12 Sapphic Period Dramas To Watch While You Wait For Bridgerton

The ton was delighted to discover that Bridgerton season five will spotlight its first ever queer relationship, focusing on the blossoming romance between Francesca (played by C&TH cover star Hannah Dodd) and her late husband John’s cousin Michaela (Masali Baduza). ‘I think it was important for me in planning a queer story to think about how we might be able to tell a happily ever after and show queer joy, which we don’t always get to see in period pieces,’ said showrunner Jess Brownell. ‘There are some good examples from history, without giving too much away, of women like Francesca, who are able to carve out happily ever afters.’ While there is still no news from Netflix on an official release date for Bridgerton season five, we know it’s still a little while off. So we’ve pulled together 12 sapphic period dramas you can watch in the meantime.

Best Sapphic Period Dramas

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

No list of queer period dramas is complete without a mention of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which brought mass mainstream attention to director Céline Sciamma – who had already made waves in the queer cinema scene with titles like Tomboy and Girlhood. Set in 18th century France, the film follows artist Marianne, who is commissioned to paint a female aristocrat, Héloïse. The intimate screenplay, which focuses on reversing the traditional trope in art whereby women are treated as passive objects, won best screenplay at Cannes in 2019. 

WATCH: Stream on ITVX, or rent from Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple TV, Sky Store or Curzon. 

Ammonite

It is hard to imagine a setting more romantic than the serene Dorset coastline, where the 2020 drama Ammonite starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan is set. It tells the true story of British palaeontologist Mary Anning (Winslet), who is visited by an archaeologist and his wife, Charlotte (Ronan). Charlotte begins to join Mary on her morning beach trips to search for fossils, and romance between the pair begins to blossom. With such celebrated actresses at the helm, it is no surprise that Ammonite is tender, intimate and erotic. 

WATCH: Stream on BBC iPlayer, or rent on Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple TV, Sky Store or YouTube.

Dickinson

Emily Dickinson famously wrote over 300 letters to her sister-in-law, Susan Gilbert, in. which queer yearning is abundantly apparent. In one longing letter, she wrote, ‘Oh that you were [here], my Susie, we need not talk at all, our eyes would whisper for us, and your hand fast in mine, we would not ask for language.’ Dickinson explores this relationship, with a hefty injection of unexpected modern influence, including a soundtrack that features A$AP Rocky and various appearances from Wiz Khalifa, who plays Death. 

WATCH: Stream on Apple TV.

Carol

Perhaps the most famous sapphic period drama, Carol is a beautiful love story, set against the glamourous backdrop of 1950s New York. The box office hit follows the illicit affair between a young aspiring photographer and an older woman in the midst of a divorce. Released in 2015, the movie received mass critical acclaim and was ranked by the British Film Institute as the best LGBTQ film of all time. With an all-star cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara and Sarah Paulson, Carol is elegantly erotic – an opulent adaptation of Patricia Highfield’s 1952 novel The Price of Salt. 

WATCH: Rent on Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple TV, Sky Store or Curzon.

The Color Purple

The 2023 reincarnation of The Color Purple is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker, preceded by the 1985 Stephan Spielberg adaptation. It follows African American woman Celie Harris for 40 years, as she is continually oppressed by the men in her life. The 2023 film is the first adaptation of Walker’s novel to be helmed by black creatives, and is much truer to the novel when it comes to presenting the relationship between Celie and Shug (the Spielberg version received criticism on both these fronts). Though the subject matter explored within The Color Purple is extremely heavy, the musical numbers and choreography bring levity – the film is emotional yet filled with moments of celebration. 

WATCH: Stream on Amazon Prime, or rent on Apple TV, Sky Store or Google Play.

Desert Hearts

A true landmark of sapphic filmmaking, Desert Hearts was one of the first wide-release films to positively depict a lesbian relationship. The story follows the uptight academic Vivian (Helen Shaver), who gradually falls for tomboy Cay (Patricia Charbonneau) after they meet in the Reno desert. This film was primarily made by queer creatives: Donna Deitch the director, and Jane Rule, the author of the novel on which the screenplay is based on.

WATCH: Rent on Apple TV or Amazon Prime. 

Gentleman Jack

Adapted from the diaries of landowner Anne Lister (which in total made up five million words, much of it written in code), this series follows the relationship between Lister and Ann Walker. Set in Yorkshire in the 1980s, the series chronicles the rare situation of being a woman landowner in the Georgian era, starring Suranne Jones as Lister and Sophie Rundle as Ann. With as many comic asides as Fleabag, Gentleman Jack is witty, playful, and even more joyous when you remember that it is based on a little piece of British history. This year, the series has even been adapted into ballet form by Northern Ballet.

WATCH: Stream on BBC iPlayer or rent on YouTube or Amazon Prime. 

The Favourite

Described as ‘The Crown on helium,’ The Favourite sees Olivia Colman as Queen Anne, who is guided in her reign by her friend and lover, Lady Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz). When Sarah’s cousin Abigail Masham (Emma Stone) enters the court, the cousins compete for the affections of the ever erratic queen. Yorgos Lanthimos is notorious for his use of black comedy, and The Favourite is no exception – the film oozes with absurdism and satire. The performance of the three leading ladies was exceptionally well received, and the film even secured Colman her first ever Oscar (her endearing speech just made us love her even more). 

WATCH: Stream on Disney+, or rent on YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, Sky Store or Amazon Prime. 

Harlots

In the hallowed halls of an 18th century London brothel, Harlots tells the story of sex work within the lower classes. Various sapphic relationships are explored, from the sweet Lady Fitzwilliam and Charlotte Wells to the fiery Nancy Birch and Lady Isabella. With the immutable Lesley Manville and Samantha Morton playing the leads, Harlots was further praised for its all-female creative team, and for its focus on women’s stories. 

WATCH: Stream on Netflix.

The Confessions of Frannie Langton

Frannie Langton, played by Karla-Simone Spence, is an enslaved Jamaican woman who is taken to London to work for George and Marguerite Benham. When they are found stabbed to death, she is accused of the crime after being found in bed with Marguerite’s body. The timeline of the four-part series bounces between London and Frannie’s childhood in Jamaica as she tries to prove that she is innocent of murdering the women she loved. At once a love story and a murder mystery, this bite-sized series is gripping, moving and thought provoking – what is not to love? 

WATCH: Stream on ITVX, or rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, or YouTube.

The World to Come

Spanning a year, The World to Come follows Abigail and Tallie, two unhappy farmer’s wives who find freedom and escape in their romantic relationship. Set in 1850s rural New York, director Mona Fastvold embraces the stoicism and measuredness of 19th century country living, alongside exploring the thankless domestic work of women. 

WATCH: Rent on YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, Sky Store or Amazon Prime. 

A League of Their Own

The Rockford Peaches were one of the first teams to partake in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League when it was formed in 1943. A League of Their Own follows the stories of the Peaches, and the brief era in history when the war gave women the opportunity to dominate in sport, and to express themselves freely. This remake of the 1980s film starring Madonna is only one season long, but across its six episodes tells the moving and raw stories of the players, though fans continue to be devastated that development of the second series was scrapped during the 2023 Writers Guild strike.

WATCH: Stream on Amazon Prime.