Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the period drama of the year! In one word, the Downton Abbey (2019) film is sublime. Four years after the beloved series ended in 2015, the movie is finally gracing the big screens on … Continue reading
ITV’s seven-part Vanity Fair (2018) debuted last September in the UK and in Canada (CBC). Although it wasn’t my favourite adaptation, I enjoyed spotting familiar places around South East England that I had visited. If you are interested in visiting some of … Continue reading
Fans of BBC’s Call The Midwife who wish to see 1950-60’s Poplar can join the official Call the Midwife Tour in the Historic Dockyard Chatham, the film location of the mid-Century series (and countless of other period dramas). These 90-minute walking tours around the 400-year-old Dockyard are led by guides dressed as midwives in a blue uniform and red hat. … Continue reading
This will be my last annual review of all the period dramas I watched in the previous year. Instead, I will be reviewing dramas from the current year in the Upcoming Period Drama posts. I’m not sure if these annual … Continue reading
It’s that time of year again to see the list of period dramas / historical dramas / costume dramas (with a specific time period) coming to our screens in 2019!
This list is in chronological order (alphabetical where no date is specified) by release date and will be updated as more period/costume dramas and release dates are known. These titles will eventually appear in Period Dramas – Movies and Period Dramas – TV series once I have found a more efficient way to update the pages. You may be able to preview some of the trailers in Current & Upcoming Period Drama Trailers. For historical/fantasy films, I try to add these in Costume Dramas: Fairytales/Fantasy unless there’s a specific period it covers.
You can visit Period Dramas 2018 to catch up on last year’s films. Films that I have seen are rated out of 5 stars. I will also include a one sentence review in lieu of reviewing all films in a separate post due to lack of time. I will continue to credit my readers who inform me of upcoming period dramas. Thank you very much for your help!
Last updated: 13 January 2020
1 Jan 2019 UK / 23 Nov 2018 US – The Favourite (movie) ★★★
Focuses on the politics behind the scenes of Queen Anne’s reign. Starring Olivia Colman as Queen Anne and Rachel Weisz as Sarah Churchill.
Review: Read my review in this post.
7 Jan 2019 UK – Father Brown S7 (TV series)
Ten episodes.
8 Jan 2019 US/Canada (History) – Project Blue Book (TV series) ★★★★★
Ten-part drama set in 1952-69 about UFO investigations. Renewed for S2.
Review: Definitely a must-watch for 2019!
11 Jan 2019 UK / 28 Dec 2018 US – Stan & Ollie (movie)
About comedians Laurel and Hardy.
11 Jan 2019 US / 12 Oct 2018 Lithuania – Ashes in the Snow (movie)
Based on the novel by Ruta Sepetys. Set in 1941 about an aspiring artist and her family who are deported to Siberia.
11 Jan 2019 US – Aspern Papers (movie)
Based on Henry James’ novella set in Venice in 1885. Starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson, etc.
11 Jan 2019 US / 8 Feb 2019 UK – On the Basis of Sex (movie)
Biopic on (Supreme Court Justice) Ruth Bader Ginsburg from the 1950-70’s when she fights a case on sex discrimination.
18 Jan 2019 UK / 7 Dec 2018 US / 14 and 21 Dec 2018 Canada – Mary Queen of Scots (movie) ★★★
This movie will be written by Michael Hirst (The Tudors) and stars Saoirse Ronan as Mary.
Review: The hair and jewellery really bothered me but I liked the idea of the two queens meeting in person.
19 Jan 2019 US (Lifetime) – Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story (TV movie)
25 Jan 2019 UK/Ireland/Canada/US (Netflix) / 23 Oct 2018 Italy (Rai 1) – Medici: Masters of Florence / The Magnificent (TV series) ★★★★
Eight episodes set 20 years after the end of Medici: Masters of Florence. This series focuses on Cosimo’s grandson, Lorenzo Medici. Renewed for S2 and S3.
Review: Not quite as binge-worthy this time probably because Contessina stole the first series, although she does appear in Medici: The Magnificent as an elderly grandmother. Still, worth watching for the locations.
25 Jan 2019 UK / 26 Sept 2018 France – Un peuple et son roi / One Nation, One King (movie)
The French Revolution told from the ordinary people’s point of view.
25 Jan 2019 US / 26 Oct 2017 Germany – The Invisibles (movie)
Set in Berlin during WWII about four young Jews.
29 Jan 2019 US / 25 Nov 2018 Norway (Sundance) – Sonja: The White Swan (movie)
Set in the 1930’s about world renowned Norwegian figure skater, Sonja Henie, who decides to become a movie star in Hollywood.
30 Jan 2019 India/USA – Solar Eclipse: The Depth of Darkness / The Gandhi Murder (movie)
A conspiracy theory film about the eventual assassination of Gandhi in the late 1940’s.
