In its four seasons (with Seasons 5 and 6 on the horizon), Bridgerton has given us unlikely lovers (Daphne and the duke), enemies to lovers (Anthony and Kate), friends to lovers (Penelope and Colin), and star-crossed lovers (Benedict and Sophie). That’s enough yearning and burning to keep a romance enthusiast smitten for a while. But eventually, the time may come when you need a new slow-burning TV romance to keep your heart aflame.
While you shiver in anticipation of Whistledown’s next dispatch, we’ve got several other saucy period romps — along with some swoon-inducing modern fare — to distract you. Read on for more scintillating stories to enjoy as we wait to see which of the Bridgertons will find true love next.
What better way to get your Bridgerton fix than digging deeper into the Bridger-verse itself? Queen Charlotte is part prequel, part spin-off, and all the romance your heart desires. The series, written by Shondaland regent herself Shonda Rhimes, whisks viewers back to the first days of young Queen Charlotte’s (India Amarteifio) reign, and her marriage to the mysterious (and dashing) young King George (Corey Mylchreest). As we unravel the mysteries of the past, Queen Charlotte also gives us a peek into Bridgerton present: A chunk of the reveals the events that unfold between Season 2 and Season 3 of the flagship series. Bring the tissues, as the drama tells a love story for the ages — while also magnifying our understanding of Bridgerton’s most compelling matriarchs.
Trade the scandals of the ton for the escándalos of 1880s Madrid. The Mencía family hires Ms. Elena Bianda (Nadia de Santiago) as a chaperone to aid in finding suitable husbands for their three daughters. Those who appreciate the modern mentalities of the women of Bridgerton will love the Mencía daughters: the academic Cristina (Isa Montalbán), the flirtatious Sara (Zoe Bonafonte), and the darkly comical Carlota (Iratxe Emparan). Mrs. Bridgerton would certainly sympathize with the challenge, though adding to Ms. Bianda’s difficulty is a growing attraction to one of the suitors. Full of vibrant outfits, modern music, and sharp humor, this 8-episode series is a natural next watch for Bridgerton fans.
More than 50 years after Penelope Bridgerton makes waves as a woman in the publishing industry (under a nom de plume, of course), Lidia Poët (Matilda De Angelis) becomes the first woman lawyer in Italy — then promptly gets disbarred, because she’s a woman. She and her crew then must work outside the patriarchal legal system to solve cases on behalf of their desperate and falsely accused clients. Inspired by the real-life figure, the series has the sumptuous costumes, strong protagonist, and, well, sex that you love from Bridgerton, with more crime-solving.
Set around 50 years after Bridgerton takes place, across the sea in Ireland, this family drama begins with the death of patriarch Sir Benjamin Guinness. The founder of the Dublin brewery that spread across the world, he leaves behind four children; three sons and a daughter, who are given their inheritance and pressured to keep the empire afloat. The fatherless Bridgerton children would surely understand the pressures of the time period as it pertains to wealth and marriage, but the Guinnesses have the added stress of running a business amidst the political turmoil of Ireland’s rebellion against British rule. Romance, affairs, family loyalty, and lush costumery should all appeal to Bridgerton fans.
Listen, a steamy romance between a young noblewoman and her sexy, titled new husband is a classic story — hello, Queen Charlotte — but this one follows the real 19th-century Bavarian princess turned Austrian empress Elisabeth, more commonly known as Sisi (Devrim Lingnau), and Emperor Franz Joseph (Philip Froissant). Enjoy longing glances, wistful sighs, hot love scenes, and absolutely stunning gowns, aka everything you want from a romantic period drama.
While Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte give us a peek into the lives and reign of King George III and Queen Charlotte, The Crown’s six seasons bust the curtains wide open on Britain’s more recent and current royals. From the beginning of Queen Elizabeth’s reign to the era when Princess Diana enters the fold and continuing on to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s university romance, feast your eyes on British history with a production scale that will be sure to fill the ballroom-size void left in your life after you’ve consumed all of Bridgerton.
Travel back to a different time and place than Regency-era England ... but via a steamy romance that burns just as bright as Simon and Daphne’s. Based on the series of novels by Diana Gabaldon, Outlander puts you in the shoes of a World War II nurse who happens upon a mythical set of stones that transport her back to 1740s Scotland, where she meets Highlander Jamie Fraser and is taken in by Clan MacKenzie. The series spans continents, timelines, and near-danger at every turn, but the fire of Claire and Jamie’s relationship never dims.
