Best tv shows like Poldark
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Britain is in the grip of a chilling recession... falling wages, rising prices, civil unrest - only the bankers are smiling. It's 1783 and Ross Poldark returns from the American War of Independence to his beloved Cornwall to find his world in ruins: his father dead, the family mine long since closed, his house wrecked and his sweetheart pledged to marry his cousin. But Ross finds that hope and love can be found when you are least expecting it in the wild but beautiful Cornish landscape.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: captivating, family saga, realistic, saga, costume drama, historical drama, period piece, serious, crying, period drama
Best tv shows and movies like Poldark (2015):
Similar in 90%
Jamestown (2017)
Plot Summary:
The early 17th Century story of three courageous, dynamic women who leave their dark pasts behind in England, and make the journey of a lifetime across the ocean for a new life in America.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, suspense, realistic, costume drama, disturbing, historical drama, period piece, captivating, melancholic, period drama
Similar in 77%
The Forsyte Saga (1967)
Plot Summary:
Adaptation from John Galsworthy's novels.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: family saga, costume drama, stylized, spiritual, historical drama, touching, epic, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 82%
The Wingless Bird (1997)
Plot Summary:
On the eve of World War I, Agnes Conway manages both the business and the problems of her troubled family. She finds the strength to break class barriers and help her sister Jessie marry a good boy from a family of dockside toughs. Is she strong enough to break them again when Charles Farrier, a gentleman, courts her over his parents' opposition? Agnes faces an added dilemma when she finds her heart divided between Charles and his soldier brother Reginald.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 540
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, realistic, period piece, costume drama, period drama
Similar in 83%
Poldark (1975)
Plot Summary:
Period drama series about the brooding rivalry between former soldier Ross Poldark and local industrialist George Warleggan, and the two women in their lives. Based on the books by Winston Graham.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: costume drama, spiritual, historical drama, serious, captivating, realistic, saga, period drama
Similar in 76%
Doctor Thorne (2016)
Plot Summary:
The story of the penniless Mary Thorne, who grows up with her rich aunt/cousins at Greshamsbury Park estate.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 48 min
Plot tags: costume drama, captivating, cynical, historical drama, sentimental, thought provoking, touching, period piece, period drama
Similar in 90%
Brideshead Revisited (1981)
Plot Summary:
In this eleven parts British television serial, Charles Ryder's involvement with members of the aristocratic Marchmain/Flyte family is followed throughout the years between the two World Wars.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 659 min
Plot tags: costume drama, spiritual, avant garde, sitcom, historical drama, psychological, tense, sincere, clever, touching
Similar in 85%
Lady Chatterley (1993)
Plot Summary:
Lady Constance Chatterley is married to the handicapped Sir Clifford Chatterley, who was wounded in the First World War. When they move to his family's estate, Constance meets their tough-yet-quiet groundskeeper, Oliver Mellors. Soon, she discovers that the source of her unhappiness is from not being fulfilled in love, and in turning to the arms of Mellors, she has a sexual awakening that will change her thoughts forever.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 205 min
Plot tags: erotic, costume drama, serious, sexual, sensual, historical drama, psychological, atmospheric, realistic, stylized
Similar in 90%
Lady Chatterley's Lover (2015)
Plot Summary:
An early-20th-century tale of love across class boundaries which tells the legendary and romantic story of Lady Chatterley’s affair with her gamekeeper. Jed Mercurio’s adaptation of DH Lawrence’s classic.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, erotic, costume drama, sentimental, captivating, disturbing, period piece, romantic drama, historical drama
Similar in 78%
Tess of the D'Urbervilles (2008)
Plot Summary:
Forced by poverty to seek support, the innocent Tess Durbeyfield seeks the help of the D'Urbervilles.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 240 min
Plot tags: sincere, costume drama, clever, period piece, realistic, historical drama, historical romance, talky, fairy tale, period drama
Similar in 82%
Pride and Prejudice (1967)
Plot Summary:
Pride and Prejudice is a 1967 BBC television serial, based on Jane Austen's novel of the same name, originally published in 1813. This production marked the 150th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen. It was directed by Joan Craft and starred Celia Bannerman and Lewis Fiander as the protagonists Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 69
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: costume drama, clever, realistic, witty, semi serious, period piece
Similar in 81%
Jane Eyre (1983)
Plot Summary:
After living a miserable life with her aunt, orphaned Jane Eyre is sent to Lowood, a residential school for children of limited means. Jane takes the advice of her friend and over many years takes her studies seriously, eventually advertising for a position as a governess. She obtains a position in the home of Edward Rochester, where his ward, Adele, has recently come to live. She soon realizes that there is something odd in the house and she regularly sees shadowy figures in windows or hears voices. No one will admit to their being anyone else in the house, however. As she and her new employers develop a deep affection for one another, the secret of the Rochester household threatens to keep them apart.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 239 min
