15 Best TV Shows Like Downton Abbey

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For viewers whose tastes run more to Masterpiece Classic than "Real Housewives" (no judgment), "Downton Abbey" is pretty much the ultimate comfort watch. Julian Fellowes' historical drama follows the aristocratic Crawleys from the day after the sinking of the Titanic into the Roaring Twenties, showcasing all the social changes experienced by the family, as well as their extensive staff downstairs. Their high-class problems provide the basis for many of the show's episodes, offering a lens to view the historical period peppered with deliciously aristocratic drama. 

"Downton Abbey" ran for six seasons on ITV and PBS, earning 16 Emmy Awards and dozens more nominations. The show was such a success that it earned two feature film sequels — "Downton Abbey" and the vibrant and emotional "Downton Abbey: A New Era" — with a third, "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale," slated for release in September 2025. But if you're looking for something to fill that Grantham-sized hole in your heart in the meantime, we've got just the ticket.

Here are the 15 best shows like "Downton Abbey."

If you liked Jessica Brown Findlay as Sibyl, far and away the most likeable Crawley daughter on "Downton Abbey," you'll appreciate seeing a totally different side of her on "Harlots." She plays Charlotte Wells, a courtesan raised in an 18th-century London brothel by her mother Margaret (Samantha Morton), herself a former sex worker. Over the course of the show's three seasons, we see Margaret's efforts to get her troupe of prostitutes into digs that will attract a higher class of clientele. But in doing some, it throws them into conflict with not just the moralistic religious leaders of London, but rival brothels as well. 

"Harlots" ran for three seasons on Hulu, benefitting enormously from a cast of heavy hitters that included not just Jessica Brown Findlay and Samantha Morton, but the always exceptional Lesley Manville. Although it has a period setting, "Harlots" isn't afraid of embracing a little camp and has fun as it pushes boundaries and subverts what we expect from stories set in 1700s England.

For a lot of people, the image of Queen Victoria is inextricably intertwined with the idea of monarchy itself, a severe, dowdy ruler who is most definitely not amused. But once upon a time, she was just a girl, barely 19 years old when she inherited the throne from her uncle and became queen. "Victoria" takes a look at this point in her very long life, when she was struggling to learn the ropes and turn herself into a monarch that the English people would respect. 

Jenna Coleman plays the larger-than-life figure (despite Victoria herself being under five feet tall) with a combination of naivety, intelligence, and empathy. There's no getting around the fact that she's been sheltered all her life and not particularly well-trained for the role ahead of her, but she tackles it nonetheless with everything she has. "Victoria" ran for three seasons on ITV (and PBS in the United States), giving us a glimpse into the trials and tribulations of a young royal trying to find her way in the world.

If you haven't at least heard of "Bridgerton" by this point, the rock you're living under must not have wifi. The Netflix series set in Regency-era London may be steamier than "Downton Abbey" (Lady Mary and Kamal Pamuk have absolutely nothing on the couples in "Bridgerton"), but it's got all the historical melodrama that fans of the Fellowes series will enjoy. It follows the romantic exploits of the illustrious Bridgerton family as each of the eight siblings eventually makes their debut on the marriage market (well, we've only gotten three so far, but the rest will follow in good time). 

It may not be particularly historically accurate, but it brings a certain panache and flashes of modernity that expand its audience beyond those who would ordinarily watch period romance. "Bridgerton" also breaks new ground in its diverse casting, using the premise of Queen Charlotte being Black to open the door for POC actors in leading, often aristocratic roles — something that period dramas are frequently reluctant to do.

Based on the novel series from the Nobel Prize-winning author John Galsworthy, "The Forsyte Saga" is a sprawling historical drama that spans the misadventures of the Forsyte family over the course of 50 years, from the Victorian era into the 1920s. There's such an expansive cast of characters that it would be difficult to sum up their storylines here, but many of them have a tendency to get romantically involved with the wrong people, or with the right people but under the wrong circumstances, all of which causes a lot of pain and suffering for everyone. 

You remember when Matthew was determined to stay with Lavinia on "Downton Abbey," even though everyone with eyes could tell that he and Mary were head over heels in love with each other? Similar vibes. Featuring a talented ensemble cast that included Damien Lewis, Rupert Graves, Ioan Gruffuld, and Ben Miles, "The Forsyte Saga" ran for a total of two seasons on ITV.

"Downton Abbey" and "The Crown" share more than a few historical characters, as the Crawleys occasionally brush up against royalty over the years and "The Crown" is entirely focused on the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. The legendary monarch was played initially by Claire Foy as a blushing bride who is forced to step into the role of queen much earlier than anticipated after the untimely death of her father, King George VI (Jared Harris). 