If you’re missing the flair of Bridgerton’s fashion, Cable Girls is here to step in with outfit inspo from 1920s Madrid. This Spanish period drama chronicles a group of “cable girls” who become fast and loyal friends at Spain’s first national telephone company. Empowered and ambitious, these women rise through the ranks, defy convention, and find solace in the arms of lovers past and present. They’re exactly the kinds of women Eloise yearns to become.
If you’re drawn in by Benedict and Sophie’s upstairs, downstairs romance, then this Spanish tale of a lowly cook and the duke she works for is sure to appeal. Clara (Michelle Jenner) is an agoraphobic young woman with no family, given the chance to be a maid at the palace of Castamar. Diego de Castamar, Duke of Castamar (Roberto Enríquez), still mourns the death of his wife and unborn child a year and a half earlier, but is forced to return to society at the behest of the king. The duke’s mother and her friend, the Marquis of Soto (Hugo Silva), scheme to get Diego to marry the woman of their choosing. Meanwhile, Clara is promoted to head cook, and her delicious food and generous spirit catch the duke’s eye.
Just as Bridgerton’s intrigue hinges on who’ll discover the identity of the author behind the ton’s gossip rag, each season of Elite also kicks off with a mystery begging to be solved ... and rather murderous ones at that. This Spanish drama isn’t necessarily period, but the students of Las Encinas revel in plenty of clandestine romps, heartaches, and eventful balls — scratch that, raucous parties — that would rival any front page of Lady Whistledown’s scandal sheet.
On Bridgerton, it’s more than clear that the young ladies of the ton have zero clue as to how sex works. (Remember Eloise’s investigation into pregnancy?) Sex Education, on the other hand, flips the script and features a teenage whiz teaching high school students the wonders of sex — and we don’t just mean STDs. You can also retrace Simone Ashley’s Netflix roots before she joined Season 2 of Bridgerton as Kate Sharma.
You can take the girl out of Derry, but you can’t take Derry out of the girl. Even though she’s the mastermind behind the enigmatic Lady Whistledown, Bridgerton’s Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) first came to Netflix by way of Northern Ireland on Derry Girls. The series charts the angst amidst a group of five friends set during The Troubles in the ’90s. The comedy is endearing, bawdy — and, crazily, yes, is now considered a period drama. For bonus content, tune into the Derry Girls cast competing in Season 3 of The Great British Baking Show: Holidays for some yuletide cheer any time of the year.
There are more seasons of Call the Midwife than there are Bridgerton siblings, so your Netflix queue is sure to be filled to the brim with this heartfelt period drama. Adapted from the bestselling memoirs of Jennifer Worth, the series is similarly set in London, but here, it takes place in the East End during the 1950s and follows a community of nuns at Nonnatus House. The midwives develop a sisterhood and bond with their fellow nurses and the patients they treat, similar to the tight-knit female friendship we see between Penelope and Eloise.
If the marriage mart and matchmaking intrigue in each season of Bridgerton has you yearning for a time before dating apps, this Chinese rom-com series may be for you. Set during the time of the Northern Song Dynasty, Madam Li (Ni Hongjie) moves her four unmarried daughters to the city of Bianjing to open a teahouse and be near her fifth daughter, who is married, and whom she hopes will help to find suitable husbands for the others. Each daughter has a unique personality, and there are plenty of humorous blunders on their paths to love. The colorful clothes and elaborate hairstyles, along with the strict social etiquette and meaningful glances, will have you feeling right at home.
Care to see Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) before he grew out those long sideburns? Peep Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s one-season comedy Crashing, which follows a group of friends in their 20s who live in a dilapidated former hospital. Bailey plays Sam, who’s, let’s say, a very randy flatmate.
The Shonda Rhimes series that started the empire. If you’re curious to go on a deep Shondaland journey, might we suggest beginning with Grey’s Anatomy, her first baby that taught women that you are the sun and that’s all there is to it. Nineteen seasons and counting, the show centers on the romances, risks, and rewards of the doctors at Seattle Grace hospital. And, yes, it’s the birthplace of McDreamy and McSteamy.
Additional reporting by Ananda Dillon.
