Television series

Dickensian

Name: Dickensian
Genre: Drama
Released: 2015
Cast: Tuppence Middleton, Alexandra Moen, Sophie Rundle, Joseph Quinn, Tom Weston-Jones

Period drama

Dickensian brings together Dickens's most famous characters—Scrooge, Fagin, Miss Havisham—in a shared 19th-century London, where their stories collide and interweave. It's a soap opera with literary DNA, moving fast through surprising twists. For anyone who loves ensemble casts, interconnected narratives, and the Gothic texture of Victorian London without needing to reread the novels.

TVMaze rating

3.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love Dickens's cast of characters colliding in one grimy city, and you enjoy seeing familiar figures from the novels recast as a sprawling web of side plots.

Skip it if you want one lean, tightly plotted period story, because this is a busy ensemble that hops between many storylines and keeps gathering new characters.

What it asks of you: Episodes run about half an hour, so twenty of them ask for steady attention and patience, with plenty of threads to keep straight from one scene to the next.

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

If you liked this

Ripper Street2012

Victorian London crime drama with the same dark architectural beauty and ensemble cast solving interconnected cases. Rich period detail, complex characters, genuine surprises across its run.

But Grittier and more violent than Dickensian; slower pacing in places, and the quality wavers between seasons.

Penny Dreadful2014

Literary characters from 19th-century fiction collide in Gothic horror. Same DNA—famous names in the same shadowy world—but with genuine dread. Beautifully made and genuinely unsettling.

But Far darker and more genuinely disturbing than Dickensian. Sexual violence, addiction, and body horror aren't background texture here.

Great Expectations1946

Direct adaptation of Dickens with gorgeous cinematography and Tuppence Middleton (your Miss Havisham) playing a younger Estella. Lets you sink into the novel Dickensian borrows from most heavily.

But Three-hour film, stately pacing. If you wanted Dickensian's soap-opera speed, this is the opposite.

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

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Bleak House2005

The template for everything Dickensian does: an ensemble of London characters whose fates intertwine across the city, initially seeming unrelated then revealed as profoundly connected.

BBC miniseries of the Dickens novel that most inspired Dickensian's structure: multiple narrators, sprawling London, everyone somehow connected. See where the DNA came from. Serious, profound, absolutely gripping.

But Fifteen hours total. Demands commitment and patience; moves nothing like Dickensian's soap-opera rhythm. Dense Victorian prose adapted faithfully.

The Miniaturist2017

BBC period drama with multiple mysteries unfolding in one household across a miniseries. Secret-laden, beautifully shot, with similar ensemble storytelling and Gothic atmosphere.

But Moves methodically; doesn't have Dickensian's propulsive energy. Some viewers find the pacing precious.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell2015

Alternate-history period drama mixing Austen-era drawing rooms with dark magic. Literate, intricate plotting, ensemble cast with real stakes. Gorgeously produced.

But Seven episodes only; cancelled before reaching full potential. Slower burn than Dickensian, more cerebral.

The Woman in White2018

Victorian melodrama with multiple narrators, dark secrets, and an ensemble slowly uncovering conspiracy. Same era, similar interconnected narrative structure, thoroughly gripping.

But More conventional drama than Dickensian; lacks the soap-opera appeal of multiple famous-character storylines colliding.

Vanity Fair2018

BBC miniseries about social climbing in Regency England. Sharp dialogue, gorgeous production, morally complex characters succeeding through schemes. Energetic ensemble storytelling.

But Centres on fewer characters than Dickensian. If you loved the sprawling cast collision specifically, this is tighter.

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher2011

Victorian-era detective drama with atmospheric period detail and mystery. Based on a real case, genuinely suspenseful, features Stephen Rea who anchors Dickensian's detective storylines.

But Limited run, very focused mystery rather than sprawling ensemble. Slower and more procedural.

Belgravia2020

Upstairs-downstairs Regency ensemble with secrets, scandals, and multiple timelines revealing gradually. Accessible period drama with interconnected character arcs and genuine twists.

But Simpler than Dickensian—fewer characters, less literary ambition. Can feel slight if you're expecting more depth.

Penny Dreadful: City of Angels2020

Same creator as Penny Dreadful, same commitment to weaving literary/historical figures and invented characters into one dark tapestry, but transported to a completely different era and register.

Spiritual successor to Penny Dreadful but entirely separate: 1938 Los Angeles, Latinx and queer characters at the centre, genuine horror mixed with crime procedural. Astonishingly ambitious and visually stunning.

But Cancelled after one season. Takes itself very seriously—no lightness, no comic relief. Far more violent and sexual than Dickensian.