5 Netflix period dramas to binge while Bridgerton is on hiatus

The wait between seasons of Bridgerton is never easy. Once you've rewatched every stolen glance, first kiss, and ball on repeat, the drought for high-society drama hits hard. Bridgerton has charmed many fans with its angsty couples, sizzling chemistry, and fierce females in the Regency era.

If you're missing headstrong heroines who refuse to play by the rules, high-stakes marriage markets, and glittering coming-out balls, Netflix features several escapist period pieces to hold you over. Here are five period dramas and films currently streaming on Netflix that capture Bridgerton's unmistakable spirit and vibe.

1. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023)

The Vibe: The essential Bridgerton origin story.

If you haven't pressed play on this limited series yet, or just need an excuse to rewatch, Queen Charlotte is the obvious first stop. The prequel uses dual timelines, focusing on a fierce young Charlotte (India Amarteifio) being shipped off to England to marry King George III (Corey Mylchreest) in 1761 and an older Charlotte, Violet Bridgerton, and Lady Danbury in 1817.

While Queen Charlotte is essential in the Bridgerton verse, it's also more emotional at times, as the marriage came first. Love came second, and watching Charlotte and George fall for each other is extremely moving. Besides that, you'll enjoy Lady Danbury's (Arsema Thomas) rise as a power player in the Ton, dazzling royal balls, and the birth of the marriage mart traditions that define Bridgerton.

2. The Lady's Companion (2025)

The Vibe: Bridgerton's pastel-drenched marriage market transported to 1880s Madrid.

The Spanish series, The Lady's Companion, is like Bridgerton meets Jane the Virgin with a dash of fourth-wall-breaking charm. The Lady's Companion feels most like Bridgerton, since both share elaborate gowns, a pastel color palette, marriage-market scheming, and playful self-awareness.

It follows Elena Biana, a working-class chaperone, who's hired to guide three wealthy sisters through society's marriage market and secure them respectable husbands. Nothing goes to plan between disastrous dates, the sisters' demands, and Elena's own sparks with the family's godson. Every event features entertaining secrets and scandals.

3. The Cook of Castamar (2021)

The Vibe: Scratches the "itch" for those missing Benedict and Sophie.

If Benedict and Sophie were your favorite Bridgerton couple, then The Cook of Castamar is perfect for viewers who enjoyed their "Cinderella" dynamic. The series explores a strictly forbidden cross-class romance and focuses on Clara Belmonte, a highly educated woman who takes refuge from personal tragedy by working in the kitchens of a grand estate. Just like Benedict, the Duke of Castamar is pressured by his high-society family to marry an aristocratic woman, but he's charmed by the new maid with agoraphobia.

While the series still features masquerade balls, the duke and Clara connect through Clara's aromatic cooking as they both heal. Bridgerton fans who loved the intense slow-burn tension of a wealthy gentleman falling helplessly in love with a woman of service will find that this Spanish drama delivers that same emotional payoff alongside intimate kitchens, palace balls, vindictive upper-class scheming, and raw romantic chemistry.

4. My Brilliant Career (2026)

The Vibe: Bridgerton meets Little Women in turn-of-the-century Australia.

Set in 1900s Australia, showrunner Liz Doran delivers a feminist reimagining of My Brilliant Career, and it feels like Little Women and Bridgerton had a baby. It follows Sybylla Melvyn, an aspiring author who echoes Jo March's rejection of gender roles and deep longing for creative freedom. Despite that, Sybylla is sent to her wealthy grandmother's estate to be polished and presented to proper suitors. The grooming and ball scenes feel like pure Bridgerton.

Sybylla longs to use her pen to carve out an independent life, just like Penelope. Still, she soon discovers that marrying a wealthy suitor is the only currency she has to save her impoverished family from financial ruin. Like Bridgerton, the 2026 adaptation pumps up the heat and style, using contemporary pop covers, dazzling high-society dances, and a steamy, chemistry-filled courtship with the wealthy Harry Beecham. For the first time, Sybylla must choose between romance and her creative dreams.

5. The Empress (2022–Present)

The Vibe: Opulent royal court intrigue and sweeping passion.

If your favorite part of the Bridgerton universe is the intense, politically charged romance of Queen Charlotte, it's time to watch this German drama. The Empress chronicles the early reign of the famously rebellious Elisabeth "Sisi" von Wittelsbach, a fierce, free-spirited young woman who refuses to be tamed by imperial expectations. Much like young Charlotte entering the rigid British monarchy, Sisi is thrown into the rigid Viennese court after falling head over heels for Emperor Franz Joseph. It's even worse because the emperor was betrothed to her older, more proper sister, and he broke that off when he laid eyes on her.

The romantic chemistry between the two leads sizzles, but a stifling, traditionalist family, led by a calculating mother-in-law who rivals the Dowager Princess August, and a rigid court, wanting to see the young empress fail, constantly test it. This series scratches the itch for those wanting opulent palace balls, stunning historical fashion, and a deeply emotional love story wrapped in dangerous royal intrigue.

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