Last Updated on July 2, 2023
We’ve gathered up the period dramas that are newly included with your US Prime Video membership in March, April, and May 2023. We also include titles that can be watched for free with Freevee, no subscription needed.
Then, we share the historical / costume / period dramas that are newly available on Prime Video Add-On Channels, are available to rent, and movies and TV series in the genre that are being released to DVD this spring.
Check this list throughout the season; we’ll update all the sections (alphabetically) as more titles become available. If some of these titles look familiar, it’s because they were previously available with Prime Video, were pulled off, and now they are back.
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To watch the trailers for the movies and TV series on this list, read the descriptions and add them to your watchlist, just click on the title of the film. This is a US-based list, but if you live in Canada or the UK, you can also use our links to check availability in your country.
Finally, we list some newly added non-period movies and series like British shows and romances that you may also like, that are included with your Amazon Prime Video membership.
From British costume dramas to sweeping romantic epics, there’s a lot here by the end of the season; we hope this list helps you discover more period dramas to love.
The winter Prime Video list is here. Also see the list of Period Dramas New on Netflix Spring 2023.
Those who are new here should know that Willow and Thatch also has a special section for period dramas that have been added recently to different streaming services. See the “New to Streaming” drop-down menu at the top of the page.
Period Dramas Added in March 2023
Newly available historical, costume and period dramas (movies and TV series) that are included with your Prime Video membership, or can be watched for free with ads on Freevee (formerly IMDb TV).
Ambition (Seasons 1 – 3)
An aristocratic family’s empire is at risk when the two heirs fall in love with the same woman. This Czech language TV series is also known as “The First Republic.”
Starring Ján Koleník, Jirí Vyorálek, Veronika Arichteva.
Rated 16+
Add to your WATCHLIST (on Freevee)
Capote (2006)
While researching for his book In Cold Blood, Truman Capote develops a close relationship with Perry Smith, one of the killers.
Starring Allie Mickelson, Kelci Stephenson, Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Rated R for violence, alcohol use, smoking, foul language, sexual content.
Cinderella Man (2005)
Based on the true story of James Braddock, who fought his way from poverty to the World Championship beating Max Baer and finally losing to Joe Louis.
Rated PG-13
Starring Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paddy Considine.
Crooked House (2017)
When a museum curator is given the door knocker from a Tudor mansion, the ghostly secrets of Geap Manor’s haunted past begin to emerge. In the 1780s, ghastly sounds come from the panelling of the drawing room, and in the 1920s, a ghostly bride stalks the corridors. Then, a schoolteacher attaches the knocker to the door of his home, with fearful consequences reaching out from the past.
Starring Mark Gatiss, Lee Ingleby, Derren Brown.
Rated 13+
Add to your WATCHLIST (on Freevee)
Elizabeth (1999)
Oscar-winning drama portrays the early years of the reign of Elizabeth I – royal intrigues, assassination attempts and foreign political interference cause turmoil in 16th century England.
Starring Eric Cantona, Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush.
Rated R for nudity, violence, alcohol use, foul language, sexual content
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
Political and sexual intrigues at the royal court, an assassination plot. and a massive armada of Spanish warships bearing down on England all play a part in the story of Queen Elizabeth. Oscar winner for costume design.
Starring Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Clive Owen.
Rated PG-13
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022)
An ordinary woman’s (Lesley Manville) dream of owning a Christian Dior gown leads her on a Parisian adventure where her unwavering spirit charms the elite people she meets.
Starring Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Lambert Wilson.
Rated PG
News of the World (2020)
A Civil War veteran agrees to deliver a girl, taken by the Kiowa people years ago, to her aunt and uncle, against her will. They travel hundreds of miles and face grave dangers as they search for a place that either can call home.
Starring Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel.
Rated PG-13
Add to your WATCHLIST (on Freevee)
Vanity Fair (2004)
Reese Witherspoon gives a vibrant, captivating performance in Vanity Fair as one of the greatest female characters of all time. Born to Poor parents, Becky Sharp climbs the social ladder by scheming and seducing her way to the top – until love and romance threaten to get in the way! Join her daring adventures that prove all is fair in love and war.
Starring Reese Witherspoon, Gabriel Byrne, Angelica Mandy, Roger Lloyd-Pack.
Rated PG-13
The following period-set movies and series (and period-inspired titles) are also newly available and included with your Prime membership or with Freeevee in March 2023. Click on the titles for more information, to watch trailers where available, and to start streaming full movies or episodes:
Grey Owl (1999), The Magnificent Seven (2016), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Train to Zakopané (2017), Germinal (1993), and the period-inspired Modern Persuasion (2020).
On Freevee: Dirty Dancing (1987), Rembrandt’s J’Accuse (2009), The Skin of Sorrow (2010).
Also, for a limited time, watch episode 1 of The Serpent Queen (Season 1) for free.
Period Dramas Added in April 2023
Newly available historical, costume and period dramas (movies and TV series) that are included with your Prime Video membership, or can be watched for free with ads on Freevee (formerly IMDb TV).
The Immigrant (2013)
1921 New York. Ewa Cybulski and her sister sail to New York from their native Poland in search of a new start and the American dream. When they reach Ellis Island, doctors discover that Magda is ill, and the two women are separated. Ewa is released onto the mean streets of Manhattan while her sister is quarantined. Alone, with nowhere to turn and desperate to reunite with Magda, Ewa quickly falls prey to Bruno, a charming but wicked man who takes her in and forces her into a life of burlesque and vaudeville. The arrival of Orlando – a dashing stage magician who is also Bruno’s cousin – restores her self-belief and hopes for a brighter future, becoming her only chance to escape the nightmare in which she finds herself.
Starring Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Renner, Angela Sarafyan.
Rated R for sexual content, nudity and some language
Margrete: Queen of the North (2021)
1402. Queen Margrete is ruling Sweden, Norway and Denmark through her adopted son, Erik. But a conspiracy is in the making and Margrete finds herself in an impossible dilemma that could shatter her life’s work: the Kalmar Union.
Starring Trine Dyrholm, Søren Malling, Jakob Oftebro.
Rated 18+
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Season 5)
After burning bridges and being cut from tour, Midge Maisel persisted through Season Four, rebuilding her career and reputation. The final moments of the season culminated with Midge leaving Carnegie Hall reinvigorated and ready to weather any blizzard. After an epiphany in front ofThe Gordon Ford Show’s snowy billboard, Midge is ready to “Go forward” and fight for her ascent to stardom—equipped with her quick wit and sharp tongue, and nothing else to lose.
In the fifth and final season, Midge finds herself closer than ever to the success she’s dreamed of, only to discover that closer than ever is still so far away.
Read The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: A History
Starring Rachel Brosnahan, Tony Shalhoub, Alex Borstein, Marin Hinkle, Michael Zegen, Kevin Pollak, Caroline Aaron, Reid Scott, Alfie Fuller, Jason Ralph.
Rated 16+
Coming April 14 with a three-episode premiere and new episodes weekly.
School Ties (1992)
When David Greene receives a football scholarship to a prestigious prep school in the 1950s, he feels pressure to hide the fact that he is Jewish from his classmates and teachers, fearing that they may be anti-Semitic. He quickly becomes the big man on campus thanks to his football skills, but when his Jewish background is discovered, his worst fears are realized and his friends turn on him with public ridicule.
Starring Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Chris O’Donnell.
Rated PG-13
Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson meet as boys in an English Boarding school. Holmes is known for his deductive ability even as a youth, amazing his classmates with his abilities. When they discover a plot to murder a series of British business men by an Egyptian cult, they move to stop it.
Starring Nicholas Rowe, Alan Cox, Sophie Ward.
Rated PG-13
The following period-set movies and series (and period-inspired titles) are also newly available and included with your Prime membership or with Freeevee in April 2023. Click on the titles for more information, to watch trailers where available, and to start streaming full movies or episodes:
The Joy Luck Club (1993), Forest Gump (1994), Aviator (2004), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), The Magnificent Seven (1960), The Two Faces of January (2014), The Night of the Hunter (1955), Dangerous Liaisons (2012), The Legend of Ben Hall (2017), Assassination (2015), The Last of the Mohicans (1920), Morning Glory (1993), Racing with the Moon (1984), My Louisiana Sky (2001), The Yellow Wallpaper (2022).
Also watch episode 1 of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (Season 1) for free for a limited time.
Fans of “When Calls the Heart” will be interested in When Hope Calls (Season 1).
Period Dramas Added in May 2023
Newly available historical, costume and period dramas (movies and TV series) that are included with your Prime Video membership, or can be watched for free with ads on Freevee (formerly IMDb TV).
Delicious (2021)
France, 1789, just before the Revolution. With the help of a surprising young woman, a chef who has been sacked by his master finds the strength to free himself from his position as a servant and opens the first restaurant.
Starring Gregory Gadebois, Isabelle Carre, Benjamin Lavernhe.
Rated 13+
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (Season 1)
In 1920s Melbourne, the Honorable Phryne Fisher is a thoroughly modern woman operating in a mostly male world. The glamorous “lady detective” goes about her work with a pistol close at hand–and, more often than not, a male admirer even closer.
Starring Nathan Page, Essie Davis, Ashleigh Cummings.
Rated 13+
The New Nurses (Season 1)
The year is 1952. Denmark is experiencing a great shortage of nurses, and therefore the headmistress at Fredenslund Hospital has started a controversial trial. For the first time, the hospital will also be training men. This Danish language series is also known as “Sygeplejeskolen.”
Starring Jens Jørn Spottag, Molly Blixt Egelind, Jesper Groth.
Rated TV-14
Reign (Seasons 1 – 4)
Hidden between the lines of the history books is the story of Mary Stuart, the young woman the world would come to know as Mary, Queen of Scots. The teenage Mary is already a headstrong monarch – beautiful, passionate and poised at the very beginning of her tumultuous rise to power. While royal conspiracies, sexual intrigue and mysterious dark forces lurk around every castle corner, Mary struggles to rule her heart’s conflicting passions and make the right decisions as she prepares to become queen. Politics, passion and duty make for thrilling drama.
Starring Adelaide Kane, Megan Follows, Celina Sinden, Torrance Coombs.
Rated 13+
The Tudors (Seasons 1 – 4)
This historical costume drama presents the rarely dramatized, tumultuous early years of King Henry VIII’s nearly 40-year, omnipotent reign (1509-1547) of England. In addition to his famous female consorts and 20+ year marriage to Catherine of Aragon and the infamous dalliance with Anne Boleyn, the series delves into Henry’s most notable political relationship and the deconstruction of the Roman Catholic Church in England.
Starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill, Anthony Brophy.
Rated TV-MA
War & Peace (2016)
Adapted by leading screenwriter Andrew Davies, “War & Peace” is a modern take on one of the most famous stories of all time. In 1805 when we first meet Pierre, Natasha, and Andrei, they are all part of St Petersburg s glittering elite, but are fired-up with youthful ambition to find meaning in their lives. Kind-hearted but awkward Pierre, the illegitimate son of Russia s richest man, wants to change the world for the better. Handsome and gallant Andrei, frustrated with the superficiality of his life, seeks a purpose, while the beautiful and spirited Natasha is searching for true love. At the same time Napoleon’s army edges ever closer to Russia’s borders. As everything they thought they knew is questioned, Pierre, Andrei and Natasha find themselves in a time when Russian society is about to change forever.
Starring Paul Dano, Lily James, James Norton.
Rated TV-14
The following period-set movies and series (and period-inspired titles) are also newly available and included with your Prime membership or with Freeevee in May 2023. Click on the titles for more information, to watch trailers where available, and to start streaming full movies or episodes:
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), Shutter Island (2010), The Black Stallion (1979), The Doors (1991), The Quiet Man (1952), A Beautiful Mind (2002), Amistad (1997), Creation (2012), Serena (2015), The Legend & Butterfly (2023), Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn (2014), Effigy: Poison and the City (2023).
Also see the partially period Man in an Orange Shirt, shown on MASTERPIECE.
In to period-set horror? Try Mad at the Moon (1992) or The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death (2014).
Also see the period-inspired Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason (2004) and Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016).
For a limited time, watch episode 1 of the PBS MASTERPIECE period dramas Mrs. Wilson and Breathless for free.
On Freevee: Lee Daniels’ the Butler (2013), Of Mice and Men (1992). May 21: The Monuments Men (2014).
Period Dramas New to Prime Video Channels
This section contains period dramas added in March, April, and May 2023 (movies and TV series) that are included with add-on Prime Video Channels. If you don’t already subscribe to the channel, click the link on the film title to sign up for a free trial.
BBC Select: The Last Days of Anne Boleyn (2013)
BBC Select: Philippa Gregory’s The Real White Queen and Her Rivals (2013)
BritBox: The Confessions of Frannie Langton (Season 1)
FlixLatino: Mujer saliendo del mar (2018)
HBO Max: Perry Mason (Season 2)
Paramount+: 1923 (Season 1)
Paramount+: Babylon (2022)
PBS Masterpiece: Marie Antoinette (Season 1)
PBS Masterpiece: Sanditon (Season 3)
PBS Masterpiece: Tom Jones (Season 1)
PBS Masterpiece: Wind in the Willows (1988)
Starz: The Serpent Queen (Season 1)
New Period Dramas to Rent
This section contains period dramas added in March, April, and May 2023 (movies and TV series) that are newly available to rent on Prime Video, or have had a significant price drop. Click on the titles for trailers and descriptions, and to add films to to your watchlist.
Dreamland (2019) Read our REVIEW
The Favourite (2018) Read our REVIEW
The Gilded Age (Season 1) Price drop – Read about the real people and places
Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)
New Period Drama DVD Releases
This section contains a selection of historical, costume, and period dramas and other titles of interest that are being released this season to DVD and Blu-ray.
Miss Scarlet & the Duke (Season 3)
Other Shows You May Also Like
This section contains a curated list of movies and TV series newly included on Prime, that are NOT period dramas. We think fans of period and costume dramas will enjoy them just the same. Follow the links to watch the trailers. You may also like:
Available in March: March 1: The Wedding Planner (2001). March 3: Daisy Jones and the Six (2023). March 9: The Last Bus (2021). March 10: The Apartment (1960). March 15: I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007), June Again (2021).
Available in April: April 1: Life of Pi (2012), The Breakfast Club (1985), Moonlight and Valentino (1995), Keeping the Faith (2000), We’re No Angels (1989). April 28: Ticket to Paradise (2022).
Available in May: May 1: Babe (1995), Babel (2006), Dallas Buyers Club (2013), Failure to Launch (2006), Leap Year (2010), Mamma Mia! (2008), The Terminal (2004), The Wiz (1978), Thelma & Louise (1991), They Might Be Giants (1971), Freaks and Geeks (1999).
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to see The Period Films List, with the best British period dramas, historical and costume movies and TV series sorted by era.
E. Minars
July 2, 2023 at 2:11 pm (10 months ago)looking forward to watching suggested series.