Obsessed With "Outlander"? Watch These Period Dramas Next
Obsessed With "Outlander"? Watch These Period Dramas Next
We doubt anyone could argue with the fact that Outlander is a one-of-a-kind show. Where else does a woman touch a large, enchanted rock and teleport to 18th century Scotland to meet the dreamy love of her life? Nowhere—and that's what makes Outlander such a specific and magical experience.
Based on the bestselling novels by Diana Gabaldon, Outlander has been on the air since 2014. The fifth season, set in colonial North America, premieres on Starz on February 16, bringing Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) a few years closer to the American Revolution.
When the 12-episode season is over, we'll be stranded in a world without Jamie and Claire...yet again. While Outlander is undeniably unique, there are some similar shows that can hold us over until season 6—or the series' ninth book, set to come out in 2020.
Each of these period pieces shares pop culture DNA with Outlander. Some, like the pirate drama Black Sails and HBO's four-part Catherine the Great, give alternate perspectives on life in the 18th century. Others feature characters that Claire would admire, like the capable women of Call the Midwife. Starz's sumptuous royals dramas, The Spanish Princess and The White Princess, look at history from a woman's perspective. Finally, if you're hoping to be adopted by another TV family, the Durrells in The Durrells in Corfu are as charming as the Frasers.
Here are the shows to watch after Outlander.
1) The White Princess
Claire Fraser is forever inserting herself into political power struggles. But Elizabeth of York (Killing Eve's Jodie Comer) married into one.
Based on Philippa Gregory's hit novel, The White Princess focuses on the marriage of Elizabeth to King Henry VII (Jacob Collins-Levy), a union meant to end the War of the Roses by uniting the houses of Lancaster and York. Instead, the conflict moves inside the palace, as Elizabeth fights her mother and mother-in-law for control. With this series, you'll want to keep your family tree handy.
Elizabeth of York's story continues in Starz's The Spanish Princess, also based on Gregory's novels.
2) The Spanish Princess
Let's get this out of the way: King Henry VIII does not have a reputation for being as adoring a husband as Jamie Fraser. Notoriously, the real Henry married six times (and sentenced two wives to death).
However, The Spanish Princess travels back to a time when Henry was young, dreamy, and played perfectly by Rauri O'Connor. The Spanish Princess tells the true, but nearly unbelievable, story of how Catherine of Aragon (Charlotte Hope) traveled from Spain to England and became inextricably enmeshed with the Tudor empire. (Fun fact: She first married Henry's brother!) This intelligent drama is a woman-centric version of the tale, the one you wish the history books told.
3) Downton Abbey
If you haven't seen this sumptuous drama about an aristocratic English family at the turn of the century, close this article and begin watching.
Downton Abbey is beloved for its attention to character. The entire mansion comes alive because the Crawley family's stories matter as much as those who work "downstairs," a term used to describe the family's servants. After six seasons, the story continued in movie form.
4) The Tudors
The English monarchy continues to make headlines. But is anything as juicy as the complicated reign of King Henry VIII? Whereas The Spanish Princess showcases Catherine of Aragon, The Tudors is all about Henry (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and his wandering eye.
5) Black Sails
Seeking another well-researched period piece laced with undeniable sexiness? Look no further than Black Sails, a show set during the 18th century's Golden Age of Piracy.
Technically, Black Sails is a prequel to Robert Lewis Stevenson's classic 1883 novel Treasure Island, which followed Long John Silver and his pirate crew searching for Captain James Flint's buried treasure. But Black Sails is a decidedly modern show, which deepens Flint's character and explores his sexuality.
6) Catherine the Great
Around the same time Claire Fraser landed in Scotland, a poor Prussian princess named Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst moved to Russia to marry the heir to the empire. She took the name Catherine and began her legacy as Russia's longest-ruling female ruler.
This four-part mini-series catches Catherine the Great (Helen Mirren) nearing the end of her reign. Her empire's borders may be expanding to an unprecedented degree, but ideologically, she's still miles ahead of her countrymen. This is a fascinating portrait of a woman ahead of her time. Plus, fans of Outlander will likely appreciate the central romance between Catherine and Potemkin (Jason Clarke), the man she considers her equal.
7) Poldark
Far and away, Poldark is the fan-favorite follow-up to Outlander. Why? One look at Aidan Turner as Captain Ross Poldark, the titular tortured redcoat returning to England after the Revolutionary War, should explain it all.
The fifth season of Outlander, which delves into North Carolina's colonial history, is like a prequel to Poldark. Watch what happens after Aidan returns to find his father dead, his house in shambles, and his love engaged to another man.
8) North and South
Psst—come closer. North and South is a cult classic, passed along by word of mouth. You're next.
Based on a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, the four-part mini-series tells the story of a family from the south of England who must move to the industrial North after the patriarch leaves his job with the clergy. Just wait for the kiss. You'll know when you get there.
9) Reign
Don't watch Reign if you're expecting a fact-based rendering of Mary, Queen of Scots's life. Watch Reign if you want a show where druid prophecies intermingle with love triangles and palace intrigue clashes with inter-cousin drama.
The CW show follows Mary, Queen of Scots (Adelaide Kane) as a young woman in France before she returns to Scotland and feuds with her cousin, Elizabeth I, to inherit the throne.
10) Call the Midwife
We've lost track of the number of times Claire's medical abilities have saved the day in Outlander. In a word, Claire is capable—and so are the nuns, trained as midwives, in this riveting historical drama.
Set in post-war England, Call the Midwife focuses on a band of women who held other women in their time of great joy, pain, and vulnerability: Childbirth.
11) The Durrells in Corfu
In Outlander, Claire touches the stones at Craigh na Duhn and starts over. In a way, the Durrell family in this joyous show do the same, when they sell their belongings in dreary England to begin again in Corfu.
The Durrells in Corfu is based on writer Lawrence Durrell's real experiences on the Greek island in the Ionian sea. Each member of the Durrell family, charming and idiosyncratic, will feel like a long-lost friend; each scene, a memory. This show is unparalleled in warmth, and rivaled only by Mamma Mia in vistas.
Get lost in these faster than you can say "Craigh na Dun."