Plot tags: gothic, costume drama, sentimental, serious, period piece, historical drama, realistic, stylized, period drama
Similar in 85%
Death Comes to Pemberley (2013)
Plot Summary:
Elizabeth and Darcy, now six years married and with two young sons, are preparing for the lavish annual ball at their magnificent Pemberley home. The unannounced arrival of Elizabeths wayward sister Lydia, however, brings an abrupt and shocking halt to proceedings when she stumbles out of her chaise screaming that her husband Wickham has been murdered. Darcy leads a search party out to the woodlands, and when they discover the blood-smeared corpse, not of Wickham, but his traveling companion, suspicion is at once aroused. The dramatic and unnerving events of the evening have shattered the peace, both of the Darcys and of Pemberley, and as the family becomes caught up in the ensuing murder investigation, a mysterious web of secrets and deceit will threaten all that the Darcys hold dear.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: costume drama, period piece, tense, serious, realistic, heartbreaking, detective, historical drama, disturbing, touching
Similar in 84%
Scarlett (1994)
Plot Summary:
The greatest love story ever told began with Gone with the Wind and continues in this sweeping epic sequel, as Scarlett, Rhett and a host of unforgettable characters go from tragedy to triumph in an action-packed saga of international scope.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, USA, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Austria
Duration: 360 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, stylized, romantic, sentimental, emotional, realistic, epic, sexy, period drama
Similar in 75%
Little Dorrit (2008)
Plot Summary:
The series tells the story of Amy Dorrit, who spends her days earning money for the family and looking after her proud father, who is a long term inmate of Marshalsea debtors' prison in London. Amy and her family's world is transformed when her boss's son, Arthur Clennam, returns from overseas to solve his family's mysterious legacy and discovers that their lives are interlinked.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 420 min
Plot tags: captivating, costume drama, sincere, period piece, historical drama, heartbreaking, romantic drama, historical romance, atmospheric, serious
Similar in 76%
Daniel Deronda (2002)
Plot Summary:
Daniel Deronda is a British television serial drama adapted by Andrew Davies from the George Eliot novel of the same name. The serial was directed by Tom Hooper, produced by Louis Marks, and was first broadcast in three parts on BBC One from 23 November to 7 December 2002. The serial starred Hugh Dancy as Daniel Deronda, Romola Garai as Gwendolen Harleth, Hugh Bonneville as Henleigh Grandcourt, and Jodhi May as Mirah Lapidoth. Co-production funding came from WGBH Boston. Louis Marks originally wanted to make a film adaptation of the novel but abandoned the project after a lengthy and fruitless casting process. The drama took a further five years to make it to television screens. Filming ran for 11 weeks from May to August on locations in England, Scotland and Malta. The serial was Marks' final television production before his death in 2010.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 210 min
Plot tags: costume drama, period piece, serious, captivating, realistic, heartbreaking, historical drama, romantic drama, historical romance, period drama
Similar in 85%
Sanditon (2019)
Plot Summary:
The spirited and impulsive Charlotte Heywood moves from her rural home to Sanditon, a fishing village attempting to reinvent itself as a seaside resort.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: costume drama, period piece, heartbreaking, crying, romantic drama, historical drama, period drama
Similar in 76%
Doctor Zhivago (2002)
Plot Summary:
Young and beautiful Lara is loved by three men: a revolutionary, a mogul, and a doctor. Their lives become intertwined with the drama of Russian revolution. Doctor Zhivago is still married when he meets Lara. Their love story is unfolding against the backdrop of revolution which affects the doctor's career, his family, and his love to Lara.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Germany, USA
Duration: 226 min
Plot tags: emotional, serious, captivating, realistic, heartbreaking, period piece, costume drama, historical drama, epic, romantic drama
Similar in 87%
Wuthering Heights (2009)
Plot Summary:
Foundling Heathcliff is raised by the wealthy Earnshaws in Yorkshire but in later life launches a vendetta against the family.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 142 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, serious, gothic, period piece, romantic, costume drama, historical drama, sentimental, melancholic
Similar in 81%
Wuthering Heights (1992)
Plot Summary:
Young orphan Heathcliff is adopted by the wealthy Earnshaw family and moves into their estate, Wuthering Heights. Soon, the new resident falls for his compassionate foster sister, Cathy. The two share a remarkable bond that seems unbreakable until Cathy, feeling the pressure of social convention, suppresses her feelings and marries Edgar Linton, a man of means who befits her stature. Heathcliff vows to win her back.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: romantic, gothic, atmospheric, emotional, period piece, heartbreaking, touching, melancholic, costume drama, romantic drama
Similar in 89%
Taboo (2017)
Plot Summary:
Adventurer James Keziah Delaney returns to London from Africa in 1814 along with fourteen stolen diamonds to seek vengeance after the death of his father.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 147000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 59 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, disturbing, stylized, rough, realistic, captivating, costume drama, tension, period piece
