What constitutes a period piece? By definition, period dramas are simply TV shows, miniseries, or movies set in an earlier time. That’s it. Such vagueness leaves a lot of room open for interpretation, of course: Period dramas can be fiction or non-fiction, a steamy romance or terrifying horror, a stirring biopic or total fantasy.
So why do we love them so much? Maybe it’s refreshing to see a love story that doesn’t involve awkward texting. Perhaps it’s an escape, a way to imagine yourself somewhere totally devoid of today’s particular issues and anxieties. Could be we all just really fucking love corsets. Whatever your reason, just know that 2023 has a host of new period dramas coming out that are worth adding to your queue. Here’s what we recommend.
TV
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
They say we learn from the past to prevent making the same mistakes in the future, but that hasn’t always been the case when it comes to period pieces. The genre has historically centered white voices and faces, ignoring the stories of marginalized people just as history books have done for far too long. It is getting better, thanks in part to Shonda Rhimes, who totally reinvigorated the Regency romance by casting actors of color as the romantic leads in Bridgerton.
The Netflix series was such a hit, in fact, that we’re being blessed with a prequel about young Queen Charlotte and her rise to power. (Because this is a Bridgerton story, you can expect a lot of romance too.) The limited series doesn’t have a release date yet, but we expect Netflix to make an announcement soon.
Sanditon
This PBS Masterpiece period-drama, adapted from Jane Austen’s unfinished final novel, was saved from the brink of cancelation thanks to Bridgerton‘s popularity. The two Regency-set series share a lot of similarities, including smoldering romantic leads and plucky heroines who challenge societal norms.
Watch the third—and final—season to find out why it’s gained such a cult following. Based on the teaser trailer, it looks like we can expect more love triangles and longing glances. Can’t wait. Sanditon season three premieres on PBS on March 19 at 9 p.m. ET.
Daisy Jones and the Six
Adapted from the popular novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, this ‘70s-set miniseries follows the rise and fall of a fictional rock band. If you like Fleetwood Mac, bell-bottom jeans, and Sam Claflin in tight pants, this is the show for you. (So, everyone—this show is for everyone.)
Riley Keough stars as the titular Daisy Jones, a thinly-veiled version of Stevie Nicks, who finds intense artistic and romantic chemistry with rockstar Billy Dunne (Claflin). Of course, such passion doesn’t come without drama. Watch it all unfold when it premieres on Amazon Prime Video on March 3.
Outlander
Season seven of the beloved steamy series will be its second to last. On the bright side, it’s double the number of episodes from season six, which was shortened due to Caitriona Balfe’s pregnancy and pandemic-related scheduling issues. Balfe, Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton, and Richard Rankin are all returning to their roles as the series sets up its final storylines.
In late April of last year, Balfe told Glamour that filming on the new season has “been really good. We’re almost finished with the first block of episodes, but it’s been really fun.” The premiere date hasn’t been announced yet, but we know the show will return sometime in summer 2023 on Starz.
Marie Antoinette
Fans of The Favourite, The Great, and Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette should make room in their schedule for this new historical drama created and written by Deborah Davis (who, incidentally, wrote The Favourite). The costume drama will be a modern, feminist take on the royal’s life. Says Davis, “Marie Antoinette arrived as a 14½-year-old like a stunned rabbit…and they all stared at her like, ‘Who is this revolting little Austrian archduchess? She didn’t stand a chance. But Marie Antoinette comes from a very long line of extremely strong-willed, spirited women, and she took them on.”
Davis has already started writing season two, which she told Variety will look at the French Revolution as a “misogynistic propaganda campaign against Marie Antoinette.” But first, season one! It’ll premiere in the U.S. on March 19 on PBS.
MOVIES
Corsage
This historical drama technically premiered in late 2022, but you can still see it in select theaters so we’re including it. Deal with it. The truth is the film hasn’t gotten as much attention as it deserves, considering Vicky Krieps gives a career-best performance as Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
The movie follows the royal, famed for her beauty, as she approaches her 40th birthday with increasing dread. Obsessed with her weight and stifled by the suffocating court culture, she lashes out in increasingly bizarre ways until…well, I won’t spoil the ending. Go see it!
Chevalier
Biopics can be hit or miss, with the worst ones feeling like you’re watching a history term paper come to life. Chevalier is the genre at its best—sexy, entertaining, and based on an important historical figure whose story hasn’t been told yet on screen.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. stars as Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the acclaimed French-Caribbean violinist and composer. The movie hits theaters on April 7.
Emily
Frances O’Connor (Mansfield Park, The Importance of Being Earnest, Madame Bovary) makes her directorial debut with this partly fictional biopic about a romance between Emily Brontë and a young curate. Sex Education star Emma Mackey plays the Wuthering Heights novelist and poet.
The movie doesn’t hit theaters until February 17, but it’s already received a positive 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising Mackey’s “appealing performance” and the script’s “irreverent approach” to bringing Brontë to life on screen.
The Color Purple
Alice Walker’s 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel has already been adapted for both the stage and screen. And soon, we’ll get a combination of both: The 2005 Broadway musical is being made into a period drama set to come out on December 20, 2023 by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Oprah Winfrey, who made her major film debut in the 1985 movie adaptation, will serve as a producer. “It has been a vehicle for magic and purpose in my life,” Winfrey told Vanity Fair. “I don’t know anybody who’s ever been associated with it whose life didn’t get enhanced. Everything comes from the original words of Alice Walker, which were grounded in love, really. Love of this community. Love of these people. Love of those characters. And that just gets passed on and passed on and passed on. I can’t wait to see this next evolvement, which is not attached to having done it the way we’ve always done it.”
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret might seem quaint in 2023, but Judy Blume’s 1970 coming-of-age novel has been frequently challenged and banned for its frank discussion of mensuration, sex, and religion. So it’s about time the beloved story was brought to screen.
How I know it’ll be good: Blume rejected several offers to adapt this book before settling on the team behind The Edge of Seventeen, one of the best and most underrated coming-of-age movies of all time.
The post All the Period Dramas We Can’t Wait to See in 2023 appeared first on Glamour.