31 Jan 2019 Canada (Netflix) / 23 Dec 2018 UK – Channel 5’s Agatha and the Truth of Murder (TV Movie) ★★★★
An imagining of what young Agatha Christie did when she went missing for 11 days in 1926.
Review: Very creative idea which reminded me of at least one of her novels.
1 Feb 2019 UK / 21 Nov 2018 Canada / 16 Nov 2018 US – Green Book (movie)
Comedy set in the 1960’s about Don Shirley and Tony Vallelonga.
1 Feb 2019 US (Amazon Prime) / 26 Dec 2018 UK – BBC One’s The ABC Murders (TV miniseries)
3-part drama set in the 1930’s. John Malkovich portrays Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot.
15 Feb 2019 (Netflix) / 14 Sept 2018 Spain – Velvet Colección S2 (TV series)
The Christmas Special in December will be the series finale.
21 Feb 2019 Australia – Prime7’s Miss Fisher’s Modern Mysteries (TV miniseries)
Four episodes set in the 1960’s about Miss Fisher’s niece, Peregrine Fisher, who becomes a detective.
22 Feb 2019 Canada (Netflix) / 6 Jan 2019 Ireland – RTE’s Rebellion S2 / Resistance (TV series) ★★★★
Five-part sequel to Rebellion set in the late 1920’s.
Review: The series follows some characters from S1. It was a lot more exciting and it looks like there could be a S3 if renewed.
1 Mar 2019 UK / 15 Mar 2019 US – The Aftermath (movie) ★★★★★
Set in Hamburg, Germany just after WWII, about a British colonel and his wife and the German widower who lives with them. Starring Keira Knightley, Alexander Skarsgard, etc.
Review: I haven’t read the novel yet but I understand that the movie has changed the plot. It certainly brought out interesting perspectives.
1 Mar 2019 US / 5 Apr 2018 Germany – Transit (movie)
Whilst trying to flee France, Georg meets the wife of the dead author whom he is impersonating.
6 Mar 2019 Canada (CBC) / 1 Apr 2018 UK – BBC One’s Ordeal by Innocence (TV miniseries) ★★★★★
3-part (split into four parts for CBC) adaptation of Agatha Christie’s detective fiction set on Christmas Day 1954. Thank you hano!
Review: You can never go wrong with an Agatha Christie miniseries!
8 Mar 2019 Norway – Ut og stjæle hester / Out Stealing Horses (movie)
Adaptation of Per Patterson’s novel; a retiree recalls the summer of 1948 when he encounters someone from his past.
11 Mar 2019 UK – ITV 2’s Timewasters S2 (TV series)
The time-travelling jazz band travels back to 1950’s London.
11 Mar 2019 Canada (Netflix) – Eugenie Nights / Layali Eugenie (TV series)
Thirty episodes set in 1940 Port Said, Egypt about a woman who finds comfort in her abusive husband’s brother.
20 Mar 2019 France – Dernier Amour / Casanova, Last Love (movie)
Set during the 18th Century about Casanova who moves to London from Paris and falls for a young prostitute.
22 Mar 2019 Canada (Netflix) – Most Beautiful Thing (TV series)
Set in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1959 about a woman who opens a Bossa Nova club.
24 Mar 2019 UK / 14 Mar 2019 Australia / 13 Jan 2019 US/Canada (PBS) – ITV’s Victoria S3 (TV series) ★★★★
Set in 1848.
Review: In lieu of Victoria’s mother, we meet Victoria’s half-sister who is portrayed as a scheming jealous sister (not true)… we also get to see Osborne!
28 Mar 2019 US/Canada (SundanceNow) / 1 Oct 2018 Sweden – SVT’s Vår tid är nu (Our Time is Now) / The Restaurant S2 (TV series)
Set in Stockholm in the 1950’s.
29 Mar 2019 – Dumbo (movie)
Disney live-action adaptation set in the early 20th Century.
29 Mar 2019 – Netflix’s The Highwaymen (movie) ★★★★
Film about the detectives who brought down Bonnie & Clyde.
Review: I was impressed that it wasn’t as violent as I had expected.
29 Mar 2019 Canada (Netflix) / 17 Feb 2019 UK – Channel 4’s Traitors (TV series) ★★★★
Six episodes set in 1945 after WWII, an English civil servant helps the CIA spy on her own country. Might be renewed for S2.
Review: The ending was quite shocking and only confirms my belief that one can never get out of espionage once in.
31 Mar 2019 US/Canada (PBS) / 13 Jan 2019 UK – BBC One’s Call the Midwife S8 (TV series) ★★★★★
Set in 1964.
31 Mar 2019 US (PBS) / 27 Nov 2018 UK – BBC’s Mrs. Wilson (TV miniseries) ★★★★★
Three-part drama set in Britain in the 1930’s and 1940’s about Ruth Wilson’s grandmother, Alison, and grandfather, Alec Wilson.
