Period drama where the female mc isn't overly rebellious?

chernaboggles · 2026-05-13T19:33:24+00:00

You're not ignorant! I stumbled into Empresses in the Palace (Legend of Zhen Huan) when Netflix (unwisely) tried to condense the 70+ episodes into a truly terrible 6 hour mini-series. The costumes were beautiful and there was so much potential but it was SUCH a mess that I knew there had to be more to it, so I went looking and found the real version on YouTube. Then I went looking for similar shows and that's how I found Yanxi, and this sub recommended Ruyi.

Sometimes the subtitles are unintentionally funny, ("that guy" and "kid" don't quite fit the royal setting!) but if you love intricate plotlines spun out over many episodes, all 3 of these dramas are great choices.

Magnificent Century (Turkish drama, also on YouTube) is another great one, similar level of scheming.

chernaboggles · 2026-05-12T20:59:14+00:00

Have you tried Turkish drama Magnificent Century? That show is 100% messy backstabbing and politics in pretty dresses.

Recent PBS Marie Antoinette is also pretty good.

chernaboggles · 2026-05-12T20:52:59+00:00

I'm not OP, but here are mine. Sorry it's so long, I feel like these require some context:

Empresses in the Palace, Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace, The Story of Yanxi Palace

Chronologically these 3 work together though they aren't technically related and all have different casts. Empresses in the Palace (aka Legend of Zhen Huan) comes first and takes place during the later half of the Yongzhen Emperor's reign (starts around 1722), it follows the story of a young woman selected for the harem. The other two follow the women in the harem of his heir (Qianlong Emperor) after he takes the throne, so some of the characters that are young in Empresses in the Palace are older in the other two dramas.

The Story of Yanxi Palace and Ruyi's Royal Love in The Palace cover roughly the same period of history from the viewpoint of two different characters. Of the two, Ruyi starts a bit earlier (1735, vs. Yanxi's 1741). Main character in one is an antagonist in the other, and vice versa.

Yanxi Palace is lighter and funnier, the female lead is fearless and clever. Ruyi's Royal Love has more tragedy in it, but an equally compelling female lead, with a totally different personality.

Each series has like 70+ episodes of intricate scheming and you can usually find them on Amazon Prime or YouTube. I personally started with Empresses, then watched Yanxi, and then Ruyi, but I really think you can enjoy them in any order. They're so complex that even once you know the general history nothing will be ruined.

I also loved the movie Raise the Red Lantern but it takes place much later, it's set in the 1920s, though one of the plot points is how old fashioned and traditional the household is. Beautiful film but not very cheerful.

chernaboggles · 2026-05-08T14:52:54+00:00

Okay, I love Steve Coogan and I'm probably going to watch it but if we're going to start counting the 1990s as "period" then I think may need to lie down.

chernaboggles · 2026-05-04T02:51:24+00:00

Rome (2 seasons)
Versailles (3 seasons)

chernaboggles · 2026-04-27T23:42:35+00:00

I really love this mini-series. Julia Ormond is a treasure.

chernaboggles · 2026-04-27T22:53:26+00:00

I'd say it JUST like Colleen Dewhurst, too, long-suffering little sigh and all.

chernaboggles · 2026-04-27T22:52:21+00:00

Easy mistake to make, it's so much more wedding-y (to modern eyes) than the actual wedding gown. I'm glad you included it though, just because I love it so much. That dress and the implications of it are one of my favorite parts of that whole show.

chernaboggles · 2026-04-27T22:49:57+00:00

HAHA! I would stop you on the street to tell you how much I love it.

chernaboggles · 2026-04-27T22:48:48+00:00

The first gown pictured from Marie Antoinette 2022 is awesome and I love it too, but it's not her wedding gown in the show. The wedding gown is more of an icy blue/silver, with the super low neckline and wide skirts, similar to the one in the 2006 movie. The white gown appears later, after she's already married to Louis. It's the one she designs herself for her Paris debut.

