14 TV Shows to Watch After Youve Finished The Crown
Still reeling from the drama of Princess Margaret's marriage to the unconventional Antony Armstrong-Jones and rumors of Prince Philip's infidelity in season 2 of The Crown? Does season 3  starring Olivia Colman and expected to drop on Netflix at the end of 2018 at the earliest  feel frustratingly far away?, Fortunately, The Crown is just the latest period drama to win over fans, following in the footsteps of past successes including Victoria and Downton Abbey. So whether it's upper-class scandals hello, Reign, royal history Wolf Hall, a cast with big names Gunpowder or sexy historical reenactments Versailles you're looking to binge-watch, here is a list of TV shows like The Crown that should help fill that empty feeling. , The British drama Victoria stars Jenna Coleman of Doctor Who fame as Queen Victoria, the spirited monarch who ruled England from 1837 to 1901. Similar to the way the first season of The Crown follows Queen Elizabeth's early life, Victoria follows the titular queen from her accession to the throne at the tender age of 18 to her courtship and early marriage to her cousin, Prince Albert Tom Hughes. This entry into the list of TV shows about monarchy, created by writer and journalist Daisy Goodwin, feels more dramatized than The Crown, but still draws from real-life events, inspired by Victoria's diaries. Season two of Victoria can be viewed on PBS' Masterpiece. If you thought The Crown was the most binge-worthy British drama, then you've definitely not yet devoured Downton Abbey, its gossipy, fun-loving cousin. The award-winning series created by Julian Fellowes centers around a wealthy English family and their servants and spans a six-year period, following them through wars, romances, tragedies and plenty of scandals. The stellar cast includes the acclaimed Maggie Smith Harry Potter, Hugh Bonneville Paddington, Lily James Baby Driver and Dan Stevens Beauty and the Beast., Downton Abbey is available to watch on PBS' Masterpiece. Showtime's raunchy series about the reign and marriages of England's King Henry VIII, played by the Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, divided viewers when it first hit the small screen in 2008. Some criticized it for containing numerous historical inaccuracies and distorting history for dramatic effect. But the show has been praised by historians for having "undoubtedly stimulated interest in British history" with its exciting storylines, glamorous cast and focus on sex, and it ended up running for four seasons. It's a great option for those looking to time-travel a few centuries before the events of The Crown. The Tudors is available to stream on Hulu. Another show about royals on Netflix, The Royal House of Windsor examines Britain's ruling Windsor dynasty over the last century and the secrets of its survival. The series  which takes a documentary approach, as opposed to The Crowns dramatization  begins in 1917, when King George V rebranded the Royal Family's German surname to the far-more-English-sounding "Windsor," and it follows the family up to the present day. Each episode focuses on a different member of the royal family or significant moment in royal history. The Royal House of Windsor is available to stream on Netflix. , E!'s scripted series follows a fictionalized, scandal-plagued, wealth-corrupted version of the British royal family, starring Elizabeth Hurley as a highly-watchable Queen of England. TIME described her character in its 2015 review of the first episode as a "vicious, status-besotted Royal Housewife of London." Although The Royals is a far sillier and cheaper version of The Crown, it's entertaining nonetheless  albeit for different reasons. Season four of The Royals premieres on March 11 on E!. Previous seasons are available to watch on Amazon Prime. A racy period drama depicting King Louis XIV's decadent, turbulent reign, Versailles is the most expensive drama series ever produced in France, and it is filmed on location at both the Chateau de Versailles and in Paris. The show, expected to return for a third season, follows the king played by George Blagden as he overcomes obstacles, both political and personal. It's a fun, gripping and very sexy watch, one of the steamier options among shows like The Crown on Netflix. Versailles is available to stream on Netflix. A highly fictionalized historical drama, Reign follows Mary, Queen of Scots' rise to power, starring Teen Wolfs Adelaide Kane in the central role. If an authentic retelling of an important period of history is what you're looking for, then Reign doesn't fit the bill. The show has been compared by critics to Gossip Girl, only set during the 16th century, as well as criticized for its inaccuracies. One critic even described Kane's character as a Princess Diaries knockoff. That said, if you're looking for your next royal-centric guilty pleasure after The Crown, then Reign is a strong contender. Reign is available to stream on Netflix. This epic TV adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall novels, set in the court of Henry VIII, is a captivating retelling of a familiar story how the king ditched Catherine of Aragon and the Catholic Church to wed and then behead Anne Boleyn. But uniquely, in Wolf Hall, the protagonist is neither the king nor any of his series of queens but Thomas Cromwell played by Mark Rylance, the lawyer, financial wizard and all-around political fixer Henry relied on to rewrite laws, break church ties and destroy enemies. Wolf Hall is a darkly fascinating watch. Unlike The Crown, it's a miniseries with only six episodes in total. Wolf Hall is available to stream on Netflix. The White Queen is a historical drama set during the series of bloody English civil wars known as the War of the Roses, half a millennium before the events of The Crown. The show focuses on the three different women  Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville  who were vying for the throne at the time. The 10-part series is based on the bestselling novel by Philippa Gregory author of The Other Boleyn Girl and stars the Swedish actor Rebecca Ferguson, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in 2014. The White Queen is available to stream on Starz. As TIME wrote of Outlander following the show's premiere in 2014, if you have a predilection for epic romances and the super-specific sub-genre that is historical time-travel fiction, then you're likely to find this program a sensory feast. Outlander begins just after World War II and takes place mainly during 18th-century Scotland's Jacobite uprisings. A supernatural treat, it follows the life of Claire Randall Caitriona Balfe, who finds herself spirited from 1945 to 1743 Scotland after coming across a druidic henge while on her second honeymoon. Outlander is available to watch on STARZ On Demand. Where The Crown focuses on the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, this four-part miniseries stars Anne-Marie Duff as the enigmatic Queen Elizabeth. The program focuses on the monarch's private life and her public vow of chastity, exploring her terror at the hands of her sister, Mary I, and her great love affair with Robert Dudley, played by The Revenant star Tom Hardy. Elizabeth I  The Virgin Queen is available to watch on Amazon. If, after watching The Crown, you're looking to spend time with rebels instead of royals, the recent HBO series Gunpowder might be for you. The miniseries shines a light on the events that led to the failed Catholic plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605, led by Guy Fawkes and Robert Catesby. The three-episode series was originally shown on the BBC in the U.K. and aired in the U.S. on HBO from Dec. 18 through 20. The show, which made headlines for its extreme violence and goriness, was produced by and stars Game of Thrones Kit Harington, who is a direct descendant of Catesby through his mother's side. Gunpowder is available to stream on HBO. British import Call the Midwife follows a group of midwives living in London's East End in the 1950s, working in the newly-formed National Health System NHS. It's a subtle show, less melodramatic compared with similarly-positioned British dramas like The Crown and Downton Abbey. As TIME explained in its 2012 review of the program, Call the Midwife is, at heart, a medical show about childbirth. At least a few minutes of every episode feature labor, complete with full-volume shrieking and moaning  so if that kind of thing makes you queasy, then it might not be for you. Call the Midwife is available to stream on PBS. The British drama series Mr Selfridge follows the life of the brash American retail magnate Harry Selfridge, who opened the world-famous London department store Selfridges  Co in 1909. The charming show, which is based on real life events, stars Entourages Jeremy Piven who has recently faced accusations of sexual misconduct as the titular businessman. The show ran for four seasons and was described in its prime as "sumptuous Sunday evening viewing.", Mr Selfridge is available to purchase on Google Play.