Review: My heart went out to Alison. Can’t imagine what that was like for each of the women Alec had lied to.
2 Apr 2019 Canada / 2018 Lebanon – Netflix’s Peasants’ Rebellion (TV series)
Set in 19th Century Lebanon about the peasants’ revolution.
4 Apr 2019 US – FX’s Fosse/Verdon (TV miniseries)
Biographical miniseries about filmmaker and choreographer Bob Fosse and Broadway dancer and actress Gwen Verdon. Set in 1969-1970’s.
5 Apr 2019 UK / 14 Mar 2019 Germany – Trautmann / The Keeper (movie)
A love story about Bert Trautmann, a German PoW and Goalkeeper for Manchester City, and his first wife, Margaret Friar.
5 Apr 2019 US / 2 Nov 2018 UK – Peterloo (movie)
Set in 1819 about the Peterloo Massacre in St Peter’s Field in Manchester, England when the Cavalry attacked a peaceful protest.
12 Apr 2019 Canada (Netflix) / 11 Jan 2019 UK / 21 Sept 2018 US – Colette (movie) ★★★★
Set at the end of the 19th to early 20th Century about French novelist Colette (Keira Knightley) who had been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Review: I thought Keira did a marvellous job ‘growing’ up in her role.
12 Apr 2019 US – Wild Nights With Emily (movie)
About writer Emily Dickinson’s relationship with a woman.
12 Apr 2019 Canada / 19 Dec 2018 France – L’Empereur de Paris / The Emperor of Paris (movie)
The story of an ex-penal colony prisoner during Napoleon’s reign.
14 Apr 2019 US (PBS) / 25 Dec 2018 UK – BBC One’s Les Miserables (TV miniseries) ★★★★
A six-part non-musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel. Thank you, Maria!
Review: Not my favourite adaptation but quite good. I thought Lily was superb as Fantine.
19 Apr 2019 Canada (Netflix) / 20 Aug 2018 Denmark – Lykke-Per / A Fortunate Man (movie)
An adaptation of Henrik Pontoppidan’s novel of the same name. Set in Denmark in the late 19th Century about a young engineer who abandons his faith to pursue his career…
19 Apr 2019 US / 17 Jan 2019 Australia – Storm Boy (movie) ★★★★★
Based on Colin Thiele’s novel of the same name set in the 1950’s about a young boy who adopts three pelican chicks.
Review: Absolutely moving. I never thought I’d be crying buckets at the end.
20 Apr 2019 US (Ovation TV) / 14 Jan 2019 UK (Alibi) / 24 Sept 2018 Canada – CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries S12 (TV series) ★★★★★
Renewed for S13.
Review: You can never go wrong with MM!
3 May 2019 UK / 10 May 2019 US – Tolkien (movie) ★★★★★
Biographical drama about J. R. R. Tolkien (Nicholas Hoult) in his early days. Lily Collins stars as Edith Bratt, his wife.
Review: I liked how they integrated LOTR in the film.
3 May 2019 US – Bolden (movie)
Set in New Orleans in the early 1900’s about Buddy Bolden, the inventor of jazz.
3 May 2019 Canada / 19 Apr 2019 UK – Red Joan (movie)
Judi Dench stars as Joan Stanley, the KGB’s longest-serving British spy. Thank you, MonsieurA!
5 May 2019 US / 24 Feb 2019 US – Hallmark’s When Calls The Heart S6 (TV series)
10 x 1-hour episodes. Episode 4 returns on 5 May for a special two-night event. Renewed for S7.
5 May 2019 UK/US – Starz’s The Spanish Princess S1 (TV Series) ★★★★
Eight-part drama based on Philippa Gregory’s The Constant Princess and The King’s Curse about young Catherine of Aragon in England. Thank you, @hisdoryan! Renewed for S2.
Review: I thought it was interesting that they found actors who looked like the older versions of the cast from ‘The White Princess’. Also very interesting that the young Catherine meets a very young Anne Boleyn. Unfortunately, I didn’t finish reading the novel before watching this series so I don’t understand why this series needed another eight episodes to conclude the story. Still looking forward to S2.
6 May 2019 UK – CBBC’s Hetty Feather S5 (TV series)
10 episodes. Possibly renewed for S6.
10 May 2019 UK / 14 Sept 2018 US – Where Hands Touch (movie)
Set in Germany 1944 about a mixed-race Black German young woman who falls in love with someone from the Hitler Youth.
10 May 2019 Canada / 26 Apr 2019 US / 22 Mar 2019 UK – The White Crow (movie) ★★★★★
Set in 1961 when ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev defected to the West.
Review: A must-watch if you love ballet!
10 May 2019 US / 8 Feb 2019 UK – All Is True (movie)
The last days of William Shakespeare.
