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5 shows and films to watch if you love The Gilded Age

Check out our list of shows you're bound to enjoy

TV and film writer
February 12, 2022

Julian Fellowes' new period drama, The Gilded Age, has come at just the right time for TV lovers. The extravagant sets, stellar cast and colour-saturated costumes are the perfect antidote to the winter blues. 

MORE: The Gilded Age star Louisa Jacobson is the daughter of this A-list actress - can you guess who?

But if you're struggling to wait for the weekly release of each episode and need a quick fix of billowing gowns, puff sleeves and stately homes then look no further. Here are five shows and films like The Gilded Age…

WATCH: The trailer for Sanditon season two

Sanditon

Available on ITV Hub, Prime Video

Based on the novel by Jane Austen, Sanditon follows Charlotte Heywood, a spirited but naive young woman who arrives at the seaside town in search of new experiences and is shocked to learn of its scheming and secretive inhabitants. 

She is soon acquainted with Sidney Parker, the younger brother of entrepreneur Tom Parker, and they immediately clash. Can they look past their differences and find love?

Like Marian Brook in The Gilded Age, Sanditon's heroine moves from her family home to a new place on the cusp of dramatic change. 

MORE: The Gilded Age boss reveals heartbreaking difference between Downton Abbey and new show

MORE: Downton Abbey: Dominic West, Laura Haddock and Hugh Dancy's characters in sequel revealed

Now is the perfect time to catch up on season one as the second series will make its premiere on BrixBoxUK on 22 March, one day after its US debut on PBS Masterpiece. 

Season two will be released in March this year

North and South 

Available on Prime Video

Another period piece which sees a young heroine navigate a new city, North and South follows Margaret Hale, who is forced to move with her family from their peaceful hamlet in the South of England to a smoky, industrial city in the North. There, she clashes with nouveau riche cotton mill owner John Thornton as she struggles to accept his contemptuous attitude towards his workers. 

Much like Julian Fellowes' new drama, North and South, which is based on the 1854 novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, looks at growing tensions between two social classes.

The series also features a star-studded cast, including Stay Close's Richard Armitage, Sinéad Cusack, Anna Maxwell Martin and Daniela Denby-Ashe. 

The series is based on Elizabeth Gaskell's 1854 novel

Bridgerton

Available on Netflix

Bridgerton is the Netflix series that had just about the whole world talking about when it made its debut on Christmas Day in 2020. Based on the novels by Julia Quinn, the period drama follows the eight close-knit siblings of the Bridgerton family as they navigate life and love in London's high society. 

The first series focuses on Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) as she makes her debut onto London's social scene. 

MORE: The Downton Abbey children are all grown up! See the photos

If you like the extravagant costumes and glamorous stately homes featured in The Gilded Age, then you'll love Bridgerton. Get watching because season two lands on Netflix on March 25!

Season two arrives on Netflix on March 25

Emma. (2020)

Available on Netflix

Another colourful period drama which boasts puff-sleeves, lace-trimmed gowns and high necks, Autumn de Wilde's Emma is the latest adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved rom-com. 

The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the beautiful, high-spirited yet 'slightly' spoiled Emma Woodhouse who attempts to play cupid in the lives of her friends and family but greatly overestimates her matchmaking abilities. 

MORE: See the cast of Downton Abbey at the start of their careers

Josh O'Connor, Johnny Flynn, Connor Swindells and Bill Nighy also star in the glorious period piece. 

Anya Taylor-Joy plays Emma in the rom-com

The Favourite

Available on Prime Video and Disney +

If you like The Gilded Age for its balance of drama and humour, then you'll love The Favourite. The period black comedy won Olivia Colman her first Oscar for her role as the petulant Queen Anne. 

The film looks at the relationship between Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz) and her younger impoverished cousin Abigail Masham (Emma Stone) as they compete to be Court favourite of Queen Anne.

Olivia Colman won an Oscar for her performance in the film

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