10 Shows Like Bridgerton You Need to Watch (2026)

Why You Loved Bridgerton

Bridgerton swept you off your feet because it made period drama feel genuinely fun. Shonda Rhimes and Chris Van Dusen took the Regency era and injected it with modern sensibility — the orchestral pop covers, the diverse casting, the unashamedly steamy romance. You loved the will-they-won’t-they tension, the gorgeous costumes and sets, the social climbing and gossip, and Lady Whistledown narrating the chaos. It proved that historical drama doesn’t need to be stuffy or slow. You want more shows that combine beautiful period settings with passionate love stories, sharp social commentary, and characters you can’t help but root for.

Shows Like Bridgerton

1. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

The obvious starting point, but genuinely brilliant in its own right. This prequel explores the young Queen Charlotte’s arrival at court and her slow-burn romance with King George, weaving between past and present timelines. It’s more emotionally complex than the main series, tackling mental illness and racial politics with surprising depth, while still delivering all the lush visuals and romantic tension you’re craving. Stream it on Netflix in Australia.

2. Sanditon

Based on Jane Austen’s unfinished final novel, Sanditon follows spirited Charlotte Heywood as she arrives in a seaside resort town full of scheming socialites, brooding love interests, and enough romantic entanglements to fill a dozen novels. It captures Bridgerton’s blend of witty banter, class tension, and slow-burn romance while feeling distinctly Austenian. Three seasons that build beautifully on each other. Available on BritBox (via Prime Video add-on) in Australia.

3. Outlander

Outlander is Bridgerton’s spicier, more dangerous older sibling. Claire Randall’s time-travel from 1945 to 1743 Scotland throws her into a world of Highland warriors, Jacobite rebellion, and an all-consuming love affair with Jamie Fraser. The romance is more intense, the stakes are life-and-death, and the historical detail is extraordinary. If you loved Bridgerton’s passion but want something with more grit, this is essential viewing. Watch it on Stan in Australia.

4. The Gilded Age

Julian Fellowes (the creator of Downton Abbey) turns his attention to 1880s New York, where old money and new money clash in a battle fought with dinner parties, opera boxes, and devastating social snubs. It’s less romance-focused than Bridgerton but absolutely nails the social jockeying, sumptuous costumes, and the thrill of watching wealthy people be horrible to each other. Christine Baranski alone is worth tuning in for. Stream it on Binge in Australia.

5. Downton Abbey

If you somehow haven’t watched Downton Abbey, this is your sign. The Crawley family and their servants navigate love, loss, and social upheaval from the Edwardian era through the 1920s. It’s warmer and more ensemble-driven than Bridgerton, but the romantic subplots — especially Mary and Matthew — will destroy you in the best way. Six seasons of peak comfort viewing with genuine emotional depth. Available on BritBox (via Prime Video add-on) in Australia.

6. The Great

Elle Fanning plays Catherine the Great in this wildly irreverent, frequently hilarious take on Russian royal history. It’s Bridgerton’s chaotic, unhinged cousin — all the gorgeous costumes and palace intrigue, but with pitch-black comedy, absurdist humour, and a heroine plotting to overthrow her own husband. If you loved Bridgerton’s modern sensibility applied to history, The Great cranks that dial to eleven. Watch it on Stan in Australia.

7. Pride and Prejudice (1995)

The gold standard. Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy emerging from that lake didn’t just launch a thousand memes — it defined romantic period drama for a generation. This BBC adaptation of Austen’s masterpiece is six episodes of perfect slow-burn tension, razor-sharp dialogue, and a love story that earns every single moment. If Bridgerton made you fall in love with Regency romance, this is where the genre reaches its peak. Streaming on BritBox (via Prime Video add-on) in Australia.

8. Harlots

Set in 1760s London, Harlots follows two rival brothel madams battling for supremacy in Georgian society. It’s grittier and more feminist than Bridgerton, exploring how women navigated a world that gave them almost no power through the one currency they controlled. The costumes are fabulous, the performances are fierce, and it treats its characters with genuine complexity rather than judgment. Available on Disney+ in Australia.

9. Belgravia

Another Julian Fellowes creation, Belgravia is a tightly plotted mystery set in 1840s London high society, where a secret from the Battle of Waterloo threatens to unravel a wealthy family. It’s more of a thriller than a romance, but the period setting, class dynamics, and impeccable production design will feel instantly familiar to Bridgerton fans. A compact six episodes that don’t waste a single scene. Stream it on Prime Video in Australia.

10. Dickinson

Hailee Steinfeld plays Emily Dickinson in this delightfully anachronistic comedy that reimagines the poet’s life with a modern soundtrack, contemporary dialogue, and a queer love story at its centre. It’s the most stylistically bold show on this list — part period drama, part fever dream — and if you loved how Bridgerton remixed history with a modern lens, Dickinson does the same thing even more radically. Available on Apple TV+ in Australia.

What to Watch First

Start with The Great. It captures everything that makes Bridgerton special — the gorgeous period setting, the sharp modern sensibility, the romance and palace intrigue — while being genuinely one of the funniest shows of the last five years. Elle Fanning is magnificent, Nicholas Hoult is hilariously awful as Peter, and the writing never once plays it safe. It’s the show that most closely matches Bridgerton’s energy while carving out its own completely distinct identity. You’ll be quoting it within the first episode.