10 May 2019 US (online) – The Professor and the Madman (movie)
Adaptation of the novel, The Surgeon of Crowthorne, about Professor James Murray who begins compiling the Oxford English Dictionary in 1857 and receives over 10,000 entries from Dr William Minor, who is being treated at an insane asylum.
15 May 2019 US – The Third Wife (movie)
Set in 19th Century Vietnam.
19 May 2019 UK (BBC One) / 22 Apr 2019 US (HBO) – Gentleman Jack S1 (TV series) ★★★★
Eight part drama set in West Yorkshire in 1832 about lesbian landowner Anne Lister who seeks a wife. Based on her 4 million word coded diary. Renewed for S2.
Review: The series seemed to drag on at times but I found it very interesting and the minor characters were also quite amusing.
21 May 2019 UK – BBC Two’s Summer of Rockets (TV Series)
Six-part drama set in the UK during the Cold War in 1958.
22 May 2019 UK / 31 May 2019 US/Canada – Rocketman (movie)
A musical biopic about Elton John from the 1950s to 1970s. Thank you, Jez!
24 May 2019 – Netflix’s High Seas S1 / Alta Mar (TV series) ★★★★★
Eight-part drama set in the 1940’s about two sisters on a luxury ship from Spain to Brazil who discover dark family secrets after a series of deaths on the ship. Renewed for S2.
Review: The opening is reminiscent of Titanic, but set in the 1940’s. One of the sisters was Ofelia in Pan’s Labyrinth (Ivana Baquero) and their uncle was Emilio in Velvet (Jose Sacristan). This murder mysteries series keeps you guessing until the end. Looking forward to S2!
31 May 2019 UK / 22 Mar 2019 US / 27 Sept 2018 Hungary – Napszállta / Sunset (movie)
An aspiring young miller endeavours to work at a hat store in Budapest that once belonged to her late parents but is rejected by the current owner.
31 May 2019 US – HBO’s Deadwood (TV movie)
Western film set in Deadwood, South Dakota 10 years after the end of S3 (c. 1887) in the TV series (2004-2006).
4 Jun 2019 US (online) – The Lumber Baron (movie)
Set at the beginning of the 20th Century about a man who returns to Wisconsin to save his family’s lumber business and to find out who murdered his father.
10 Jun 2019 UK – Channel 4’s The Year of the Rabbit (TV series)
Comedy with six 30-min episodes set in Victorian London about Detective Inspector Rabbit, his partner, and his adopted daughter (and England’s first female police officer).
15 Jun 2019 US (Ovation) / 23 Jan 2018 UK (Alibi) / 6 Nov 2017 Canada – CBC’s Frankie Drake Mysteries S1 (TV Series) ★★★★
11 episodes set in Toronto in 1921 about female detective Frankie Drake.
14 Jun 2019 US/Canada (Netflix) / 12 Feb 2019 Germany – Das Erste’s Charité at War / Charité S2 (TV series)
Six part drama set during 1943-45 about the Charité hospital in Berlin.
16 Jun 2019 US/Canada (PBS) / 10 Feb 2019 UK – ITV’s Endeavour S6 (TV series) ★★★★
Set in 1969. Renewed for S7.
Review: I was worried one of the main characters would die but the finale was perfect and now I can’t wait for S7.
16 Jun 2019 US (PBS) / 26 Apr 2019 UK (Sky One) – Jamestown S3 (TV series)
Series finale.
20 Jun 2019 UK (Channel 4) / 17 May 2019 US – Hulu’s Catch-22 (TV series)
Six-part dark comedy series adapted from Joseph Heller’s novel set in WWII.
20 Jun 2019 Russia / 29 Jan 2020 US – Dylda / Beanpole (movie)
Set in Leningrad in 1945 about two female friends who have been reunited and search for hope after traumatic experiences.
21 Jun 2019 – Netflix’s Bolivar (TV series)
60 episodes on the life of General Simon Bolivar.
2 Jul 2019 UK (History UK) / 25 Mar 2019 US/Canada – History’s Knightfall S2 (TV Series) ★★★★
Review: As expected, there were more gruesome torture scenes in S2. I found some parts quite moving and inspiring faith-wise. The ending seemed ambiguous. Either that’s the series finale or there’s a possibility of S3 if History doesn’t axe the series.
2 Jul 2019 (online) / 28 Jun 2019 US – Ophelia (movie)
Based on Lisa Klein’s novel of the same name, a spinoff of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Daisy Ridley has been cast as Ophelia and Naomi Watts as Queen Gertrude.
3 Jul 2019 – Netflix’s The Last Czars (TV Series / Documentary) ★★★★
A six-part dramatised documentary on Nicholas II and his family and the fall of the Romanov dynasty.
Review: I was hooked but think there were too many unnecessary nudity/sex scenes.
4 Jul 2019 Germany – Traumfabrik (movie)
Romantic comedy set in Berlin in 1961 about a young German man who tries to reunite with a French woman after they’ve been separated by the construction of the Berlin Wall.
