The lavish production behind the Netflix series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar has audiences enthralled with the style, sets, and costumes involved in this historical period drama. If you are going to bring us such a show, it has to look and feel right, with extra attention to the characters and locations. So here are five TV shows like it that I believe you should watch.
5 TV Shows Like Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar
Bridgerton (2020)
Chris Van Dusen takes the novels of Julia Quinn and brings us all the drama, backbiting, and scandal of London in 1813, right at the start of the Regency period. Like Heeramandi, the show excels in providing viewers with extravagant set pieces and keeps us hooked on the family affairs of the Bridgerton siblings, who schmooze and glide through the upper echelons of London’s High Society. The show was a massive hit, becoming the number-one watched series on Netflix in 82 countries. Now that’s scandalous.
Bombay Begums (2021)
Bombay Begums (Credit – Netflix)
Although not a period piece, this show still manages to look and feel lavish, and the themes of the show puts it here on my list. Just like Heeramandi, Bombay Begums has an ensemble cast of characters, and their stories all dovetail together as we follow their lives in Mumbai. The strong female-led cast mirrors our featured show as we see their triumphs and tragedies against the patriarchal-led obstacles that they face.
Harlots (2017)
Harlots (Credit – BBC)
The salaciously named period drama Harlot shares a lot with Heeramandi. It follows a strong female cast in a period setting, this time 18th-century London, and focuses on the scandal that surrounds two rival brothels.
Based on the novel by Hallie Rubenhold, The Covent Garden Ladies, the series has a lot in common, although the cultural differences are apparent. The show was a hit in its native UK before being picked up by Hulu, with the BBC then acquiring rights to screen it, which is rare in the UK. The show managed to run for an impressive three seasons, and there are twenty-four episodes in total if you want to check it out.
Wolf Hall (2015)
Wolf Hall (Credit – BBC)
The BBC was also behind the sensational adaptation of two of Hilary Mantel’s novels, Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies, which focus on Thomas Cromwell, rising from his lowly beginning in life and being involved in the political machinations of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey.
With Henry VIII in power, we see how Cromwell uses his influence to rise through the ranks, with the first season ending with the tragic execution of Anne Boleyn and season two picking up with Henry marrying Jane Seymour as Cromwell continues his rise in power.
The two series that were produced would cover the three books that had been written by Mantel. The show was hugely expensive to produce, with the crew making sure that every detail was meticulously researched and that critical response was very favorable. This is a great example of this kind of TV show.
Versailles (2015)
Versailles (Credit – Capa Drama)
Here is another look at a period drama set in a specific time zone that excels in its representation of opulent extravagance. This time, we are in 17th-century France during the time of Louis XIV, who was in the process of building the Palace of Versailles.
Of course, the show is filled with devious and ambitious characters embarking on all kinds of underhanded relationships as the nobility of France starts to rebel against the country’s royalty. The show was the most expensive TV series that French TV had ever produced at the time and lasted for, you guessed it, three seasons before being canceled.