Similar in 86%
Downton Abbey (2010)
Plot Summary:
A chronicle of the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era—with great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 220000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 3110 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, serious, costume drama, period piece, historical drama, stylized, dramatic, erotic, romantic
Similar in 88%
Outlander (2014)
Plot Summary:
The story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited that tears Claire's heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 175000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: stylized, serious, exciting, captivating, sentimental, historical drama, costume drama, period piece, tension, erotic
Similar in 77%
Cranford (2007)
Plot Summary:
In the 1840s, Cranford is ruled by the ladies. They adore good gossip; and romance and change is in the air, as the unwelcome grasp of the Industrial Revolution rapidly approaches their beloved rural market-town.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 469 min
Plot tags: sincere, atmospheric, costume drama, clever, period piece, historical drama, sitcom, historical romance, realistic, stylized
Similar in 78%
North & South (2004)
Plot Summary:
North & South is a British television drama serial, produced by the BBC and originally broadcast in four episodes on BBC One in November and December 2004. It follows the story of Margaret Hale, a young woman from southern England who has to move to the North after her father decides to leave the clergy. The family struggles to adjust itself to the industrial town's customs, especially after meeting the Thorntons, a proud family of cotton mill owners who seem to despise their social inferiors. The story explores the issues of class and gender, as Margaret's sympathy for the town mill workers conflicts with her growing attraction to John Thornton. The serial is based on the 1855 Victorian novel North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. It was adapted for television by Sandy Welch and directed by Brian Percival.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 34000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 235 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, sincere, captivating, costume drama, period piece, romantic, historical drama, romantic drama, heartbreaking
Similar in 85%
Bridgerton (2020)
Plot Summary:
Wealth, lust, and betrayal set in the backdrop of Regency era England, seen through the eyes of the powerful Bridgerton family.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 161000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: romantic, costume drama, sexy, captivating, light, period piece, historical drama, visually appealing, romantic drama, funny
Similar in 81%
Jane Eyre (2011)
Plot Summary:
After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meet the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Mr. Rochester. Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. Happiness seems to have found Jane at last, but could Mr. Rochester's terrible secret be about to destroy it forever?.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 92000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: romantic, touching, gothic, atmospheric, captivating, costume drama, period piece, visually appealing, sexy, emotional
Similar in 80%
Pride and Prejudice (1995)
Plot Summary:
Jane Austen's classic novel about the prejudice that occurred between the 19th century classes and the pride which would keep lovers apart.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 91000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 327 min
Plot tags: romantic, costume drama, stylized, atmospheric, witty, period piece, clever, scenic, historical drama, sentimental
Similar in 87%
Jane Eyre (2006)
Plot Summary:
In this version of Charlotte Brontë's novel, Jane Eyre (Georgie Henley), a poor relation in the household of her aunt, Mrs. Reed (Tara FitzGerald) is despatched into the care of the callous Mr Brocklehurst at his school at Lowood. As a young woman (Ruth Wilson), Jane is hired by the housekeeper of Thornfield Hall, Mrs. Fairfax, to be a governess for young Adele (Cosima Littlewood), ward of the mysteriously absent Mr. Rochester (Toby Stephens). His arrival triggers one of the most famous love stories in the English Language.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 230 min
Plot tags: romantic, costume drama, gothic, atmospheric, touching, gloomy, serious, period piece, sexy, talky
Similar in 77%
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Plot Summary:
Pride & Prejudice is a humorous story of love and life among English gentility during the Georgian era. Mr. Bennet is an English gentleman living in Hertfordshire with his overbearing wife and five daughters. If Mr. Bennet dies their house will be inherited by a distant cousin whom they have never met, so the family's future happiness and security is dependent on the daughters making good marriages.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 322000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, UK, USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: romantic, costume drama, sweet, dramatic, captivating, witty, touching, emotional, cute, period piece
Similar in 81%
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Plot Summary:
Rich Mr. Dashwood dies, leaving his second wife and her daughters poor by the rules of inheritance. Two daughters are the titular opposites.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 123000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 136 min
Plot tags: romantic, feel good, sincere, dramatic, sentimental, costume drama, period piece, emotional, touching, atmospheric