Television series

Belgravia

Name: Belgravia
Genre: Drama, History
Released: 2020
Cast: Tamsin Greig, Philip Glenister, Harriet Walter, Alice Eve, Richard Goulding

Period drama

Belgravia is a Julian Fellowes period drama that trades Downton's country house for London's newly fashionable squares, following the Trenchard family's rise from nouveau-riche outsiders to Belgravia elite. It traces secrets and betrayals across twenty-five years, powered by stellar ensemble acting and a plot that rewards close attention. For fans of intricate period soap opera with real emotional stakes.

TVMaze rating

3.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy social-climbing period drama where money, pride and old secrets are passed across a dinner table, and you are happy to let a plot simmer rather than sprint.

Skip it if you want the swagger of a big-budget epic or a story that keeps pulling you forward; this one moves in careful, talky scenes and rewards patience more than momentum.

What it asks of you: Six episodes of about forty-six minutes make for a short commitment, but you must keep track of many names, dates and family grudges as the pieces slowly line up.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Downton Abbey2010

Same creator, same gift for layering social comedy with genuine emotion across a sprawling ensemble. Downton's recipe works: upstairs drama, downstairs gossip, and characters you become genuinely invested in over seasons.

But If you found Downton occasionally sentimental or too tidy in its resolutions, Belgravia shares those tendencies. The formula is proven but familiar.

The Crown2016

Both excel at dramatising the private lives of the powerful, with meticulous period detail and performances that make historical figures feel immediate and real. Similarly ambitious in scope and gorgeous to watch.

But The Crown's episodes are longer and more baroque in their emotional arcs. Belgravia is tighter and moves faster, which some find less immersive.

Gentleman Jack2019

Period drama that prizes character complexity and messy relationships over neatness. Smart, funny, and unafraid to let its characters be flawed or difficult in ways that feel lived-in rather than performed.

But Tonally very different—brash and modern in sensibility where Belgravia is restrained. The irreverence might feel like it breaks the period spell.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Belgravia

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles1998

Both are period dramas obsessed with how class defines destiny, but Tess shows the cost to those born on the wrong side of the line, while Belgravia explores how you survive once you've climbed across it.

BBC adaptation of Hardy's novel, with Nastassja Kinski giving a performance of devastating naturalism. Unlike Belgravia's interlocking secrets, this is a study of how class and circumstance crush an innocent. The emotional register is entirely different but the period world feels equally lived-in.

But Bleak in a way Belgravia never is. No wit, no sparring between equals, just the steady collapse of someone with no power. Some find it punishing rather than engrossing.

Poldark2015

Another ensemble period drama with serious romantic tension, class conflict, and the sense that decisions made in episode one will echo through seasons. Visually stunning and emotionally direct.

But Poldark leans harder into melodrama and passion. Belgravia is more cerebral about its secrets; if you need more swoon, you might find it cooler than you'd like.

The Gilded Age2022

Fellowes' American answer to Downton, set during the same period as Belgravia's Waterloo-era scenes. Explores similar themes of old money meeting new money, with the added frisson of American ruthlessness colliding with European code.

But Only one season so far, and it's still finding its footing. Less tightly plotted than Belgravia, occasionally clumsy with its exposition.

North & South2004

BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's industrial-age novel. Explores the same tension between old wealth and new money, but through romance and moral philosophy. Exquisitely acted and surprisingly modern in its thinking.

But Shorter and more focused than Belgravia—if you want sprawling ensemble intrigue, this concentrates on two main characters. Also, the Yorkshire accents take adjustment.

Wolf Hall2015

Masterful period drama that trusts its audience to follow complex political maneuvering and moral ambiguity. Mark Rylance is extraordinary, and the writing is sharp enough to cut glass.

But Dense, slow-paced, and deliberately obscure in places. If you want clarity of plot, Wolf Hall will frustrate you deliberately. Belgravia is a page-turner by comparison.

Parade's End2012

Ford Madox Ford adaptation with Benedict Cumberbatch navigating social collapse and personal disintegration. Emotionally sophisticated and formally inventive, with performances of real depth.

But Formally challenging and emotionally murky. Cumberbatch's character is often infuriating, and there's no tidy resolution. Much darker than Belgravia's moral universe.

The Miniaturist2017

Amsterdam-set period mystery with a richly detailed world and a protagonist navigating a society with rules she doesn't understand. Gothic, strange, and beautifully made.

But Veers into supernatural territory and deliberate obscurity. Belgravia is grounded in real-world social drama; this is more allegory than narrative.

An Ideal Husband1999

Both examine how secrets maintain the social order. Wilde sees it as comedy; Belgravia sees it as tragedy. Same locked system, opposite tones.

Wilde's comedy adapted with Rupert Everett, Cate Blanchett, and Jeremy Northam sparring over secrets and social position in turn-of-the-century London. Witty, formally elegant, and fascinated by how reputation works among the powerful.

But A film rather than a series—no time to linger in the world. Also deliberately theatrical and artificial where Belgravia aims for psychological realism. The style can feel mannered.

Penny Dreadful2014

Both use ensemble structure and buried secrets as their engine, but Penny Dreadful literalizes the gothic underbelly of the Victorian world—the horror beneath the propriety that Belgravia keeps offscreen.

Gothic horror that functions as a period ensemble drama first, supernatural melodrama second. Magnificently acted (Eva Green, Josh Harrington, Timothy Dalton) and structured around secrets that fester and explode. Dark, bloody, and utterly committed to its characters' emotional reality.

But Genuinely disturbing and violent in ways Belgravia politely avoids. If you want drawing-room drama, this goes into catacombs and asylums. Not a cosy period watch.