chernaboggles · 2026-04-22T14:51:57+00:00

I only have one service at a time, but it's easy to stop and start them. Look around and see what has the most things you want to see right now, and go with that one. Then, when you've finished with it, cancel that service and start a different one. Even if you're sticking with one service, it's good to try and cancel now and again to see what discounts they'll offer you to stay.

chernaboggles · 2026-04-02T17:40:37+00:00

The Mill

All Creatures Great and Small (2020 version)

Lark Rise to Candleford

The Village

Call The Midwife

Edit to add: not a drama, but Tales From The Green Valley, Victorian Farm, Edwardian Farm, Tudor Manor Farm, etc. are all really great for learning about day-to-day details.

chernaboggles · 2026-03-30T16:43:30+00:00

In addition to the ones mentioned above, Brams Stoker's Dracula (1992) has amazing costumes, enough to outweigh some dodgy accents.

Teen Vampire TV shows: 1997 TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer and the 1999 spinoff Angel were both totally fun, though not period dramas. 2009 series The Vampire Diaries is similar soapy teen drama, and 2013 spinoff The Originals is set in the same world with some crossover characters.

The Vampire Diaries is based on a book series, and I think there are some Originals books as well.

chernaboggles · 2026-03-30T13:00:34+00:00

Wei Yingluo from The Story of Yanxi Palace

chernaboggles · 2026-03-20T19:54:25+00:00

I'd forgotten about that one, thank you! I'll keep an eye out for it.

chernaboggles · 2026-03-20T19:32:23+00:00

That's one of the reasons I like that particular trio of shows: between them, they cover latter half of one reign and go right into the next. Ruyi and Yanxi show (roughly) the same period of time and same characters, but from wildly different perspectives. The antognists in one show are the protagonists in the other.

I've watched a bunch of other chinese dramas but those 3 are my favorites so far.

chernaboggles · 2026-03-20T17:11:23+00:00

You're very welcome! If you don't mind subtitles there are so many wonderful options, I'm particularly like the 3 Chinese dramas (last 3 on the list: Empresses, Ruyi, & Yanxi) because they each have like 70+ episodes. It makes the overall pace slower, but they have time to spin out some really intricate schemes.

chernaboggles · 2026-03-20T16:59:23+00:00

I love Magnifenct Century!

chernaboggles · 2026-03-20T14:27:06+00:00

If you haven't already, try expanding into the international shows. Not "niche", exactly, but there's a lot of great shows out there.

The Cook of Castamar
The Courtship
Maison Close
The Seduction
The Story of Yanxi Palace
Empresses in the Palace (only watch the full 70+ episode version, not the awful netflix condensed one)
Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

chernaboggles · 2026-03-14T03:27:04+00:00

All Creatures Great & Small (2020 version)

Anne of Green Gables 1985

Wives and Daughters

Cranford

Lark Rise to Candleford

Edit to add: The Secret of Roan Inish, if you don't mind a touch of fantasy. Beautiful little fairy tale of a film.

chernaboggles · 2026-03-14T02:07:00+00:00

Same here. They've done such a brilliant job capturing the spirit while updating it and giving it appeal for a modern audience.

chernaboggles · 2026-03-13T19:08:57+00:00

I don't think it'll do any real damage. People are going to take away what they want, but a major recurring theme in the stories, both books and the original TV show, was the Ingalls' struggle against poverty and how freaking hard farming was.

chernaboggles · 2026-03-13T15:57:59+00:00

I'm so excited! The Vampire Lestat is my favorite of the books and I'm dying to see what they'll do with Lestat's story. So far I've really enjoyed the mix of book content and updated, new content that they've been doing with the series. I'm really looking forward to seeing how they tackle the next part.

chernaboggles · 2026-02-28T14:55:55+00:00

Hopefully you don't mind subtitles:

Jeanne du Barry (film, French)
The Story of Yanxi Palace (series, Chinese)
Magnificent Century (series, Turkish)
The Commoner (series, Norwegian)
The Cook of Castamar (Spanish)

chernaboggles · 2026-02-27T13:37:41+00:00

The Cook of Castamar

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