5 Jul 2019 Canada (Quebec) / 16 Jan 2019 France – L’incroyable histoire du facteur Cheval / Ideal Palace (movie)
Based on a true story. Set at the end of the 19th Century about a French postman named Cheval who spends 33 years building Le Palais idéal.
7 Jul 2019 Canada (CBC) – Hallmark’s When Calls The Heart S5 (TV series)
10 Jul 2019 US (Hulu) / 11 Jul 2019 UK (StarzPlay) – Harlots S3 (TV series) ★★★
Series finale with eight episodes.
Review: S1&2 were far more interesting, especially with Jessica Brown Findlay’s character around. At least S3 had a ‘happy’ ending.
14 Jul 2019 US/Canada (PBS) / 11 Jan 2019 UK – ITV’s Grantchester S4 (TV series) ★★★
Last time James Norton will portray Vicar Sidney Chambers. Tom Brittney will join as Reverend Will Davenport. Renewed for S5.
Review: Having just started watching this series, I have to say these vicars were very different from what I’d expected.
27 Jul 2019 US (Ovation TV) / 22 Jan 2019 UK (Alibi) / 24 Sept 2018 Canada – CBC’s Frankie Drake Mysteries S2 (TV Series) ★★
11 episodes set in Toronto in 1921 about female detective Frankie Drake. Renewed for S3.
Review: I lost interest because I felt Frankie Drake didn’t fit in the 1920’s (her hairstyle).
28 Jul 2019 US – Epix’s Pennyworth S2 (TV series)
Set in 1950s-60s about Alfred Pennyworth, who ends up working for Bruce Wayne’s father. Renewed for S2 which will begin filming in 2020.
29 Jul 2019 Canada (Netflix) / 15 Mar 2019 US/Canada / 7 Sept 2018 UK – Hurricane / Mission of Honor (movie) ★★★★
Set during WWII about the Polish RAF Squadron 303 who fought in the Battle of Britain.
9 Aug 2019 Worldwide (Netflix) – Las Chicas del Cable S4 / Cable Girls (TV series)
Renewed for S5.
12 Aug 2019 US – AMC’s The Terror S2: Infamy (TV Series)
Set in a Japanese-American internment camp during WWII. George Takei will be a series regular and consultant.
14 Aug 2019 UK / 26 Jul 2019 US – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (movie)
Set in LA in 1969 about a TV actor and his stunt double striving for fame and success.
16 Aug 2019 US – The Second Sun (movie)
Inspired by a true story. Set in Manhattan 1953 about a young couple who reveal secrets about their past.
23 Aug 2019 US / 2 Jul 2019 Canada / 5 Jul 2019 UK – Vita & Virginia (movie)
Film adaptation of Vita and Virginia, Eileen Atkins’s fictional account of the friendship and affair of writers Virginia Woolf (Elizabeth Debicki) and Vita Sackville-West (Gemma Arterton).
25 Aug 2019 UK / 12 Jan 2020 @ 9pm US/Canada (PBS) – ITV’s Sanditon (TV series) Eight-part adaption of an unfinished novel by Jane Austen.
29 Aug 2019 UK/Canada / 16 May 2019 Brazil – Netflix’s Kardec (TV movie)
Brazilian film about French professor Allan Kardec, the founder of Spiritism. Set in 19th Century France.
30 Aug 2019 US (Hallmark Movies Now) – Hallmark’s When Hope Calls (TV series)
A spin-off of When Calls The Heart featuring a new town with new characters.
6 Sept 2019 Mexico – Sonora / Devil’s Highway (movie)
Set in Mexico in 1931 about a group of people who are forced to go through Mexicali.
8 Sept 2019 Canada (Netflix) / 26 April 2019 (ITV) / 14 Sept 2018 Canada (City TV) / 26 July 2018 US (BritBox) – The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco (TV mini series) ★★★★
First aired in the UK on 25 July 2018 on ITV. A spin-off of the original series with four stories told in two episodes. Set in 1956, Millie and Jean travel to SF to join two US code-breakers in solving some murder cases. Filmed in Vancouver, Canada.
Review: Not as good as the original series but interesting to see the two sides working together.
11 Sept 2019 Canada (TIFF) – Lyrebird (movie)
Based on a true story. Set just after the war in the Netherlands about a soldier who investigates Dutch artist Han van Meegeren.
11 Sept 2019 France – Jeanne / Joan of Arc (movie)
Biographical movie about Joan of Arc.
Review: I didn’t watch this but my friend tells me it was not worth it as there was electro music and lip-synching in this ‘period drama’.
12 Sept 2019 Germany – Liberté (movie)
Set in 1774 about two libertine aristocrats expelled from Louis XVI’s court who seek support from the Duke of Walchen to bring libertinage to Germany.
