The Georgian Era in English history is the time period between 1714 to 1830 and has been named after the four King Georges who ruled over the throne of Britain during those years, one after the other. In comparison with the present day, the Georgian Era can appear as almost a surreal time with social norms and lifestyle that can appear to be almost unrealistic in the fast paced life of today.
As much as the Georgian Era has proven to be different from the contemporary world, a deeper study of the people of those times reveals that somewhere these times are related to our own. Probably this is the reason that the life of the 18th century has attracted many people and some of them have also made attempts to capture that life on screen.
There are a number of television series and films that have attempted to capture the feel of the Georgian Era for the audience of the modern day. However not all of them were able to make a mark, there are some shows that have captured the essence of the Georgian Era almost with perfection. If you also want to have a taste of the life of 18th century England, these are the TV series that you can refer to:
Table of Contents
Poldark
Sea voyages were considered very adventurous in the Georgian Era when the sailors in Britain were navigating the earth to find all the places that existed on it. Besides, it was also the only medium available to travel to India and Africa, which were the most precious colonies of the British.
Poldark is a story of a redcoat sailor working with the British Navy who returns to his homeland after the American Revolutionary War. As he returns, he finds that his personal life has been upturned and a series of events unfold as he tries to make the necessary amends.
Harlots
One of the things that the Georgians are famous for is the brothels of that time. These places housed some of the biggest secrets of those times because the social norms didn’t forbid men of the upper social classes to visit prostitutes.
Harlots in a 2017 TV series that shows the drama and the politics that used to happen in the brothels of the 18th century. A viewer can get exposed to an entire sub culture that was a part of the Georgian era society in this show where brothel owners fight for customers. besides the interesting plot, the beautiful costumes of the characters are also worth noticing in this series.
Taboo
Taboo is another story that tells about the personal struggles that sailors had to go through after their long voyages. This series is about such a sailor who returns to England after being in Africa for many years. Upon his return, he is expected to inherit the shipping business of his father who had died mysteriously.
Taboo is not a TV series that people can watch to have an insight into the social construct of the Georgian Era. Instead, it deals with the deeper politics of those times. As the protagonist investigates the death of his father, many interesting facts unravel which keep the viewer engaged. Tom Hardy plays the lead role and is an absolute delight to watch in his character.
Outlander
Outlander is one of the most popular TV series about the Georgian Era, even though it is not based in that time. The series is about time travel in which a couple from the present times are mysteriously transported 200 years back. The couple lands up in 18th century England where the show takes the viewers to that time as well.
As they reach the 8th century, the couples experience a different world around them. Unfortunately for them, they are forced to live there and in order to make their lives less miserable, they have to adjust to and even learn the ways of this environment. The story moves ahead gradually, mixing the present with the past and revealing how the difference of centuries do not change the basic nature of humans.
Banished
One of the biggest problems that the government had during the Georgian Era was the prisoners and the prisons. Crime rate was very high in the society because of the wide economic gap and the prisons available were not good enough to eliminate the crime from the society. In order to solve this problem, the authorities came up with the idea of banishing the criminals and sending them to stranded islands.
Banished is a story of people on one such island. The series reveals the physical and mental damages that these places could do to the criminals. The characters are on an isolated island, on their own, and fight each other for survival. There are many depressing scenes of rapes, murders and abuse against both men and women and their constant struggle to live for another day. Certainly, this one is not for the faint hearted.
