With the summer heat in full swing, we’re all looking for reasons to stay inside by the AC—and what better way than to start a new show! And although we love our historical dramas that combine thrills and facts, sometimes all we’re looking for is some fun.
From 2007 to 2010, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hadn’t heard of The Tudors: a hit period drama centering on Henry VIII and his six wives that, although not very historically accurate, brought all the drama and sex appeal. The show was messy, combining characters and inventing love affairs—but it was our mess.
We owe much to The Tudors: future Sherlock Holmes and Superman, Henry Cavill, to be exact. All jokes aside, the iconic work opened the floodgates for more campy, glamorized versions of history.
Despite routinely cranking up the soap opera, period dramas invite us to view the past in a new light. Whether offering Lady Jane Grey a different fate beyond England’s doomed “Nine Days’ Queen” or spotlighting the often-overlooked social politics of the British Empire, these 12 shows like The Tudors offer chaos, scandal, and entertainment!
Reign
We’re starting off this list strong—there is almost nothing historically accurate about CW’s Reign. A fantasy drama centering on the complex early life of Mary, Queen of Scots (Adelaide Kane), the story begins with her arrival at the French court.
There, she meets her arranged husband, Prince Francis (Toby Regbo). With four seasons, you’re sure to be swept away by its royal conspiracies, shifting alliances, and steamy romance!
My Lady Jane
My Lady Jane takes historical inaccuracy to a new level, imagining a life in which Jane wasn’t sentenced to death, but rather lives out the rest of her youth as a wild, ambitious young girl.
In this alternate world, Lady Jane Grey (Emily Bader) becomes queen overnight and must navigate the throes of criminals who want her head, along with a new marriage to her betrothed, Lord Guilford (Edward Bluemel)—oh, and the magic, talking animals, and shapeshifters.
Despite thousands of fans petitioning to bring the show back, it seems My Lady Jane will remain as one glorious, high-adventure season you’ll likely binge in a day!
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Regency-era Bridgerton is leading the charge today in the heavily modernized period piece—and frankly, we’re all eating out of the palm of mega-hitmaker Shonda Rhimes’ hands. With elaborate dresses, over-the-top decor, and orchestral covers of modern pop songs (anyone still listening to the rendition of Charli XCX’s “360”?), each season focuses on a different member of the Bridgerton family.
The limited series Queen Charlotte, still set in the Bridgerton world, did something a little different by focusing on the backstory of Queen Charlotte, one of the few real-life historical figures who appear in the series. Only 6-episodes, the story follows the arranged marriage between a young Charlotte (India Amarteifio) and King George III (Corey Mylchreest).
A moving representation of loving someone with mental health struggles, the series offers wonderful background material for avid Bridgerton watchers—or anyone looking for a more thought-provoking watch.
Story of Yanxi Palace
Based on the Qing dynasty Qianlong Emperor and courts, Story of Yanxi Palace is best characterized as a dramatized revenge fantasy.
Centered on Wei Yingluo (Jinyan Wu), a courageous young woman who enters the Forbidden City as a palace maid to investigate the mysterious death of her older sister, she clashes with high-powered figures in the Imperial Noble Consort while earning the trust of Empress Fucha (Qin Lan).
A fan favorite among Chinese historical dramas, Story of Yanxi Palace is full of fast-paced plot and highlights satisfying revenge arcs that will have you second-guessing at every turn!
Becoming Elizabeth
Another show that fans claim ended far too soon, Becoming Elizabeth reimagines the years before the future Queen Elizabeth I became England’s iconic “Virgin Queen.”
A pawn in courtly politics, Elizabeth is navigating the death of her father, King Henry VIII, when she’s sent to live with Henry’s sixth widow, Catherine Parr, and her new husband, Thomas Seymour.
Less fairytale-esque than The Tudors, Becoming Elizabeth instead offers a grittier look at the realities of power, particularly between the teenage Elizabeth and domineering Thomas Seymour.
Harlots
Offering lavish costumes, unabashed displays of sexuality, and rollicking characters, Harlots has much of the same spirit as The Tudors. The drama is set in 18th-century London, with brothel owner Margaret Wells (Samantha Morton) and her two daughters, Charlotte and Lucy.
When a rival madam, Lydia Quigley (Lesley Manville), begins taking Margaret’s business, a full-out rivalry breaks out, and she must fight for what matters most to her.
The Borgias
Beginning with the rise of a dynasty in Renaissance Italy, The Borgias follows Rodrigo Borgia’s rise to power within the Catholic Church as Pope Alexander VI (Jeremy Irons). Shocker, it’s not a documentary, with many facts skewed for entertainment value—just as we promised.
With influence comes great responsibility, and Rodrigo must navigate a sea of enemies, all vying for his spot—good thing his children, Lucrezia Borgia (Holliday Grainger) and Cesare Borgia (François Arnaud), have his back.
The Great
The Great is an absurdist satire on the rise of Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning), from a Prussian outsider to Russia’s longest-reigning monarch. A dreamer at heart, Catherine’s hopes for romance are shattered when she meets her husband, the Emperor Peter III (Nicholas Hoult), a childish madman.
Self-proclaimed as an “occasionally true story,” the drama is the epitome of a dark comedy, with the leads’ incredible on-screen chemistry, balancing the not-for-the-faint-of-heart storylines.
Indian Summers
Set in 1932, during the end of Britain’s colonial rule in India, this Downton Abbey-esque period piece blends heavy themes, including colonialism and racism, with the intimacy of a steamy high-society soap opera.
Exploring the ramifications from both sides involved, that is, those involved in the British Empire and modern India, Indian Summers is an illuminating look into the fight for India’s independence.
The Serpent Queen
Although almost completely inaccurate—naturally—Samantha Morton, who stars in another show on this list, Harlots, is an absolute powerhouse in The Serpent Queen.
Playing a revised version of Catherine de’ Medici, the story follows her arrival in France at age 14 as an orphaned teenager, and the intelligence and cunning that led her to master the country for 50 years.
The Buccaneers
The Buccaneers put the “vibes” in “just vibes.” Heavily altering the plots of the original, unfinished Edith Wharton novel of the same name, the story centers on the Gilded Age phenomenon, in which new-money American heiresses married into cash-poor Aristocratic families.
With a third season anticipated to premiere in late 2026, you’ll have much to catch up on—think outspoken female leads, dramatic romantic entanglements, and show-stopping cliff hangers. What a treat!
Marco Polo
You likely remember Marco Polo as an explorer, known for his travels along the Silk Road, or the subject of a childhood swimming pool game. However, Marco Polo transforms the titular character from a Venetian merchant to a skilled martial artist and spy for Kublai Khan.
Although in documented history Polo worked for the Mongol Emperor for 17 years, many creative liberties are taken—and we’re grateful. What follows is an epic, adventure-filled drama!
Featured image: Sony Pictures Television
