15 Best Period Drama Series on Netflix in 2024

Take a step back in time by decades or even thousands of years with an entertaining drama on Netflix. There’s a period drama for everyone, but it’s all about finding the right one for you. We’ve selected the best of period dramas that Netflix currently has to offer that you should be watching.

Please note that the list of period dramas below has been taken from the US library—other regions’ availability will vary. Still, generally speaking, most of these shows should be available in most countries worldwide.

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15

Vikings Valhalla

Seasons: 2 | Episodes: 16
Binge Time: 791 Minutes / 13 Hours
Cast: David Oakes, Sam Corlett, Leo Suter, Frida Gustavsson, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson

Vikings was never known for its historical accuracy, and its sequel spin-off, Valhalla, takes even more creative liberties with history. At the very least, you’re here to see some of the drama and intense action that is believed to have unfolded during the life of the famed Viking explorer Leif Erikson. A third season and final season will arrive in July 2024!

Set 100 years after the events of Vikings, we follow the adventures of Viking explorers Leif Erikson and his sister Freydis Eriksdotter and Harald Hardrada, whose ambitions to become King will see him destined for conflict with the Norman king, William the Conquerer.

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14

Barbarians

Seasons: 2 | Episodes: 12
Binge Time: 569 Minutes / 9.5 Hours
Cast: Laurence Rupp, Jeanne Goursaud, David Schütter, Florian Schmidtke

Barbarians arrived in the middle of the Global Pandemic and were watched by millions of subscribers worldwide. Perhaps it was the long wait, but sadly, the second season didn’t perform as well. Regardless, the German original is one of the best period dramas on Netflix set during the era of the Roman Empire.

Torn between his loyalty to his people and the empire that raised him, the fate of Rome will be changed forever based on an officer’s choice in the forests of Germany.

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13

Black Sails

Seasons: 4 | Episodes: 38
Binge Time: 2,027 Minutes / 33.8 Hours
Cast: Jessica Parker Kennedy, Toby Stephens, Hannah New, Zach McGowan, Luke Arnold

It is an ambitious action-adventure drama beloved by its fanbase. However, one of the only criticisms we’ve seen from fans of Black Sails is that more wasn’t made. If this is your first time considering watching Black Sails, you need not worry; the show received a coherent ending and didn’t end abruptly.

Twenty years before the events of Treasure Island, the feared Captain Flint and his young crew fight for the survival of New Providence Island, a republic and safe haven for other pirates.

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12

The Empress

Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 6
Binge Time: 339 Minutes / 5.7 Hours
Cast: Svenja Jung, Melika Foroutan, Devrim Lingnau, Philip Froissant, Johannes Nussbaum

Thanks to the long and eventful life of Empress Elisabeth, there could be many seasons ahead of us, potentially making The Empress the potential German-language equivalent of The Crown.

At the tender age of sixteen, Elisabeth Wittlebach marries Franz Joseph, the Emporer of Austria. At odds with life in court and with her mother-in-law, Elisabeth must fight for her voice in court and become the figurehead of a struggling empire.

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11

Marco Polo

Seasons: 2 | Episodes: 20
Binge Time: 1,097 Minutes / 18 Hours
Cast: Lorenzo Richelmy, Benedict Wong, Joan Chen, Remy Hii, Zhu Zhu

One of the first and most ambitious original projects on Netflix, Marco Polo is often cited as a series subscribers would like to have seen brought back from the dead. Arguably, this was Netflix’s first attempt and answer to Game of Thrones.

Marco Polo, an Italian explorer, left his Venice home and traveled along the fabled Silk Road, eventually ending up in the Mongol Empire at the court of Kublai Khan.

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10

Call the Midwife

Seasons: 12| Episodes: 109
Binge Time: 5,774 Minutes / 96 Hours
Cast: Vanessa Redgrave, Laura Main, Jenny Agutter, Stephen McGann, Judy Parfitt

One of the longest and most beloved running period dramas on the BBC, Call the Midwife has a significant audience in the UK and is loved worldwide.

In 1957, Jenny, a 22-year-old woman, left the comfort of her home to become a midwife in London’s East End.

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9

Warrior

Seasons: 3 | Episodes: 30
Binge Time: 1,497 Minutes / 25 Hours
Cast: Andrew Koji, Olivia Cheng, Jason Tobin, Dianne Doan, Kieran Bew

A recent addition to the Netflix library, there’s hope that if Warrior proves to be popular, then Netflix could continue the series as an original. Warrior is an excellent drama filled with incredible martial arts, such as Wing Chun, the famous martial art mastered by Ip Man and Bruce Lee.

San Francisco in the late 1800s, where Chinese martial arts prodigy and immigrant Ah Sahm becomes a hatchet man for one of Chinatown’s most powerful crime families.

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8

Vikings

Seasons: 6 | Episodes: 93
Binge Time: 4058 Minutes / 67.6 Hours
Cast: Katheryn Winnick, Gustaf Skärsgard, Alexander Ludwig, Georgia Hirst, Alex Høgh Andersen

If you’re here for historical accuracy, then turn away. However, if you’re here for entertainment, look no further than Vikings. Travis Fimmel gave an incredible charismatic performance as the fabled Ragnar Lothbrok; however, his sons stole the show later in the series.

The saga of Ragnar Lothbrok and his legendary sons, who raided, pillaged, and conquered their way across the British Isles and Western Europe, kickstarting the Viking Age.

