Television series
Banished
- Period drama
- Western
- Prison
- Very dark
Banished follows the first convicts and soldiers of a fledgling Australian penal colony in 1788, where survival means navigating impossible moral choices. It's intimate yet sprawling, brutal without being exploitative, examining how ordinary people fracture under extraordinary pressure. For those who want historical drama that earns its weight.
If you liked this
The Terror2018
Trapped communities, Gothic atmosphere, and the slow unraveling of order under impossible conditions. Outstanding ensemble cast and cinematography that makes desolation feel suffocating.
But Deliberately paced and bleak—not a comfort watch. Some episodes lean heavily into horror elements that may feel incongruous with the survival story.
Deadwood2004
Lawlessness in a frontier town where power vacuums breed chaos and unlikely alliances. Brilliant dialogue and morally compromised characters trying to build something from nothing.
But Heavy profanity and violence. The show demands active attention and rewards obsessive fans more than casual viewers.
The Pillars of the Earth2010
Epic historical scope with intricate character work across a fractured community. Weighty themes of faith, ambition and survival with sumptuous production design.
But The pacing drags in places. Melodrama occasionally overshadows the historical detail that grounds the narrative.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Banished
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Moll Flanders1996
Same lead actor, same era obsession, same question: what does a person owe to an unjust system?
Russell Tovey reunites with Banished's period sensibility as a man caught between service and conscience. A quieter meditation on survival and moral compromise in colonial systems.
But Slow burn literary adaptation. Lacks the ensemble scope that made Banished's world feel so lived-in.
More like this (8)
Gentleman Jack2019
A woman navigating rigid social structures and impossible choices in her own world. Equally bold about challenging period conventions and intimate character relationships.
But Genre expectations may mislead—this is character-driven historical drama, not adventure. Very Yorkshire in flavour.
In the Flesh2013
A small community fractured by the return of the undead explores prejudice, belonging and what binds us together. Lean, urgent storytelling with genuine emotional weight.
But The supernatural metaphor may feel heavy-handed. Only two seasons, so you'll be left wanting more.
The Last Kingdom2015
Vikings settling into England creates collision between cultures and moralities. Sweeping battle sequences meet intimate character moments about displacement and identity.
But Budget constraints show in places. Earlier seasons uneven before finding their footing.
Frontier2016
Fur traders and Indigenous peoples clash and cooperate in colonial Canada. Raw, ambitious, and unafraid of moral ambiguity in its characters.
But Uneven pacing and tonal lurches. Some performances feel at odds with the historical weight the story demands.
The Watch2021
A fantasy town guard tries holding back a rising darkness, exploring loyalty, hope and small acts of resistance. Warm character work beneath the dark premise.
But Adaptation liberties annoy fans of the source material. Tonal shifts between comedy and darkness don't always land.
Fortitude2015
Arctic noir in a community at the world's edge where isolation breeds suspicion. Gorgeous cinematography and a genuine sense of dread around every corner.
But Increasingly melodramatic and convoluted. Later seasons lose sight of what made the premise compelling.
Come and See1985
Both refuse to sentimentalise survival. Both understand that moral and physical corruption are the same thing. Both trust us to sit with unbearable truths.
Soviet masterpiece about a young partisan's initiation into war's true horror. Unsparing, harrowing, filmed with ballistic intensity that remakes the viewer's moral compass.
But Genuinely difficult viewing—graphic violence and psychological destruction. Not entertainment. Demands something from you.
The Ballad of Little Jo1993
Both are about people inventing themselves to survive broken systems. Both centre the psychological cost of adapting to a world that has no place for you.
A woman survives the frontier by becoming a man, exploring identity and solitude in unforgiving landscape. Maggie Gyllenhaal is remarkable, and the Western conventions are rewritten before your eyes.
But Deliberate, sparse, and deliberately unsentimental. Resists spectacle in favour of quiet interior reckoning. Very slow.
