People always ask us where they can watch this or that historical costume movie or TV show that we’ve reviewed. We do have a handy-dandy FAQ about the topic, and of course you can always just google it. Because when it comes down to the facts, we don’t know where you live, what you’re willing to pay, and what technology you have — all of those things matter when you’re trying to watch a movie or TV show! Availability varies by location and over time as channels change their line-ups, and some things are only available for streaming or on DVD, for example.
That said, we do have access to a bunch of the major streaming services available in the United States, and we scan them regularly for frock flicks to watch. And I thought I’d do a little comparison shopping to see where you can find a good quantity of classic costume dramas to stream right now. So here goes, with these caveats:
- These are more or less big-name streaming services that are widely available in the U.S. for multiple platforms including web, app, and TV.
- The movies/TV shows listed were available on the noted streaming services in the U.S. as of August 2021.
- Yes, some are available on multiple streaming services.
- But some are exclusive to a particular streaming service because that company created the movies/TV, thus they own it and are unlikely to ever share it.
- My definition of “classic frock flick” is arbitrary and mostly consists of movies/TV that we’ve reviewed and liked.
Your mileage may vary!
1. HBO Max
A relative newcomer for streaming but a robust offering! Some of this is due to HBO’s own productions like Gentleman Jack and Elizabeth I, and a few of the older movies are courtesy of the Turner Classic Movies available through this channel.
Frock flicks on HBO Max:
- A Room With a View (1985)
- Barry Lyndon (1975)
- Bessie (2015)
- Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
- Elizabeth I (2005)
- Frida (2002)
- Gentleman Jack (2019)
- Jane Eyre (2006)
- John Adams (2008)
- Malcolm X (1992)
- Marie Antoinette (2006)
- My Brilliant Career (1979)
- Pride and Prejudice (1995)
- Rome (2005-2007)
- Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
- The Color Purple (1985)
- The Last Emperor (1987)
- The Wings of the Dove (1997)
2. BritBox
Lesser-known but a heavy-hitter when it comes to our favorite British period dramas. C’mon, it does what it says on the tin! Get all the old faves right here.
Frock flicks on BritBox:
- All Creatures Great and Small (1978-1980)
- Aristocrats (1999)
- Blackadder (1983-1989)
- Brideshead Revisited (1981)
- Daniel Deronda (2002)
- Downton Abbey (2010-2015)
- Elizabeth R (1971)
- House of Eliott (1991-1992)
- Jane Eyre (2006)
- Lost in Austen (2008)
- Middlemarch (1994)
- North & South (2004)
- Pride and Prejudice (1995)
- The Buccaneers (1995)
- Upstairs, Downstairs (1974-1977)
3. Hulu
This is your stealthy best source for frock flicks, with a mix of older movies, more recent stuff, and a couple outstanding original productions in Harlots and The Great.
Frock flicks on Hulu:
- Blackadder (1983-1989)
- Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
- Daniel Deronda (2002)
- Drunk History (2013-2019)
- Harlots (2017–2019)
- Henry V (1989)
- Jane Eyre (2006)
- Pride and Prejudice (1995)
- The Great (2020-)
- Upstairs, Downstairs (2010-2012)
- Vanity Fair (2004)
- Wilde (1997)
4. Amazon Prime
Two-day shipping, plus a boatload of fine frock flicks makes Jeff Bezos a little richer every minute. #SorryNotSorry
Frock flicks on Amazon Prime:
- Downton Abbey (2010-2015)
- Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights (1992)
- Girl With a Pearl Earring (2003)
- Lady Jane (1986)
- Marie Antoinette (2006)
- Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)
- Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
- Orlando (1993)
- Poldark (2015-2019)
- Romeo and Juliet (1968)
- The Duchess (2008)
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017-)
- To Walk Invisible: The Bronte Sisters (2017)
- Vanity Fair (2018)
5. Netflix
The best-known mega-streamer doesn’t serve up as many classic costume dramas, but it’s doing OK with recent stuff. And its original series like Bridgerton might as well be classics for the massive impact they’ve had.
Frock flicks on Netflix:
- A Little Chaos (2014)
- Bridgerton (2020)
- Cable Girls (2017-2020)
- Call the Midwife (2012-)
- Downton Abbey (2010-2015)
- Howards End (1992)
- My Fair Lady (1964)
- Outlander (2014-2019)
- Peaky Blinders (2013-)
- The Borgias (2011-2013)
- The Danish Girl (2015)
- Versailles (2015-2018)
Bonus: AcornTV
sad trombone I want to love you, Acorn, really I do! But I think you’ve had your lunch eaten by BritBox when it comes to frock flicks. My mom loves Acorn for British and Aussie murder-mysteries but y’all know those are not my cup of tea. However, if you need to watch Miss Fisher’s three seasons on repeat, this is the only place to do so.
Frock flicks on AcornTV:
- I, Claudius (1976)
- Lady Chatterley (1993)
- Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (2012-2015)
My top recommendations for frock-watching are HBO Max and BritBox — where are you watching?
Unfortunately, Hulu isn’t available here in Canada. CraveTV has some good historical shows too :)
Would you be able to access it w/a VPN? I don’t actually know, I just get all the NordVPN ads on YouTube promising that I can watch my favorite BBC shows stealthily.
I resisted the siren song of Amazon Prime as long as I could, but dang it, they have a lot of content. Where else can I buy dog treats and watch Lucy Worsley at the same time? :)
I know, right?!?
This is such a useful guide! Thanks so much for making it.
I knew about Gentleman Jack, but not the other stuff on HBO Max. Thanks for the tip.
I’ve been really pleasantly surprised at how much I find on HBO Max. I watch it more than Netflix these days.
Sign, gonna have to pony up for Acorn for I, Claudius. We had it briefly for the Miss Fisher movie (I love Miss Fisher, but that was a stinker), and then dropped it.
Acorn is having a free 7 day trial! :)
If you live in US or Canada, you can stream I, Claudius FREE thru your library account on Hoopla. https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/11621056
U R a STAR..
This is a swell list, and I appreciate your noting all the shows. Please don’t forget PBS! They have their own streaming service called Passport ($50USD/year), and the money goes straight to public programming! You can watch All Creatures Great and Small, Call the Midwife, and a ton of other Masterpiece shows, NOVA, Frontline, and all the other PBS goodies.
Amazon let’s you watch Passport PBS through Prime, but I don’t totally trust that all the money goes to PBS.
And I understand that BBC lets you stream past shows in the UK. Is that right?
This is just my top 5. I do get PBS Passport bec. I donate to my local station & I can access the app online, thru my Fire TV, thru Roku, etc. However, it doesn’t have a lot of “classics” — it’s better for what’s currently or recently playing on PBS. Also, you’re limited to only what’s been on PBS.
That’s ok. It’ll be on MY top 5.
And I’m sending you a virtual high-five for also donating to your local station. PBS fans!
The BBC iPlayer has what’s on currently on the BBC, and lets you watch that for a while, but it’s not like they have every past show on all the time. I usually use it just for things that I’ve missed, as the normal streaming service I pay here for TV where I watch BBC normally only has a 7-day replay. It’s blocked outside the UK, but can be accessed via MediaHint or a VPN connection. I do pay my normal TV licence and for everything else, so I don’t see why I shouldn’t be able to watch something occasionally that I’ve missed and that’s been over for more than a week. It can happen…
Netflix also has a ton of foreign frock flicks and series. Thieves of the Wood, The Cook of Castamere, Jodhaa Akhbar, etc.
I just started a Russian one called Silver Skates.
Amazon Prime has two Russian mini series on Catherine the Great that I adored.
Ovation, a standard Internet channel. runs Miss Fisher, Murdoch, and many other mystery series, present or past.
Thank you for this! Most of acorns offerings (including Miss Fisher) are also available through hoopla so there’s less and less incentive to subscribe now. In fact when my cable company offered acorn as a weekly sample The only thing I made sure to watch was Pride and prejudice having a ball we seems to be only available in the US on acorn. Oh well!
I’m going to chime in with Le and give a shout out to Hoopla and also to Kanopy. They’re streaming services that I think (?) are exclusive to libraries in the United States. While I can’t name an exhaustive list of films off the top of my head that are available on them, here are a few titles that I can remember and/or are in my queue: The Slipper and The Rose, Elizabeth R, Dancing on the Edge, The Women of Brewster Place, Phantom of the Opera (starring Lon Chaney), lots of Vincent Price movies, lots of Jane Austen adaptations including Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, and so much more. At one time Kanopy had a deep list of vintage horror films. Hoopla’s offerings are extensive. My memory’s a bit fuzzy re Kanopy because it doesn’t play nice with my computer. But both services have surprising finds are are worth investigating. Those services are FREE. Yay. You just need to enroll using your library card. Your library’s webpage should list the various streaming services to which it subscribes. In other words, support your local library! :)
The Jane Eyre show on hbo max is a shortened version. Some scenes are cut out
Netflix also has the Medici series starring Richard Madden (in the first series), as well as various European series such as Cable Girls, the Defeated, Traitors and TURN: Washington’s Spies that was on AMC.
Cable Girls did make my list above. I found the Medici series underwhelming, & Kendra hated TURN, so I didn’t mention them!
The first season of the Medici series on Netflix is the only one I saw. To me, its main flaw was that 90% of the actors were MISCAST. The actors weren’t necessarily bad…but they REALLY weren’t suited to those roles. I loved the first season of TURN. Sadly I didn’t see subsequent seasons because I cut the cord after the end of season 1. Glad to know it’s on Netflix. I understand why it wouldn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who are interested there are at least two Man Candy Monday actors in it–the oh-so yummy JJ Feild and Burn Gorman.