Already finished Season 3 of Bridgerton and just burning for more? Well, dear readers, we certainly don’t blame you — how could you not, after Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton’s (Luke Newton) love story swept everyone off their feet?

Rather than shiver in anticipation of Whistledown’s next post, we’ve got several other saucy period romps — along with some swoon-worthy modern fare — to distract you. Peruse an entire collection of Lady Whistledown’s Whisper-Worthy Tales, and then read on for 13 scintillating stories to enjoy in the afterglow of #Polin season.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

What better way to get your Bridgerton fix than digging deeper into the Bridger-verse itself? Queen Charlotte is part prequel, part spin-off, and all the romance your heart desires. The series, written by Shondaland regent herself Shonda Rhimes, whisks viewers back to the first days of young Queen Charlotte’s (India Amarteifio) reign, and her marriage to the mysterious (and dashing) young King George (Corey Mylchreest). As we unravel the mysteries of the past, Queen Charlotte also gives us a peek into Bridgerton present: A chunk of the reveals the events that unfold between Season 2 and Season 3 of the flagship series. Bring the tissues, as the drama tells a love story for the ages — while also magnifying our understanding of Bridgerton’s most compelling matriarchs.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

2023

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The Law According to Lidia Poët

More than 50 years after Penelope Bridgerton makes waves as a woman in the publishing industry (under a nom de plume, of course), Lidia Poët (Matilda De Angelis) becomes the first woman lawyer in Italy — then promptly gets disbarred, because she’s a woman. She and her crew then must work outside the patriarchal legal system to solve cases on behalf of their desperate and falsely accused clients. Inspired by the real-life figure, the series has the sumptuous costumes, strong protagonist, and, well, sex that you love from Bridgerton, with more crime-solving.

The Law According to Lidia Poët

2023

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The Empress

Listen, a steamy romance between a young noblewoman and her sexy, titled new husband is a classic story — hello, Queen Charlotte — but this one follows the real 19th-century Bavarian princess turned Austrian empress Elisabeth, more commonly known as Sisi (Devrim Lingnau), and Emperor Franz Joseph (Philip Froissant). Enjoy longing glances, wistful sighs, hot love scenes, and absolutely stunning gowns, aka everything you want from a romantic period drama. 

The Empress

2022

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Lovesick

Bridgerton has flirted with some of the biggest romance tropes around: fake dating, deep secrets, enemies to lovers, and even friends-to-lovers as Penelope and Colin’s relationship takes center stage in Season 3. If that latter flavor of courtship makes your own heart go pitter-patter, Lovesick is the show for you. While the British series might not seem like the obvious choice for those enamored with costumed period romances, you simply need to look a little deeper to see the connection — just like with any good love story. Lovesick is a comedy that follows three best friends: Dylan (Ripley star Johnny Flynn), Evie (Antonia Thomas), and Luke (The Gentlemen’s Daniel Ings). Over three seasons, the trio runs into messy flirtation after messy flirtation, with Dylan and Evie’s will they, won’t they journey at the very center.

Lovesick

2014

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The Crown

While Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte give us a peek into the lives and reign of King George III and Queen Charlotte, The Crown’s six seasons bust the curtains wide open on Britain’s more recent and current royals. From the beginning of Queen Elizabeth’s reign to the era when Princess Diana enters the fold and continuing on to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s university romance, feast your eyes on British history with a production scale that will be sure to fill the ballroom-size void left in your life after you’ve consumed all of Bridgerton.

The Crown

2016

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Outlander

Travel back to a different time and place than Regency-era England ... but via a steamy romance that burns just as bright as Simon and Daphne’s. Based on the series of novels by Diana Gabaldon, Outlander puts you in the shoes of a World War II nurse who happens upon a mythical set of stones that transport her back to 1740s Scotland, where she meets Highlander Jamie Fraser and is taken in by Clan MacKenzie. The series spans continents, timelines, and near-danger at every turn, but the fire of Claire and Jamie’s relationship never dims.

Outlander

2014

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Cable Girls

If you’re missing the flair of Bridgerton’s fashion, Cable Girls is here to step in with outfit inspo from 1920s Madrid. This Spanish period drama chronicles a group of “cable girls” who become fast and loyal friends at Spain’s first national telephone company. Empowered and ambitious, these women rise through the ranks, defy convention, and find solace in the arms of lovers past and present. They’re exactly the kinds of women Eloise yearns to become.

Cable Girls

2017

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Elite

Just as Bridgerton’s intrigue hinges on who’ll discover the identity of the author behind the ton’s gossip rag, each season of Elite also kicks off with a mystery begging to be solved ... and rather murderous ones at that. This Spanish drama isn’t necessarily period, but the students of Las Encinas revel in plenty of clandestine romps, heartaches, and eventful balls — scratch that, raucous parties — that would rival any front page of Lady Whistledown’s scandal sheet.

Elite

2018

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Sex Education

On Bridgerton, it’s more than clear that the young ladies of the ton have zero clue as to how sex works. (Remember Eloise’s investigation into pregnancy?) Sex Education, on the other hand, flips the script and features a teenage whiz teaching high school students the wonders of sex — and we don’t just mean STDs. You can also retrace Simone Ashley’s Netflix roots before she joined Season 2 of Bridgerton as Kate Sharma.

Sex Education

2019

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Call the Midwife

There are more seasons of Call the Midwife than there are Bridgerton siblings, so your Netflix queue is sure to be filled to the brim with this heartfelt period drama. Adapted from the bestselling memoirs of Jennifer Worth, the series is similarly set in London, but here, it takes place in the East End during the 1950s and follows a community of nuns at Nonnatus House. The midwives develop a sisterhood and bond with their fellow nurses and the patients they treat, similar to the tight-knit female friendship we see between Penelope and Eloise.

Call the Midwife

2012

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Crashing

Care to see Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) before he grew out those long sideburns? Peep Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s one-season comedy Crashing, which follows a group of friends in their 20s who live in a dilapidated former hospital. Bailey plays Sam, who’s, let’s say, a very randy flatmate.

Crashing

2016

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Derry Girls

You can take the girl out of Derry, but you can’t take Derry out of the girl. Even though she’s the mastermind behind the enigmatic Lady Whistledown, Bridgerton’s Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) first came to Netflix by way of Northern Ireland on Derry Girls. The series charts the angst amidst a group of five friends set during The Troubles in the ’90s. The comedy is endearing, bawdy — and, crazily, yes, is now considered a period drama. For bonus content, tune into the Derry Girls cast competing in Season 3 of The Great British Baking Show: Holidays for some yuletide cheer any time of the year.

Derry Girls

2018

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Grey's Anatomy

The Shonda Rhimes series that started the empire. If you’re curious to go on a deep Shondaland journey, might we suggest beginning with Grey’s Anatomy, her first baby that taught women that you are the sun and that’s all there is to it. Nineteen seasons and counting, the show centers on the romances, risks, and rewards of the doctors at Seattle Grace hospital. And, yes, it’s the birthplace of McDreamy and McSteamy.

Grey's Anatomy

2005

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