13 Sept 2019 UK / 20 Sept 2019 US – Downton Abbey (movie) ★★★★★
Set in 1927 about the Royal Visit to Downton.
Review: Read my review here.
16 Sept 2019 Canada – CBC’s Frankie Drake Mysteries S3 (TV Series)
Ten episodes.
16 Sept 2019 Canada / 6 Jan 2020 @ 8pm – CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries S13 (TV series) ★★★★★
Continuation with 9/18 episodes.
22 Sept 2019 Canada / 3 Jan 2020 Netflix – CBC’s Anne S3 (TV Series)
Series finale with ten episodes.
25 Jun 2019 US – Cinemax’s Warrior S1 (TV Series) Just added
Set in the late 1870s about a martial arts prodigy from China who ends up in San Francisco’s Chinatown in search for his sister but ends up being sold to a powerful tong. Renewed for S2.
26 Sept 2019 Kuwait / Saudi Arabia – Born a King (movie)
Based on the true story of teenage Prince Faisal who is sent to London on a diplomatic mission by his father in 1919.
27 Sept 2019 Spain – Mientras Dure La Guerra / While At War (movie)
Set in Salamanca, Spain, in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War.
29 Sept 2019 UK / 5 Apr 2020 US/Canada (PBS) – BBC One’s World on Fire S1 (TV series)
Seven part WWII drama about the ordinary people from different countries whose lives are being affected by the war. Renewed for S2.
29 Sept 2019 US/Canada (PBS) / 7 April 2019 UK – ITV’s The Durrells S4 (TV series) ★★★★★
The series finale.
Review: I will miss laughing with the Durrells and admiring the scenery in Corfu. I thought there could have been more episodes in the series finale.
29 Sept 2019 US/Canada (PBS) / 14 July 2019 UK – BBC One’s Poldark S5 (TV Series) ★★★★★
Series finale set in 1810. Possible movie if approved.
Review: I’m sad that this is the end of one of my favourite series so I do hope there will be a movie. The final episode gave us the happy endings we wanted, including a reunion of the original and new Ross Poldark actors. 🙂
2 Oct 2019 Italy – Io, Leonardo / I, Leonardo (movie)
Italian movie about Leonardo Da Vinci.
2 Oct 2019 UK / 27 Sept 2019 US – Judy (movie)
Set in Winter 1968 about Judy Garland’s last concerts in London. Starring Renee Zellweger.
3 Oct 2019 UK (Sky Atlantic) / 21 Oct 2019 US (HBO) / Canada (Crave) – Catherine the Great (TV mini series) ★★★★
Four-part series on Catherine the Great (Helen Mirren) and the Hermitage. Thank you, hisdoryan!
4 Oct 2019 Worldwide (Netflix) / 25 Aug 2019 UK – BBC One’s Peaky Blinders S5 (TV Series) ★★★★★
Set in 1929.
Review: Far more exciting than S4 and, in many ways, quite relevant today! It was also nice to see Grace again throughout the series. Hoping S6 comes out soon!
11 Oct 2019 UK (BBC Two) / 23 May 2019 US (SundanceTV) / 4 Mar 2019 Italy (Rai 1) – The Name of the Rose (TV series)
A remake of Umberto Eco’s novel of the same name. Crime series set in a monastery in Italy in 1327.
18 Oct 2019 US / 31 Jan 2020 UK – The Lighthouse (movie) ★
Horror film set on a remote island in New England in the 1890’s about two lighthouse keepers.
Review: Too frightened to watch the entire film but the cinematography was very good from what I did see.
18 Oct 2019 US / 8 Feb 2019 Canada (Quebec) / 9 Jan 2019 France – Edmond / Cyrano, My Love (movie)
The story of the author who wrote the play ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ in Paris in December 1897.
21 Oct 2019 Russia – Russia-1’s Ekaterina / Catherine S3 (TV Series)
12 episodes about Catherine the Great.
25 Oct 2019 US / 26 Jul 2019 UK – The Current War (movie)
About Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon). Also starring Tuppence Middleton, Tom Holland, Matthew Macfadyen.
28 Oct 2019 Sweden – SVT’s Vår tid är nu (Our Time is Now) / The Restaurant S3 (TV series)
Set in Stockholm in the 1968. Renewed for S4.
1 Nov 2019 UK/Canada/US – Netflix’s The King (TV movie) ★★★★
Adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry IV Pt 1 & 2, and Henry V.
Review: No iambic pentametres in this movie but we do get to hear Timothee and Lily-Rose speak French. I think this could have been a TV mini series as the ending was rather rushed.
1 Nov 2019 US / 22 Nov 2019 UK – Harriet (movie) ★★★★★
About Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and how she saved dozens of enslaved through the Underground Railroad.
