield, Hattie Morahan, Janet McTeer
Votes: 12,962
31. Legend of the Seeker (2008–2010)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After the mysterious murder of his father, a son's search for answers begins a momentous fight against tyranny.
Stars: Craig Horner, Bridget Regan, Bruce Spence, Craig Parker
Votes: 36,263
32. He Knew He Was Right (2004)
240 min | Drama
Louis Trevelyan's refusal to trust his wife Emily destroys their marriage.
Stars: Oliver Dimsdale, Christina Cole, Laura Fraser, Nathan Heath
Votes: 1,714
33. The Way We Live Now (2001)
TV-14 | 300 min | Drama, Romance
Augustus Melmotte is a European-born city financier whose background is as mysterious as his business. Only weeks after his arrival in London, he announced a new venture and promises instant fortune.
Stars: David Suchet, Matthew Macfadyen, Cillian Murphy, Paloma Baeza
Votes: 3,311
34. Love in a Cold Climate (2001)
150 min | Drama
In 1930s Britain, three young aristocratic women find love as the world around them slowly descends into war.
Stars: Alan Bates, Anna Popplewell, Jemima Rooper, Rosamund Pike
Votes: 929
35. Wives and Daughters (1999)
TV-PG | 75 min | Drama
The daughter of a country doctor copes with an unwanted stepmother, an impetuous stepsister, burdensome secrets, the town gossips, and the tug on her own heartstrings for a man who thinks of her only as a friend.
Stars: Francesca Annis, Justine Waddell, Bill Paterson, Keeley Hawes
Votes: 7,315
36. Young Blades (2001)
92 min | Action, Adventure
Young Blades follows D'artagnan (Hugh Dancy), a young arrogant swordsman; Radegonde (Sarah-Jane Potts), a clever girl he meets in the woods; and a trio of Musketeers as they attempt to thwart a plot to send France and Spain into war.
Director: Mario Andreacchio | Stars: Hugh Dancy, Sarah-Jane Potts, Scott Hickman, Antony Strachan
Votes: 212
37. Restless (2012 TV Movie)
180 min | Drama, Romance
A young woman finds out that her mother worked as a spy for the British Secret Service during World War II and has been on the run ever since.
Director: Edward Hall | Stars: Michelle Dockery, Michael Peter Willis, Charlotte Rampling, Hayley Atwell
Votes: 3,648
38. Casanova (2005)
TV-MA | 58 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
After a life spent seeking pleasure and decadence, Casanova seeks his one true love, Henriette.
Stars: Rose Byrne, David Tennant, Peter O'Toole, Rupert Penry-Jones
Votes: 5,435
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