But over the course of the series, not only does Claire Foy transform into the serious, stalwart queen we've all come to know, but the entire cast changes twice to reflect the passage of time (Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton play Elizabeth in middle and old age, respectively). While the show can be inconsistent, especially in its later seasons, as it gets closer and closer to the present day, it captures many of the events that have shaped the modern royal family with gravitas and style.

In "Downton Abbey," Cora Crawley, the Countess of Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern) remarks frequently on her background as an American heiress. She had money, Robert (Hugh Bonneville) had a title, so on paper they were a perfect match — it was only later that the two formed a genuine connection and fell in love. With this in mind, Cora would have fit right in with the girls of "The Buccaneers," young ladies from prominent American families who were sent to England around the turn of the 20th century to find husbands among the British aristocracy. 

It stars Kristine Froseth as Nan, a young woman with few pretentions who descends upon the United Kingdom with her friends and older sister, all of whom are determined to make a good match. Nan almost immediately draws the attention of both the amiable Guy Thwarte (Matthew Broome), with whom she has instant chemistry, and the quieter, more reserved Theo, Duke of Tintagel (Guy Remmers). Decisions, decisions. "The Buccaneers" premiered on Apple TV+ in 2023, with a second season launching in June 2025.

Developed by "Downton Abbey" creator Julian Fellowes, "Belgravia" takes place in an extremely fashionable neighborhood of London, where the glitz and glamour of society's elite hide a mountain of secrets. The central mystery seems to revolve around the parentage of Charles Pope (Jack Bardoe) and whether the truth should be revealed to him and society at large to those who know it. Trust us when we say that scandal is everywhere. It makes the Bateses constantly being sent to prison on "Downton Abbey" look like child's play.

Debi Anker of The Age referred to "Belgravia" as "Downton's darker cousin," which is a fairly apt description. She also praised Fellowes' storytelling sensibilities, writing, "Like 'Downton,' 'Belgravia' is enhanced by Fellowes' gift for plotting. He not only devises busy, generously populated stories, but he also moves them along at a quick clip." It ran for a single season in 2020, but was followed up by a sequel series, "Belgravia: The Next Chapter," which was set 30 years later and focused on the next generation of the show's most prominent families.

So much of the identity of "Downton Abbey" is tied to the north of England, taking place on a Yorkshire estate and featuring a cast of servants who almost all have broad Yorkshire accents. And while the fictional industrial town of Milton from "North & South" is more like a Manchester or Birmingham than York, its contrast with the agrarian South is just as stark. It begins when Margaret (Daniela Danby-Ashe) moves with her parents from a quiet pastoral estate to the hustle and bustle of a growing city dominated by its mill production — something of a culture shock, to be sure. 

While there, she becomes acquaintances with John Thornton (Richard Armitage), a mill owner who she initially perceives as cold and unfeeling, but eventually begins to understand and even care for. The romance between the two is a slow burn, bolstered by the quietly simmering chemistry between Armitage and Danby-Ashe. For fans of period romance, their eventual union — cemented by a kiss at a train station, which is so cute we don't even care that it's not period-accurate — stands up as one of the best of the genre.

Although "Call the Midwife" tackles some dark topics within the realm of social politics as they relate to motherhood and family life, it nonetheless has a generally cheery tone that brings one to mind of "Downton Abbey." Set in East London in the late 1950s, it follows the lives of a group of midwives living in Nonnatus House. Nurses and nuns alike tend to the needs of the families in their poverty-stricken neighborhood, and over the seasons watch it evolve amidst the radical changes of the mid-20th century. 

You might think that it would have exhausted every conceivable pregnancy-themed narrative you could imagine — after all, it's been on the air since 2012 — but it's done an excellent job of keeping things fresh, capturing not just women's lives have changed since in the 1950s but also the evolution of public health and the importance of social safety nets. Although the primary goal of "Call the Midwife" is to entertain, it's also a valuable educational window into the past that has kept audiences engaged for 14 seasons and counting, despite a revolving door of cast members. At this point, we can safely say "Call the Midwife" is one of the best medical shows on the air.

Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi), the corrupt anti-hero of "Boardwalk Empire," feels like exactly the sort of fellow that Cora's wayward brother Harold (Paul Giamatti) would be friends with on "Downton Abbey." The two shows are set at roughly the same time, just on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Nucky is a key figure in the burgeoning community of Atlantic City, New Jersey, both as a local politician who has a finger in every pie and an influential player on the booming bootlegging scene. It is Prohibition, after all.

Between Nucky and his various associates, "Boardwalk Empire" showcases the rise of organized crime in the United States and levels of corruption that seep into every level of government. The show was a massive hit for HBO, earning 57 Emmy nominations over the course of its five seasons, although surprisingly, Steve Buscemi never won for his career-defining performance as Nucky (it is, however, reportedly the role that stopped him from abandoning acting, so that's not nothing).

Don't get us wrong, there are plenty of characters on "Downton Abbey" who can brood with the best of them, but none can hold a candle to Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) of "Poldark." A Cornish soldier who fought in the American Revolution, Ross returns home after several long years of fighting only to discover that his intended has moved on, marrying another. This sends him, as you might imagine, into a bit of a tailspin. So much so that he impulsively marries Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson), and then falls in love with her (yes, in that order). 

The two best things about "Poldark" (although there's a lot more to like) are the stunning scenery of Cornwall and the captivating lead performance of Aidan Turner. "Poldark" was a popular hit on BBC and ran for five seasons from 2015 to 2019. (It also, in case you were wondering, gave Kyle Soller one of his first major roles, paving the way for him to turn up as the long-suffering Syril Karn in "Andor.")

Although "Peaky Blinders" takes place in roughly the same time and region of England as "Downton Abbey," it may as well exist in a completely different world. The period drama stars Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby, the shrewd, intelligent head of the Shelby clan, who essentially rule the criminal underworld of 1920s Birmingham. At the beginning of the show, we see the quiet, sensitive Tommy freshly returned from World War I a new man with a cold exterior that makes him a perfect fit for this new line of work. 

But as the years go by and the Shelbys become more and more influential, Tommy has to make decisions that see him stray further from the role of protagonist and well into anti-hero territory. "Peaky Blinders" ran for six seasons on Netflix, and it has a feature length sequel film called "The Immortal Man" in the works with the streamer. (Will it all actually end there, or does Netflix plan on making more seasons of the show? Who knows!) Between Cillian Murphy's impressive leading performance and a strong ensemble cast that includes Sam Neill, Helen McCrory, and Paddy Considine, "Peaky Blinders" might just be one of the best things Netflix has ever produced.

Although "Downton Abbey" takes place largely at the now-iconic Yorkshire estate (played in real-life by Highclere Castle), the Crawley family are known for taking the train down to London on a fairly regular basis for business and pleasure, including extensive shopping. But when they can't get away to the capital city, one imagines they might patronize The Paradise, a fictional department store (one of the first of its kind) in the north of England that serves as the backdrop for the show of the same name. 

"The Paradise" stars Joanna Vanderham as Denise, a Scottish girl who is hired to work in the store, but her innate talent for marketing quickly catches the eye of its owner, John Moray (Emun Elliot). They work together, first platonically and then romantically, to make The Paradise the store of their dreams. Based on the 1883 novel "Au Bonheur des Dames" by Emile Zola, "The Paradise" ran for two seasons before being canceled, largely because it wasn't performing as well as "Mr. Selfridge's," a show about the opening of Selfridge & Co in London.

"Upstairs, Downstairs" follows a very similar template to "Downton Abbey," focusing on both a well-heeled family and the staff of servants who take care of them. The show was originally released in 1971, running for five seasons and winning multiple awards. But the one we're talking about is that show's sequel series, the 2010 iteration of "Upstairs, Downstairs." It takes place in the 1930s, a handful of years after the original series concluded, and features a new cast of characters moving into 195 Eaton Place in London. 

The Bellamy family that originally owned the house have since moved on, losing a great deal of their fortune in the Great Depression, and it's now occupied by the diplomat Sir Hallam Holland (Ed Stoppard) and his wife Agnes (Keeley Hawes). Together, they attempt to restore the London home to its former glory. "Upstairs, Downstairs" ran for two years from 2010 to 2012, and although it was a ratings success, it was eventually edged out by none other than "Downton Abbey," which had begun airing the same year.

"The Gilded Age" is another series developed by Julian Fellowes, and he must have had Cora's backstory as an American debutante in the midst of the Gilded Age in mind when he put it in motion. It stars Louisa Jacobson as Marian, the penniless relative of a prominent New York family who moves to Manhattan to live with her aunts (played by Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon) after the death of her father. 

While there, she rubs elbows with the most elite socialites the bustling city can offer, and butts heads with her older relatives who don't necessarily agree with her more open-minded ways. At the same time, the Russells (led by robber baron George and his social-climbing wife Bertha, played by Morgan Spector and Carrie Coon) live just across the street, desperately trying to strong-arm their way into the upper echelons of society. 

Although "The Gilded Age" perhaps takes a little longer than "Downton Abbey" did to start firing on all cylinders, by the time its second season ended it was an unstoppable historical juggernaut, with glitz and glamor paving the way for its eagerly anticapted third season, premiering in June 2025.