Historical period shows transport the audience to different historical moments and allow them to see what life was like hundreds of years (sometimes going as far as millennia) ago. Period dramas are and always have been extremely popular, though they've perhaps become most common in recent years. The popular Downton Abbey showed the life of the aristocratic British family the Crawleys and their servants in 1928. Also set in the Queen's land, the fictional British upper class are depicted during the social season in England's capital in Bridgerton. Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is set closer to our current period but shows what Manhattan was like in the late 1950s, exploring the life of a divorced woman who is an aspiring stand-up comedian. These are only a few examples of popular television shows. They may happen in different periods, but they tend to have one thing in common: their characters are wealthy.
Like these popular shows, most period dramas or romances focus on rich elites; think The Crown, The Gilded Age, The Tudors, Versailles, Reign, Medici, and even Mad Men: the vast majority of period shows exist in wealthy worlds. This can give an inaccurate representation of what living in a certain period in history was like. Of course, the marvelous costumes and scenarios are beautiful to watch and do add a lot to whom these characters are, but they do not fully represent the moment in history they portray. The history of humanity is dominated by poverty and economic inequality, and not too many shows want to show these harsh realities, opting instead to show the pomp and circumstance of pleasant, lazy, wealthy lives.
Period shows are incredibly fun to watch and can transport you to a different time, but focusing exclusively on the rich and powerful creates a warped and frankly dangerous perspective regarding history and class consciousness. Here are a few great period shows that don't focus on wealthy characters.
The English Game
Football (or soccer) is one of the most loved sports around the world, but few people know how it became so popular. The English Game is a historical miniseries that shows how, in the 1870s, two friends came together to popularize the game that was once targeted only at the wealthy. James Walsh, who was a part of the working class, does everything he can to (literally) become a part of the game.
The Little Nyonya
A story that happens over the course of 70 years (from 1930), this Singapore drama has every aspect that lovers of great period series want. Huang Juxiang is the daughter of a mistress that suffered from disease when she was a child that left her deaf-mute. The Little Nyonya shows the story of a young woman that has to fight for the life she wants while facing prejudice for her condition and societal expectations of the female role. A remake of the series was made in 2020.
Cable Girls
Cable Girls (Las Chicas del Cable in the original Spanish), is a Spanish TV show that follows the lives of four women that work for the first telephone company in Madrid. The series is set in the ranging twenties and addresses various changes society (especially women) was starting to face in the new century, including feminism, sexuality, and queer relationships with women. A series that has everything, with a touch of Spanish melodrama and gorgeous scenarios of Madrid at the beginning of the century, Cable Girls is definitely a must-watch.
The Knick
For those who like medical drama shows and period series, The Knick is a great pick. The story follows the personal and professional life of the medical staff of Knickerbocker Hospital during the early twentieth century, which is during the pre-antibiotic era. The protagonist of the series, Dr. John W. Thackery (an incredible Clive Owen) is a brilliant but troubled surgeon, though the show follows multiple facets of the turn of the 20th century, from poor women suffragettes to Black communities in New York. Pushing medical and personal boundaries, the series is bloody and is as brutal to its viewers as it is to its patients.
Call the Midwife
London is probably one of the most popular scenarios for film and television, and Call the Midwife is no different. In the city of dreams in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the series follows a group of nurse midwives that lived in East London. The show is based on the memoirs of famous nurse Jennifer Worth, who sadly passed away shortly before the first episode of the series aired. The debate on the progression of women's health, such as teen pregnancy and abortion, is heavily discussed in the show, making it even more relevant.
Anne with an E
Based on the series of children's books with the same name, Anne with an E charmed audiences worldwide with the protagonist's impossible optimism, following the orphan Anne as she dreams of having a family. When she was finally adopted, there was a problem: the family that adopted her actually wanted a boy. However, the brother and sister, Marilia and Matthew Cuthbert, fall in love with the redhead girl and decide to keep her. Anne will forever change how the viewer looks at the simple things in life, showing how everything is magical if you know how to look.
Peaky Blinders
Based on the real brothers in industrial Birmingham, Peaky Blinders is one of the BBC's finest recent shows. The final season aired this year, and after five seasons following the violent and clever Shelby brothers, it was hard to say goodbye, though fortunately there is a movie and potential spin-offs. Thomas Shelby and his family run an illegal beting house on horse races; they will fight everything (and everyone) that dares to interrupt their rise to success.
The Queen's Gambit
This Emmy-winning miniseries is good enough that it will make you want to play chess. With amazing visuals and brilliant acting from the cast, The Queen's Gambit will make the viewer sweat while watching chess, even if they don't understand the game. The limited series follows a young Beth (an instantly iconic Anya Taylor-Joy), an orphan with a troubled past and self-destructive present who discovers her true passion and talent is chess. Her journey is difficult as she deals with envy, failure, and grief.