Remember the good old days of sitting down with your tea and biscuits to watch Downton Abbey every week? Sadly, those days are long gone.
Fortunately for you, I’ve rounded up a few shows you can watch to try and fill the void left by our favorite British household.
Home Fires
Home Fires follows the lives of women in a rural community in Cheshire at the start of World War II. It is dramatic, emotional, and cheeky. With many of the town’s men leaving for war, the viewers get to see how the women deal with supporting the town, themselves, and their soldiers. Unfortunately, after two seasons, the show is rumored to have been dropped, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed it will return! Important side note: It has one of the most amazing intro songs I’ve never heard!
Mr. Selfridge
Mr. Selfridge tells the story of Mr. Selfridge. Shocking, right? This real-life story follows Mr. Selfridge as he opens Selfridge’s in London, which is still open today. It is set in the 1910s, and has a very similar feel to Downton Abbey with much of the drama taking place both within the Selfridge home and within Selfridge’s store. It also has the same witty character types that make you laugh one minute and bring you to tears the next minute when they suffer misfortune. With four fabulous seasons, this is a MUST watch.
Pride & Prejudice
This six-part Pride & Prejudice series recreates Jane Austen’s classic love story wonderfully. While it is set roughly a century before Downton Abbey, Downton-lovers will appreciate the refined romance, multi-layered characters, and Elizabeth Bennet’s quick wit.
Upstairs Downstairs
Upstairs Downstairs is possibly the series that most resembles Downton Abbey on my list. It follows the lives of the Hollands and their servants in the heart of London in 1936. With forbidden romances, servants dreaming of raising their ranks, and drama every episode, it will easily draw in Downton fans. It unfortunately only has two seasons, but it is a remake of a 1970s version. Perhaps you can try the original if you enjoy it!
Doctor Thorne
Doctor Thorne is a 3-part love story that follows the book of the same name, and was written and produced by Julian Fellowes (who also wrote and produced Downton Abbey!). He bookends each episode with a fireside chat discussing the characters, original author, and plot points, which I really enjoyed! Set in the 1800s, this story is short and (mostly) sweet, and will therefore be enjoyed by almost anyone.
BONUS: DOWNTON ABBEY
Okay, I’m not cheating by including this on the list, because it’s the sixth on a list of “five.” I re-watched the first five seasons before season six, and I had forgotten so many wonderful little moments and interesting storylines. Just because we won’t be getting any new episodes of Downton Abbey (tear.), doesn’t mean you should write it off forever! Start the journey over again with our dear Granthams, because can we ever really part with them? No.
Another bonus is that all of these shows are on Amazon Prime, which means they’re super easy to access! We watch Amazon Prime eligible shows on our TV with a Fire TV Stick, and we love it!
I hope these shows fill a small part of the giant void Downton Abbey left in all of our hearts. If I missed any of your favorite 1900s British dramas (surely that isn’t too narrow of a category, right??), let me know in the comments!
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