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7

Anne with an E

Seasons: 3 | Episodes: 27
Binge Runtime: 1056 Minutes / 17.6 Hours
Cast: Amybeth McNulty, Geraldine James, R.H. Thomson, Andrea Arruti, Dalila Bela

Fans labored hard to have Anne with an E renewed beyond a third season. Sadly, it wasn’t to be, but as far as fan bases go, you’ll find few as loyal as those who continue to watch Anne with an E. At the very least, if you’re new to the series 27 fantastic episodes remain on Netflix, ready to be binged.

Anne, a young orphan girl, navigates life in the late 19th century on Prince Edward Island.

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6

Godless

Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 7
Binge Time: 452 Minutes / 7.5 Hours
Cast: Jack O’Connell, Michelle Dockery, Scoot McNairy, Merritt Wever, Jeff Daniels

Great Western dramas are few and far between, but without a shadow of a doubt, Scott Frank’s Godless is one of the best. Despite its status as a miniseries, fans of Godless have been craving for more of the Western for years. Hopefully, in the near future, The Abandons, Kurt Sutter’s new Western, will fill the void that Godless has left behind.

In the 1880s American Wild West, Frank Griffin, a dangerous and murderous outlaw gang leader, is on the hunt for former protege Roy Goode. His chase leads to La Belle, New Mexico, a town inhabited almost entirely by women.

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5

Outlander

Seasons: 6 | Episodes: 75
Binge Time: 4,289 Minutes / 71.5 Hours
Cast: Caitríona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton, Richard Rankin, Duncan Lacroix

For years, the Starz drama was one of the most highly requested shows that Netflix subscribers wanted licensed. Since 2019, seasons of Outlander have periodically been added to the streaming service, and it continues to be one of the most binged period dramas on the platform.

Claire Randall, a 1945 nurse, becomes lost in time when she is mysteriously sent to 1743. There, she is forced into marrying Jamie Fraser, a handsome highland warrior, and becomes embroiled in the Jacobite rising.

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4

The Last Kingdom

Seasons: 5 | Episodes: 46
Binge Time: 2,538 Minutes / 42.3 Hours
Cast: Alexander Dreymon, Eliza Butterworth, Arnas Fedaravicius, Mark Rowley, Emily Cox

The mid-2010s saw the rise of two popular historical fiction shows, MGM’s Vikings and the BBC’s The Last Kingdom. Both were extremely popular, but what paved the way for The Last Kingdom was Netflix continuing the series as an Original after two seasons on the BBC. The series is an adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s beloved historical fiction novel The Saxon Stories. While there are many changes between the television adaptation and the books, viewers can’t help but fall in love with Uhtred and his merry band of fighters as they follow him on his journey to reclaim his ancestral home.

The son of a nobleman, Uhtred, is taken by Dane invaders and raised as one of their own. But when his adoptive father is murdered, Uhtred sets out on a quest to reclaim his birthright and ancestral home. On his journey, Uhtred treads a dangerous path between Danes and Saxons as influential leaders seek out the brave warrior to make a difference in the war for the future of a unified England.

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3

Peaky Blinders

Seasons: 6 | Episodes: 36
Binge Time: 2063 Minutes / 34.4 Hours
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson, Sophie Rundle, Helen McCrory, Finn Cole

Tommy Shelby, the man who sparked a million loyal but dangerous memes, has been one of the most fascinating anti-heroes on television over the past decade. Played by Academy-Award winner Cillian Muprhy, the story of Peaky Blinders takes place in post-World War 1 Birmingham, England, a period of history and city that arguably hasn’t been the subject of enough attention from period dramas. Peaky Blind is one of the best British crime dramas in recent history, and fans can look forward to a movie adaptation to conclude Tommy Shelby’s story.

After serving in the British Army during World War 1, Tommy Shelby and his brothers return home to Birmingham, England, where Tommy resumes control of his gang, the Peaky Blinders. To expand his new empire and ambitions beyond the streets of Birmingham, Tommy seeks to take advantage of post-war Britain.

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3

Mindhunter

Seasons: 2 | Episodes: 19
Binge Time: 1,021 Minutes / 17.1 Hours
Cast: Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, Anna Torv, Sonny Valicenti, Stacey Roca

Still highly regarded as one of the best Netflix Originals ever made, fans continue to clamor for more of Mindhunter. Sadly, a third season isn’t happening anytime soon, thanks to its “indefinite hiatus.” Despite being cut short, Mindhunter is still 100% worth your time and will blow you away.

In the hope of broadening Bureu’s approach to criminal psychology and investigations, two FBI Agents in the 1970s interview the very worst of the USA’s serial killers.

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1

Bridgerton / Queen Charlotte

Seasons: 4 | Episodes: 30
Binge Time: 1,863 Minutes / 31 Hours
Cast: Nicola Coughlan, Claudia Jessie, India Amarteifio, Adjoa Andoh, Ruth Gemmell

Shondaland’s adaptation of Julia Quinn’s beloved romance novels has taken Netflix by storm since its debut in 2020. Watched by tens of millions worldwide, the series has over a billion watch hours and over a hundred million Netflix views. With each new season following a different sibling of the Bridgerton family, we fully expect to see Netflix adapt the entirety of the Bridgerton story, not to mention some spin-offs along the way.

In the Regency Period, eight siblings of the esteemed Bridgerton family search for love and happiness among London’s high society. Meanwhile, Lady Whistledown, a curious new gossip columnist, sets high society into a frenzy. Her criticisms of London’s elite and her ability to reveal their secrets have her readers desperate for every issue, including the Queen of England.

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What is your favorite period drama on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!