Bridgerton’s back, wildly unconventional literary adaptations are all the rage and an Austen takeover is imminent—for the period drama obsessives among us, 2026 will be a year to remember. These are the seven releases to catch, on screens big and small.
Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials
In slippery cocktail dresses, creamy knits, tweed and checked cloche hats, How to Have Sex’s captivating, BAFTA-winning Mia McKenna-Bruce is the whip-smart, elegant, gin-swilling Bundle (full name: Lady Eileen Brent), a gal about town in ’20s London whose life is upturned when a wild party sets off a murderous chain of events. She’s accompanied by Martin Freeman, Queen Charlotte’s Corey Mylchreest, My Lady Jane’s Edward Bluemel and Kaos’s Nabhaan Rizwan, all in sharp suiting, plus an eccentric, bohemian Helena Bonham Carter as her lavishly-dressed mother. Adapted from the titular national treasure’s The Seven Dials Mystery by Broadchurch’s Chris Chibnall, this is a reassuringly old-school, three-part potboiler of a period drama packed with witty quips and startling twists.
Watch Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials on Netflix from 15 January.
Bridgerton: Season 4
On the costuming front, Jess Brownell’s ravishing period piece ups the ante every season. This time around, we will, of course, see the likes of Nicola Coughlan, Claudia Jessie, Simone Ashley, Adjoa Andoh and Golda Rosheuvel in eye-popping jewels, feathers and intricately-embroidered frocks. But, there is also the added excitement that accompanies new arrivals to the Ton: the ethereal Yerin Ha, for one, as Sophie, the masked debutante who catches the eye of Luke Thompson’s Benedict Bridgerton, the sibling at the centre of this season, in a shimmering, silver-speckled gown. Take also the formidable cast newcomer Katie Leung’s villainous Lady Araminta Gun, in her sleek widow’s garb, as well as the head-spinning ostentatiousness of her daughters (Michelle Mao and Isabella Wei), dripping in diamonds, sequins and Marie Antoinette-esque lace ruffles.
Watch Bridgerton: Season 4 on Netflix from 29 January.
Wuthering Heights
From just two trailers, a handful of stills and a few grainy, long-lens pap shots, double Oscar winner Jacqueline Durran has already generated endless discourse with her delightfully outlandish costumes in Emerald Fennell’s madcap Emily Brontë period drama adaptation. The puff-sleeved wedding dress studded with Chanel jewellery, the funereal black gown with the gold cross, the German milkmaid cosplay, the shiny red latex, the Elton John sunglasses—yes, we’re breathlessly awaiting Margot Robbie’s take on the tormented Cathy, Jacob Elordi’s Yorkshire accent, the mind-boggling set design and the roaring Charli xcx soundtrack, but, in all honesty, the clothes alone will be reason enough to watch.
Watch Wuthering Heights in cinemas from 12 February.
The Bride!
A wild left turn from her delicate, meditative feature debut, The Lost Daughter, this deranged, stylised thriller from Maggie Gyllenhaal is a white-knuckle joy ride through ’30s Chicago. At its centre is Jessie Buckley, a reimagined bride of Frankenstein in floaty silk dresses, shaggy fringe, leather jackets and lace thigh-highs, paired with black, ink-stained lips, a frizzy bob and an inscrutable smirk. Add Christian Bale as the monster, in pinstripe vests; a dapper Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard; and a vampy Penélope Cruz, and you have a mind-melter guaranteed to inspire a wealth of costumes come next Halloween.
Watch The Bride! in cinemas from 5 March.
Sense & Sensibility
Grace Snell, the thoughtful and accomplished costume designer behind The Souvenir, is responsible for the bonnets, empire-waisted gowns, velvet coats and embroidered muffs—glimpsed in the first photos from the set—in this wistful update on one of Jane Austen’s best-loved novels. Following in the vaunted footsteps of Ang Lee’s rain-soaked 1995 version starring the wonderful Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, it’s helmed by Blue Jean’s Georgia Oakley, penned by novelist Diana Reid and features an ensemble led by Daisy Edgar-Jones, Esmé Creed-Miles, Caitríona Balfe, Frank Dillane, George MacKay and Fiona Shaw. It’s poised to be a quieter, more traditional and poetic period drama than many of its showier rivals, certainly, but should be all the better for it.
Watch Sense & Sensibility in cinemas from 11 September.
The Other Bennet Sister
Austen fever continues with this slightly more alternative look at the prolific writer’s world: a spirited adaptation of Janice Hadlow’s page turner of the same name from The Power’s Sarah Quintrell, which turns the spotlight onto none other than Pride & Prejudice’s consistently overlooked middle sister Mary Bennet (Bridgerton’s Ella Bruccoleri). Joined by Richard E Grant, Indira Varma, Ruth Jones and Tanya Reynolds, with The Girlfriend’s Laurie Davidson and The Wheel of Time’s Dónal Finn as prospective suitors, it sees our heroine boldly forge her own path in a society which seeks to relegate her to the sidelines. The costumes, meanwhile, are perhaps a little more serious than in other Austen romps, but no less opulent—think riotously patterned, lace-trimmed coats, feathered hats, silk frocks and heavy, Indian-inspired costume jewellery.
Watch The Other Bennet Sister on the BBC in 2026.
Pride & Prejudice
And then there’s the real thing—Everything I Know About Love’s Dolly Alderton is bringing the classic romance back to life in extraordinary fashion, with the help of Emma Corrin’s steely Elizabeth Bennet, Jack Lowden’s dashing Mr Darcy and Olivia Colman’s flighty Mrs Bennet. The production’s incredible attention to detail is evident from the very first still—note: Elizabeth’s rebelliousness and singular nature coming through in the distinctive cut of her wool coat; or Mary’s individuality visible in her squishy hat and the sloped, unstructured shoulders of her cape; or Lydia’s glamour and ambition shining through in her lemon-coloured ribbon and bright yellow gloves. At this rate, it could very well give Joe Wright’s glorious, gorgeously-costumed 2005 version a run for its money.
Watch Pride & Prejudice on Netflix in 2026.
This story was originally published on British Vogue.
