what to watch after downton.

We have a no TV on weeknights rule at our house. Don't you want to come over? ;) My husband works a lot in the evenings and it's how we protect our quality time when we get the occasional night off together. (The one exception to this is ACC basketball. Then it's family schmamily.) Kidding. We watch together. And interact in such a way that would constitute quality time. But we also have a few shows that we snuggle up every weekend to catch up on. For the last couple of years, Downton Abbey has been one of our faves.

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Maybe Downton Abbey has been your introduction into the world of period dramas. Maybe you've been an enthusiast since Monsterpiece. Maybe you will never, ever watch Downton Abbey or anything like it thankyouverymuch. My mom is one of those people who has a serious aversion to all period pieces/ historical fiction/ theatrical depictions of actual historical events. When it comes to picking a movie together, she always requests something where people are wearing normal clothes. But Downton has won many new converts to the genre. (Not Mom though, she is still holding strong. We tried to watch the first episode together on a recent visit and she fell asleep three times before I finally turned it off and gently nudged her off to bed. But she loves me and she tried.)

Anyway, whether you are new to the genre or a seasoned viewer, you may find yourself missing the Crawleys and their staff a bit this week. Here are some of my favorite British period dramas to fill the void.

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First and foremost, BBC's  Pride and Prejudice (1995). This six episode series aired on BBC in 1995. My dad recorded it on VHS for me and I treasured it. Based on Jane Austen's most loved novel, it catapulted Colin Firth to fame and (for me) captured Austen's witty Elizabeth Bennett exactly with the lovely Jennifer Ehle. If you only ever watch one film version of this classic, this is the one to see.

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Also based on a Jane Austen novel, and also a BBC television miniseries, Emma (2009) is another of my favorites. It is beautifully done. The casting is excellent and the costumes and sets are lovely to look at.

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Larkrise to Candleford is most little known of my recommendations, so it is the one that I am most excited to share. BBC adapted this four season television series from Flora Thompson's semi-autobiographical novels. When we stumbled upon this on Amazon Prime, we felt like we had hit the jackpot. It is just so sweet and virtuous and there are so many characters to love. Like Downton Abbey, it leaves some questions unanswered and definitely peaks some seasons before it finally ends (am I the only one who fears that Downton has already peaked?) but all in all, it's worth the watch.

p.s. Look who plays Pa!

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This 2005 adaptation of Charles Dickens' Bleak House is excellent. The story, the acting, and the scenery are all very powerful. Dickens' look at the broken justice system in 19th century England gives this film more depth and darkness than others on this list. I had not yet read the novel when I saw it but I did the next summer. The series is eight hours long and the book is much longer, but I didn't want either to end.

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Again adapted from Dickens, Little Dorrit (2008) is another stunning series from BBC. Our favorite part of this one may be the bad guy. The only trouble with this 7 1/2 hour series is that you may want to watch it all at once.

What did I miss? What series and films do you turn to when you are not watching Downton?