Guides · Shows

British Period Dramas

Corsets, wartime villages, and drawing rooms on the edge of change — five beloved British period dramas, and where to stream each one in the US.

Jump to Call the Midwife Poldark Victoria Home Fires Little Women FAQ

Streaming availability may change — check BritBox, Acorn TV, or PBS Passport for current availability.

Call the Midwife

BBC/PBS · PBS Masterpiece

Based on Jennifer Worth's memoirs, this warm, big-hearted drama follows nurse-midwives and nuns serving London's East End from the late 1950s onward. Few shows balance comfort and emotional weight so beautifully.

At a Glance

Watch on PBS → Buy the Series →

Poldark

BBC/PBS · PBS Masterpiece

Aidan Turner stars as Captain Ross Poldark, who returns from war to 18th-century Cornwall to find his estate in ruins and his beloved about to marry his cousin — a sweeping saga of romance, class, and rebellion.

At a Glance

Watch on PBS → Buy the Series →

Victoria

ITV/PBS · PBS Masterpiece

Jenna Coleman stars as the young Queen Victoria, crowned at eighteen and navigating the scandal, corruption, and political intrigue of the royal court, with Rufus Sewell and Tom Hughes as the men in her life.

At a Glance

Watch on PBS → Buy the Series →

Home Fires

ITV/PBS · PBS Masterpiece

On the WWII home front, the women of a rural English village band together through the Women's Institute to keep the nation's fabric intact, with Samantha Bond and Francesca Annis leading as headstrong rivals.

At a Glance

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Little Women

BBC/PBS · PBS Masterpiece

This lovingly mounted three-part adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic follows the March sisters from girlhood to adulthood while their father is away at war, with Maya Hawke, Emily Watson, and Angela Lansbury.

At a Glance

Watch on PBS → Buy the Series →

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What Readers Ask Most

What are the best British period dramas?

Call the Midwife and Poldark are among the most beloved. Victoria is a strong pick for royal court intrigue, and Little Women is a lovingly mounted literary adaptation.

What time periods do these shows cover?

Poldark is set in 18th-century Cornwall, Victoria covers the young queen's reign starting in the 1830s, Home Fires is set during WWII, and Call the Midwife begins in the late 1950s.