Review: This is a must-see historical drama. This inspirational movie follows Harriet from enslavement to miraculous escape to freedom, to becoming a rescuer and leader. British actress Cynthia Erivo is phenomenal as Harriet and sings beautifully!
1 Nov 2019 US (cinema – limited release) / 8 Nov 2019 UK (cinema) / 27 Nov 2019 (Netflix) – Netflix’s The Irishman (TV movie)
Based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses about Frank Sheeran recalling his involvement in the murder of Jimmy Hoffa.
1 Nov 2019 – Apple TV+’s Dickinson S1 (TV series)
Ten-part anachronistic drama on writer Emily Dickinson (Hailee Steinfeld). Renewed for S2.
4 Nov 2019 UK / 6 Dec 2019 US / 20 Dec 2019 Worldwide (Amazon Prime) – The Aeronauts (movie)
Inspired by the world record hot air balloon flight on 5 Sept 1862 in London. Two aeronauts try to survive as they make discoveries during their flight. Starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.
8 Nov 2019 US / 3 Jan 2020 UK / 25 Oct 2019 Canada – Jojo Rabbit (movie)
A dark comedy loosely based on Christine Leunen’s novel Caging Skies. A young Hitler’s Youth boy find out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl.
8 Nov 2019 Canada/US/UK – Midway (movie)
About the Battle of Midway.
12 Nov 2019 UK/Canada/US/Australia (online) – Disney+’s Lady and the Tramp (TV movie)
Live-action remake of the 1955 animation set in 1909.
13 Nov 2019 France – J’accuse / An Officer and a Spy (movie)
Set in 1894 about French Captain Alfred Dreyfus who is falsely accused of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island in French Guiana.
15 Nov 2019 Spain – La Peste / The Plague S2 (TV Series)
15 Nov 2019 – Amazon’s Man in the High Castle S4 (TV Series)
Series finale with 10 episodes.
17 Nov 2019 Worldwide – Netflix’s The Crown S3 (TV Series) ★★★★★
S3 takes place between 1964 to 1977. Olivia Coleman replaces Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II and Helena Bonham-Carter is replacing Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret. Renewed for S4.
Review: I enjoyed the entire series, especially episodes E3-6. On another note, the fashion from the period is not my favourite.
17 Nov 2019 UK – BBC One’s The War of the Worlds (TV Mini Series)
Three-part adaptation of H.G. Wells’ book of the same name set in the Edwardian era.
18 Nov 2019 UK – BBC Two’s Vienna Blood (TV mini series)
Three-part series based on the Liebermann crime novels set in Vienna in the 1900’s.
21 Nov 2019 – Netflix’s The Knight Before Christmas (TV movie) ★★★★
A time-travelling romantic comedy about a Medieval knight (Poldark’s ‘Hugh Armitage’) who finds love in the 21st Century. Most likely to be renewed for S2.
22 Nov 2019 UK – Judy & Punch (movie)
Australian film set in a town called Seaside during the 16th Century about puppeteers Judy and Punch.
22 Nov 2019 Canada/US – Netflix’s High Seas S2 / Alta Mar S2 (TV series) ★★★★
Renewed for S3 and S4.
Review: S2 was a lot scarier than S1 as it involved paranormal activity. The mystery is finally solved but as Eva points out, another trip awaits them.
23 Nov 2019 Netflix Canada / 23 Nov 2018 – Discovery Canada’s Frontier S3 (TV Series) ★★★
Series finale with six episodes.
Review: Things may have ended well in Canada but the final episode in Scotland left me asking many questions.
24 Nov 2019 US/Canada (PBS) / 29 Mar 2019 US – The Chaperone (movie) ★★★★
Set in the early 1920’s about a Kansas woman (Elizabeth McGovern) whose life changes when she chaperones Louise Brooks on her journey to New York City.
Review: I loved Elizabeth McGovern’s character!
28 Nov 2019 Germany / 8 Sept 2018 Canada (TIFF) – Angelo (movie)
Based on the life of Angelo Soliman, an enslaved African who was adopted by a European comtesse and educated.
29 Nov 2019 UK / 2 Aug 2019 US – The Nightingale (movie)
Set in Tasmania in 1825 about a young Irish convict, Clare, and an Aboriginal tracker, Billy, who chase a British officer to avenge her family.
29 Nov 2019 Canada – Stand! (movie)
Canadian Romeo and Juliet musical based on Danny Schur’s musical Strike. A Ukrainian immigrant falls in love with a Jewish suffragette and must fight for love and a better life during the Winnipeg General Strike (15 May 1919).
2-11 Dec 2019 Italy (Rai 1) / 2020 Worldwide (Netflix) – Medici: Masters of Florence S3 / Medici: The Magnificent S2 (TV series)
Eight episodes continuing from where S2 left off.
4 Dec 2019 (History & Amazon Prime) – History’s Vikings S6 (TV Series)
Possible series finale with 20 episodes. Second half will air later in 2020.
