These period dramas will give you what 'Wuthering Heights' can't
Here are ten period dramas worth revisiting (or discovering for the first time) that will cleanse your palate and possibly restore your faith in literary adaptations.
If you've been anywhere near the literary or film corners of the internet in September, you've likely stumbled upon the storm surrounding the trailer release of Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Brontë's classic novel Wuthering Heights.
From uproar over casting choices to begrudging approval of its colorful cinematography, the trailer drop has caused division among audiences. Some hail it as a risky reimagination; others see it as a chaotic misfire drenched in aesthetic overreach.
Regardless of where you stand, the online discourse is loud, divisive, and — let's be honest — exhausting.
But, maybe, just maybe, instead of taking in another hot take on social media, we should step away from the chaos and sink into the kind of period drama that reminds us why we love these stories in the first place: their emotional resonance, atmospheric world building, and unforgettable characters.
Here are ten period dramas worth revisiting (or discovering for the first time) that will cleanse your palate of the new Heights garish modernity and possibly restore your faith in literary adaptations:
1. North & South (BBC, 2004)
Elizabeth Gaskell’s tale of industrial England never quite got the mainstream adoration it deserved, but this four-part BBC adaptation has become a cult classic. It’s everything fans of period drama crave: slow-burn romance, class conflict, and brooding stares so intense they could melt iron.
Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield, The Hobbit) and Daniela Denby-Ashe (Sarah Hills, EastEnders) bring quiet fire to their roles as John Thornton and Margaret Hale. It’s a story about pride, transformation, and human connection — and it’s executed with restraint and elegance. It serves a stark contrast to the stylistic excess some fear emanates from Fennell’s take on Brontë.
2. Jane Eyre (BBC, 2006)
One of the definitive adaptations of another Brontë, Charlotte, this four-part miniseries makes room for nuance and slow character development. Ruth Wilson (spine-tingling as Mrs. Coulter in His Dark Materials) and Toby Stephens (son of Downton Abbey's Maggie Smith and star of Black Sails and Lost in Space) capture the psychological and emotional complexity of Jane and Rochester’s relationship without veering into melodrama.
The gothic elements are handled with care, making it ideal viewing if you’re craving the atmosphere promised but not yet delivered by the new Wuthering Heights trailer.
