Image: Renegade Nell, Disney+
Whether its the costuming, the romance or the drama of it all; period dramas have always been a staple in the genre of tv, but more recently, period dramas have been catering for a more modern audience. In particular, shows like Bridgerton and Our Flag Means Death, approach the genre almost from a comedic, satirical approach in a way that is attractive to modern audiences.
Despite this, there are still a wide range of shows that attempt to use a more traditional, serious approach to their story-telling, like the ongoing Outlander and The Crown. Each of which are still widely desired by audiences.
This distribution depicts the top ten most in-demand period dramas from the start of this year until the end of March. The demand across the seven, ranges from outstanding to exceptional compared to the average TV show, indicating that there is a clear audience for historical dramas.
Longer running shows such as The Crown and Outlander still have a substantial demand with newer releases building on the already established fanbase of the previous seasons. Outlander’s success could also be somewhat attributed to the amalgamation of genres within the show. The drama, fantasy, romance and science fiction, all set in a different time period, could be a large contributor to the positive audience responses to this show. With a main character from this time period travelling to the past, it gives audiences the chance to relate to the story more and could be why the show keeps dragging demand back to it.
For All Mankind follows a similar premise to Outlander, incorporating the sci-fi genre with a period piece in the late 20th Century. The alternate take on history could be the reason that audiences keep returning after four seasons, and why the show is the third most in demand apple TV show since the beginning 2024.
Other breakout shows like Masters of the Air have had success with a peak rank of #14 worldwide, likely so high in popularity following positive reviews, with a “star-studded cast and the backing of Hollywood royalty”. Further to this, prequels to the show like Band of Brothers and The Pacific also could have drawn across an already established fan base which would have significantly contributed to the demand.
Disney+ released their new period drama with a twist, Renegade Nell, on March 29th and the demand has grown with the rank growing by 11346 places. There is a peak around the 20th March coinciding with the release of the trailer.
Set in the 18th century England, Renegade Nell is a period drama within the genres of fantasy and action drawing both history and adventure fans. Further success for the show is expected following the positive correlation above and the success of period dramas in general. In addition, as reviews are produced and popularity for the show grows, demand through word of mouth will follow.
Comparing the audience compositions of two popular period dramas, rooted in the romantic comedy genre, has displayed that their audiences are mostly female and aged majorly below 30 years old.
Both Bridgerton and Our Flag Means Death are modern day dramas set in a historical setting and so have a more accessible modern language, often to comedic affect. Bridgerton has had popularity ever since release and even drove a spin off in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, likely due to its ability to “capture the grandeur of the Regency era in a way that feels authentic and immersive”. With the release of season three, there is likely to be a major spike in demand for the show on May 16th, followed by another spike on June 13th with the release of the final four episodes.
Our Flag Means Death has had an average exceptional demand of 32.7x the average since the beginning of 2024. This is likely due to the release of its second season in October, with a loving fanbase who were likely drawn to the show for its whimsy and LGBTQIA+ themes, all set in the golden age of piracy. This era has proven to be one of high demand and success among audiences for decades, with the Pirates of the Caribbean movies grossing over £3.14 billion worldwide.
Comparing longer running period dramas with a higher focus on the action genre, shows a varied audience composition. Outlander has more of a focus on romance which could explain the larger female audience than Peaky Blinders. The two shows have a majority age range of 23-39 years old which is most likely attributed to the age group that the shows were aimed at, with their more mature themes.
Peaky Blinders concluded its story in 2022 and still holds the top spot in demand for all historical dramas, with an average demand of 51x. This exceptional demand data could be accredited to the appealing amalgamation of the action and historical genres, along with a popular cast and a fanbase that, established across the six seasons, keep returning to the show for more.
The pie chart shows which platforms are producing the most historical TV shows since the beginning of 2024, which is clearly lead by Netflix and Amazon Prime. This could be due to the sheer amount of content that the two platforms produce in general compared to the other three, but it could also be due to a focus on a genre that is clearly popular amongst audiences, and is therefore profitable. This is expected due to the popularity of shows like Netflix’s Bridgerton, The Crown and Anne with and E, along with movies like Enola Holmes.
Apple TV, despite not offering a bulk of period dramas on the platform, does actually offer two of the most in demand period dramas in For All Mankind and Masters of the Air.
Period dramas are still a prevalent genre of TV show with Netflix leading the way in the number of historically based fiction available on a streaming platform. The demand and popularity of period dramas is steady with new content incorporating other genres, set in a different time period, to appeal to a more modern audience. A lack of oversaturation in the market has reinforced that the projects produced in this genre are of a high quality and received well by audiences.