6 Dec 2019 – Amazon Prime’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel S3 (TV Series) ★★★★★
Comedy about 1950’s housewife turned stand-up comedian. Pending renewal for S4-S5.
Review: There were many moments when I burst out laughing, which was just what I needed. Absolutely gorgeous costumes too.
6 Dec 2019 UK / 1 Nov 2019 Canada/US – Motherless Brooklyn (movie)
Set in NY in the 1950’s about a detective with Tourette’s syndrome. Starring Edward Norton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, etc.
6 Dec 2019 US – The Islands (movie)
Based on the true story of Chiefess Kapiolani of Hawaii who descended into a volcano as a demonstration of her faith and survived in 1824.
6 Dec 2019 US / 28 Feb 2020 UK / 18 Sept 2019 France – Portrait de la jeune fille en feu / Portrait of a Lady on Fire (movie)
Set on an island in Brittany at the end of the 18th Century about a female painter who paints a wedding portrait of a young woman.
13 Dec 2019 US / 17 Jan 2020 UK – A Hidden Life (movie)
Set during WWII about an Austrian conscientious objector who refuses to fight for the Nazis.
13 Dec 2019 US – Mob Town (movie)
Set in NY in 1957 about a meeting between the mafia heads.
15 Dec 2019 UK – Channel 5’s Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar (TV movie) Just added
Agatha uncovers a series of murders whilst on an archaeological dig in Iraq.
19 Dec 2019 US (FX) / 22 Dec 2019 UK @ 9pm – BBC One’s A Christmas Carol (TV Series)
A three-part hour-long darker adaptation of Dickens’ novel starring Guy Pearce as Ebeneezer Scrooge and Andy Serkis as the Ghost of Christmas Past.
20 Dec 2019 Spain (Netflix) – Velvet Colección S3 Christmas Special (TV series)
Series finale.
20 Dec 2019 US / 31 Oct 2019 Brazil – A Vida Invisivel / The Invisible Life [of Euridice Gusmao] (movie)
Set in 1950s Rio de Janeiro about two sisters.
20 Dec 2019 (Netflix) – Disney’s Togo (TV series)
The inspiring story of a Siberian Husky named Togo (1913-1929) that led the 1925 serum run to Nome in spite of the fact that he was deemed too small and weak.
20 Dec 2019 Canada (Toronto) / 1 Nov 2018 Germany – Der Trafikant / The Tobacconist (movie)
Adaptation of Robert Seethaler’s novel about a young man’s friendship with Sigmund Freund in Nazi-occupied Vienna.
24 Dec 2019 UK @ 10pm – BBC Four’s Martin’s Close (TV short)
A 30-minute Christmas ghost story based on M.R. James’ story.
25 Dec 2019 Sweden – SVT’s Vår tid är nu (Our Time is Now) / The Restaurant S4 (TV series)
Episode 1 is a Christmas special set in Stockholm in the summer of 1951. The series continues in 2020.
25 Dec 2019 US – Hallmark’s When Calls The Heart Christmas (TV series)
25 Dec 2019 @ 7pm UK / @9/8c pm Canada/US (Masterpiece) – BBC One’s Call the Midwife S8: Christmas Special (TV series) ★★★★★
Set in the Outer Hebrides in 1965.
25 Dec 2019 US / 10 Jan 2020 UK/Canada – 1917 (movie)
Set during WWI.
25 Dec 2019 US – The Song of Names (movie) ★★★★★
A judge of a musical competition searches for his childhood best friend, an orphaned Polish violin prodigy, who disappeared decades earlier in the early 1950’s.
Review: Very moving with beautiful violin music.
25 Dec 2019 Canada/US / 26 Dec 2019 UK – Little Women (movie)
Another adaptation of ‘Little Women’ with Saoirse Ronan as Jo March, Emma Watson as Meg March, and Florence Pugh as Amy March.
26 Dec 2019 Canada (Netflix) / 18 Nov 2019 France – TF1’s Le Bazar de la Charite / The Bonfire of Destiny (TV series) ★★★★★
Based on actual events. Eight episodes set in Paris in 1897 about the fire at Bazaar of Charity in which more than 120 died, most of whom were women. Could be renewed for S2.
Review: By far one of the best series I’ve watched. Very intensive and very relevant.
29 Dec 2019 @ 9pm UK – BBC One’s The Trial of Christine Keeler (TV series)
Six episodes about the Profumo affair in the early 1960’s involving model Christine Keeler and John Profumo, the Secretary of the State for War. Date credit to: UK Christmas TV.
31 Dec 2019 – Netflix’s Yanxi Palace: Princess Adventure (TV series)
A spinoff to ‘Story of Yanxi Palace‘ TV series (2018) set in the 18th Century.
For next year’s period dramas, please check Upcoming Period Dramas 2020 – Future.
The Lady and the Rose 