17 Excellent British Period Dramas You Can Binge Right Now
By Lacy Baugher
Carla Guigno, Alison Elliott, Mira Sorvino and Rya Kihlstedt in “The Buccaneers”. (Photo: BBC)
The Buccaneers
This 1995 BBC series follows four wealthy American sisters who travel to England in the hopes of landing husbands and titles. If this sounds familiar, it’s because it’s also the backstory of Lady Grantham on Downton Abbey. But this kind of arrangement was really a regular thing that really happened back then.
The landed gentry in England were running out of money trying to keep up with the costs of their enormous estates. So they turned to the American nouveau riche to solve their problems. Around 200 American heiresses married into the British aristocracy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The British lords benefited from their money, while the Americans got a title and a family claim to nobility. It was a win-win for everyone, if you were a woman who was willing to trade the prospect of unhappiness for the right to live in a castle.
Roughly based on Edith Wharton’s unfinished novel of the same name, The Buccaneers follows the story of sisters Nan, Jinny, Connie and Lizzie. Courted by numerous suitors, they must navigate the ins and outs of the London Season, and struggle with the issue of whether it’s more important to marry for love or for social status. The series does its best to explore complicated issues like the intersection of class, commerce and marriage. But at its heart, it’s still largely a soap opera. There’s still a lot of scandal and drama though, so it’s a pretty good time.
Number of Seasons: 1
Where to Watch: Netflix