17 Excellent British Period Dramas You Can Binge Right Now

The cast of “Mr. Selfridge” in Season 3. (Photo: Courtesy of © ITV plc (ITV Global Entertainment Ltd); John Rogers, photographer)

Mr. Selfridge

Another show about life in a Edwardian-era department store! (Yes, really. This was apparently a thematic thing back in 2013.)

Mr. Selfridge tells the story of famous American entrepreneur Harry Gordon Selfridge, who transformed Oxford Street in London with the splashy department store that still bears his name. Selfridge was famous for his visionary business skills, his love of showmanship, and his very colorful personal life.  He pretty much reinvented the public attitude toward shopping in the 1900s, turning it into a fun social activity for high society ladies. On the flip side, Selfridge was also a notorious gambler and womanizer, and his life downward spiraled pretty badly by the end. So, there’s a lot of drama to be had.

Entourage’s Jeremy Piven stars as Selfridge and plays a leading man who isn’t very likable a lot of the time. (This is a good thing for the aforementioned drama factor, but a little less so for those who like their period dramas with a more obviously rootable hero.)

Happily, Selfridge also features a very strong supporting cast that includes such familiar faces as Amanda Abbington, Katherine Kelly, Aisling Loftus, Amy Beth Hayes, Francis O’Connor, and the very dreamy Gregory Fitusi.  The series’ other storylines cover a variety of topics, including various romances, break-ups, deaths, relevant historical moments and figures, and all sorts of backroom business dealings. Interestingly, the show also regularly features stories about women struggling to navigate life in the workplace and succeed at professional careers. And, since the show takes place in the early 1900s, this actually  offers several pretty interesting story perspectives.

Number of Seasons: 4

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime