Period Dramas Draw TV Viewers

Written by Jon Williams

Based on a series of memoirs by Jennifer Worth, the hit TV show Call the Midwife focuses on a group of midwives and nuns working at Nonnatus House, a convent in post-WWII London. The show debuted to high ratings in 2012, and it has steadily gained popularity ever since. The sixth season currently airing on PBS (it concluded in March on BBC One in the UK) takes place in 1962 and sees the first effects of the cultural changes that took place in that tumultuous decade.

This sixth season is notable for another reason, as it will be the last as a series regular for Ben Caplan. The actor, who previously starred in HBO’s World War II drama Band of Brothers, has played policeman Peter Noakes since Call the Midwife’s first season in 2012. He’s looking to add some more variety to his acting career, but fans can rest easy. With the show already renewed through Season 9, Caplan is certain that his character will resurface somewhere down the line. The same is true of another fan-favorite that left the series previously. Miranda Hart, who played Sgt. Noakes’s wife Chummy, left the show after Season 4. Like Caplan’s character, a reappearance for Chummy is not out of the question for the show’s future.

British period dramas are very popular for PBS right now. The trend got rolling with Downton Abbey, which ran for six seasons beginning (on PBS) in 2011. That show was both critically acclaimed and very popular, leading the way for the current wave of shows, including Call the Midwife. The series Poldark follows a man returning to the shattered remains of his former life in Cornwall following America’s Revolutionary War. Beginning in 2015, it’s an update of a 1975 BBC series, and both are based on a series of novels by Winston Graham. Beginning earlier this year, Victoria details the early life of the UK’s long-serving queen. Former Doctor Who companion Jenna Coleman plays the role of the queen in question, and there’s also a companion novel by show creator Daisy Goodwin.

Of course, the phenomenon isn’t limited to just PBS. With the popularity of these shows and others like them, it’s no surprise that the streaming services have jumped in to bring some to their audiences as well. When the show Ripper Street was threatened with cancellation after its second season, it was picked up by Amazon Video in the UK (the series has been available on BBC America in North America). Focusing on the aftermath of Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror, the recently concluded sixth season was the show’s last. Still in progress, on the other hand, is Peaky Blinders, a show about a criminal organization in the days after World War I. The first three seasons are available from Netflix in the US, and at least two more seasons are in the offing.

This is just a small sampling of the period dramas that are so popular right now. TV lovers will love to see these in your library so they can check them out and binge-watch, and that’s especially true for shows on cable and streaming services, which everyone may not have access to. What’s popular in your library right now? Let us know your patrons’ current favorites in the comments section below.

Hot This Week: April 24

Five new movies crack this week's hot list, led by the first standalone Star Wars film in the top spot. In music, the Chainsmokers' new release bumps Ed Sheeran from the top spot, with three other albums also debuting. Star Wars shows up again on the fiction list, with the long-awaited backstory of Grand Admiral Thrawn placing author Timothy Zahn at #2. In non-fiction, two new titles explore the divinity of Jesus Christ and the state of the American healthcare system.

DVD

1. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
2. Collateral Beauty
3. Office Christmas Party
4. Monster Trucks
5. Lion
6. Patriots Day
7. Moana
8. Passengers 
9. War on Everyone
10. Trolls

CD

1. The Chainsmokers, Memories...Do Not Open
2. Ed Sheeran, Divide
3. Pentatonix, PTX Vol. IV
4. Joey Bada$$, All-Amerikkkan Bada$$
5. Bruno Mars, 24K Magic
6. Moana Soundtrack
7. Father John Misty, Pure Comedy
8. Beauty and the Beast Soundtrack
9. Migos, Culture
10. The Weeknd, Starboy

Fiction

1. The Black Book, James Patterson and David Ellis
2. Star Wars: Thrawn, Timothy Zahn
3. All by Myself, Alone, Mary Higgins Clark
4. One Perfect Lie, Lisa Scottoline
5. The Burial Hour, Jeffery Deaver
6. Two from the Heart, James Patterson, Frank Constantini, Emily Raymond, and Brian Sitts
7. Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman
8. Song of the Lion, Anne Hillerman
9. The Lost Order, Steve Berry
10. Mississippi Blood, Greg Iles

Non-Fiction

1. Old School, Bill O'Reilly and Bruce Feirstein
2. Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance
3. Hallelujah Anyway, Anne Lamott
4. The True Jesus, David Limbaugh
5. Killing the Rising Sun, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
6. An American Sickness, Elisabeth Rosenthal
7. The Most Beautiful, Mayte Garcia
8. The Book of Joy, Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu
9. When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi
10. The Magnolia Story, Chip and Joanna Gaines

Hot This Week: April 17

We may have just passed the Easter weekend, but it's a Christmas-themed movie atop this week's movie list with the ensemble comedy Office Christmas Party. Heavy metal masters Mastodon land their new album at #5 on the music chart while Ed Sheeran spends another week at #1. Four new novels debut this week in fiction, and that number is topped by the five new titles in non-fiction.

DVD

1. Office Christmas Party
2. Patriots Day
3. Moana
4. Passengers
5. Trolls
6. Doctor Strange
7. Jackie
8. Hacksaw Ridge
9. Fences
10. Shut In

CD

1. Ed Sheeran, Divide
2. Bruno Mars, 24K Magic
3. Beauty and the Beast Soundtrack
4. Moana Soundtrack
5. Mastodon, Emperor of Sand
6. Migos, Culture
7. MercyMe, Lifer
8. The Weeknd, Starboy
9. Miranda Lambert, The Weight of These Wings
10. Keith Urban, Ripcord

Fiction

1. The Black Book, James Patterson and David Ellis
2. All by Myself, Alone, Mary Higgins Clark
3. The Chosen, J.R. Ward
4. The Lost Order, Steve Berry
5. Mississippi Blood, Greg Iles
6. Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman
7. The Women in the Castle, Jessica Shattuck
8. If Not for You, Debbie Macomber
9. A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles
10. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, Lisa See

Non-Fiction

1. Old School, Bill O'Reilly and Bruce Feirstein
2. Hallelujah Anyway, Anne Lamott
3. The Most Beautiful, Mayte Garcia
4. Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance
5. Nevertheless, Alec Baldwin
6. Ballplayer, Chipper Jones and Carroll R. Walton
7. Killing the Rising Sun, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
8. Prince Charles, Sally Bedell Smith
9. The Magnolia Story, Chip and Joanna Gaines
10. When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi

Hot This Week: April 10

Two new movies make this week's list, led by the Peter Berg-directed depiction of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and its aftermath. Trey Songz brings his latest album to the music chart, where it debuts at #2. Perennial bestseller James Patterson's latest collaborative novel tops the fiction list, while in non-fiction, a new title from Fox News host Bill O'Reilly claims the top spot.

DVD

1. Patriots Day
2. Passengers
3. Moana
4. Trolls
5. Doctor Strange
6. Shut In
7. Hacksaw Ridge
8. Fences
9. Nocturnal Animals
10. Masterminds

CD

1. Ed Sheeran, Divide
2. Trey Songz, Tremaine the Album
3. Beauty and the Beast Soundtrack
4. Metallica, Hardwired...To Self-Destruct
5. Bruno Mars, 24K Magic
6. Moana Soundtrack
7. Rick Ross, Rather You Than Me
8. The Weeknd, Starboy
9. Migos, Culture
10. Khalid, American Teen

Fiction

1. The Black Book, James Patterson and David Ellis
2. Mississippi Blood, Greg Iles
3. Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman
4. Vicious Circle, C.J. Box
5. If Not for You, Debbie Macomber
6. The Women in the Castle, Jessica Shattuck
7. Dangerous Games, Danielle Steel
8. The Cutthroat, Clive Cussler and Justin Scott
9. Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders
10. A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles

Non-Fiction

1. Old School, Bill O'Reilly and Bruce Feirstein
2. Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance
3. Killing the Rising Sun, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
4. A Colony in a Nation, Chris Hayes
5. The Cubs Way, Tom Verducci
6. Portraits of Courage, George W. Bush
7. The Magnolia Story, Chip and Joanna Gaines
8. Big Agenda, David Horowitz
9. Trump's War, Michael Savage
10. Born a Crime, Trevor Noah

Hot This Week: April 3

Two new movies make this week's list, led by Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt in Passengers, which can't quite overtake Moana for #1. It's another week for Ed Sheeran atop the music chart, where he's followed by the new release from Rick Ross. There's a lot for audiobook lovers to be excited about as six new novels make their debuts on the fiction list, and two fascinating accounts make the list in non-fiction.

DVD

1. Moana
2. Passengers
3. Trolls
4. Doctor Strange
5. Nocturnal Animals
6. Solace
7. Hacksaw Ridge
8. Fences
9. Masterminds
10. Arrival

CD

1. Ed Sheeran, Divide
2. Rick Ross, Rather You Than Me
3. Beauty and the Beast Soundtrack
4. Depeche Mode, Spirit
5. Bruno Mars, 24K Magic
6. Moana Soundtrack
7. The Weeknd, Starboy
8. Elevation Worship, There Is a Cloud
9. Trolls Soundtrack
10. Big Sean, I Decided.

Fiction

1. Mississippi Blood, Greg Iles
2. Vicious Circle, C.J. Box
3. If Not for You, Debbie Macomber
4. Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman
5. The Cutthroat, Clive Cussler and Justin Scott
6. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, Lisa See
7. Dangerous Games, Danielle Steel
8. Mangrove Lightning, Randy Wayne White
9. The Devil's Triangle, Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison
10. Man Overboard, J.A. Jance

Non-Fiction

1. Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance
2. A Colony in a Nation, Chris Hayes
3. Trump's War, Michael Savage
4. Killing the Rising Sun, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
5. Portraits of Courage, George W. Bush
6. Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari
7. The Magnolia Story, Chip and Joanna Gaines
8. The Stranger in the Woods, Michael Finkel
9. The Book of Joy, Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu
10. When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi