 |
| Best Shows Like A Tale of Two Cities to Watch Next |
If A Tale of Two Cities (2026) left you wanting another period drama filled with complicated loyalties, forbidden affection, political turmoil and characters whose lives become tangled in events far bigger than themselves, there is plenty to watch next.
The four-part BBC One and MGM+ adaptation brings Charles Dickens’ famous story into a tense television setting, balancing romance, social upheaval and personal sacrifice without letting its historical backdrop completely swallow the characters. Fortunately, viewers do not have to wait for another literary adaptation to find that combination again.
Shows Like A Tale of Two Cities
1. The Serpent Queen (2022)
The Serpent Queen follows Catherine de Medici, a young woman who enters the French royal court and gradually learns how to survive its endless political manoeuvring. Like A Tale of Two Cities, it places personal relationships against a France increasingly shaped by conflict, inequality and ruthless power struggles. The difference is that Catherine is less interested in waiting for destiny to knock and considerably more interested in answering the door herself.
2. The Winter King (2023)
The Winter King reimagines the legend of King Arthur through a grounded historical lens, following divided kingdoms, competing loyalties and individuals attempting to survive a deeply unstable world.
It shares the Dickens adaptation's interest in how ordinary emotions become complicated when society itself is falling apart. There are battles, betrayals and political manoeuvring aplenty, although nobody should expect London and Paris to remain the main attractions.
3. The Luminaries (2020)
Set in 19th-century New Zealand, The Luminaries follows Anna Wetherell after she arrives in a new land and becomes caught in a mystery involving money, identity, romance and deception.
Its period setting and intricate relationships make it a strong choice for viewers who enjoyed the layered storytelling of A Tale of Two Cities. Both series understand that one seemingly innocent encounter can create consequences that refuse to stay conveniently small.
4. Poldark (2015)
Poldark centres on Ross Poldark, who returns to Cornwall after the American Revolutionary War and finds his family, finances and romantic prospects in considerable disarray.
Like A Tale of Two Cities, it combines romance with class divisions and major political and social changes. It also has the sort of sweeping historical atmosphere that makes modern problems look almost charmingly manageable.
5. The Crimson Field (2014)
The Crimson Field moves the action to a field hospital during the First World War, following nurses and patients whose lives become intertwined amid an increasingly difficult conflict.
While the setting is very different, the emotional structure will feel familiar to A Tale of Two Cities viewers: personal sacrifices, divided loyalties and relationships tested by events nobody can control. The drama keeps its attention firmly on the people rather than simply treating history as decorative wallpaper.
6. War & Peace (2016)
The BBC's War & Peace adapts Leo Tolstoy's enormous novel into a sweeping period drama about love, family, ambition and war in early 19th-century Russia. Its characters are constantly forced to make deeply personal decisions while history marches rather loudly around them. Fans of A Tale of Two Cities should appreciate the similarly grand scale, emotional intensity and sense that nobody's private life is ever truly private when a country is changing.
7. Les Misérables (2018)
Les Misérables is perhaps one of the most obvious next watches for anyone drawn to the political and emotional weight of A Tale of Two Cities. Set against revolutionary France and its aftermath, the BBC drama follows Jean Valjean, Javert, Fantine and a wider group of characters whose lives collide through injustice, loyalty and sacrifice. Both stories ask what people owe one another when society has become profoundly unequal, although neither makes the question particularly easy to answer.
8. The English Game (2020)
The English Game explores the origins of modern football through two men from very different social backgrounds whose lives become connected by the sport. Beneath the matches is a story about class, changing social structures and people challenging the expectations placed upon them. That makes it surprisingly compatible with A Tale of Two Cities, particularly for viewers interested in stories where social divisions shape almost every personal relationship.
9. The Living and the Dead (2016)
Set in Victorian Somerset, The Living and the Dead follows Nathan Appleby, a landowner whose attempt to restore his family's estate becomes complicated by increasingly strange events. The series mixes period drama with mystery and psychological tension, creating an atmosphere that feels distinctly different from A Tale of Two Cities but similarly committed to damaged characters and troubled relationships. It is the choice for viewers who want their historical drama with a little more uncertainty lurking around the corner.
10. The Pursuit of Love (2021)
The Pursuit of Love follows cousins Linda Radlett and Fanny Logan as they search for love, independence and fulfilment in a society that has very specific ideas about how women should behave. Although it takes place much later than A Tale of Two Cities, both dramas use romance to explore social expectations and the restrictions placed on individuals by their surroundings. It is lighter and sharper in tone, but beneath the wit is plenty of emotional chaos.
11. Victoria (2016)
Victoria charts the early reign of Queen Victoria, including her relationship with Prince Albert, her growing responsibilities and the political pressures surrounding the monarchy. Like A Tale of Two Cities, it combines intimate relationships with a broader portrait of a society undergoing major transformation. The drama also understands the useful historical rule that falling in love is considerably more complicated when an entire country appears to have an opinion about it.
12. The Miniaturist (2017)
The Miniaturist is set in 17th-century Amsterdam, where Nella Brandt enters a wealthy household and begins receiving mysterious miniature objects that appear to reveal secrets about the people around her. Its themes of marriage, social control, hidden identities and power make it an intriguing companion to A Tale of Two Cities. Both stories place characters inside rigid societies where appearances matter enormously, which is unfortunate because appearances are usually where the trouble begins.
13. Taboo (2017)
Taboo follows James Delaney, who returns to London after years abroad to claim an inheritance and becomes embroiled in political and commercial conflicts. The series has a much darker and more mysterious edge, but its combination of historical tension, class divisions, dangerous alliances and personal revenge makes it a natural recommendation. Fans who enjoyed the political atmosphere surrounding A Tale of Two Cities may find plenty to sink their teeth into here.
14. The Alienist (2018)
Set in 1890s New York, The Alienist follows a small group investigating a series of disturbing crimes while confronting the city's rigid social structures and political institutions. Its setting is far removed from revolutionary France, yet its central appeal is similar: historical drama used as a window into a society under pressure. Viewers who liked the darker political and investigative elements of A Tale of Two Cities may find this a compelling change of scenery.
15. Gentleman Jack (2019)
Gentleman Jack centres on Anne Lister, an ambitious landowner in 19th-century Yorkshire determined to take control of her finances, property and future. The series combines romance, class tensions, family politics and social change, making it a strong option for viewers who enjoy character-driven historical dramas. Like Lucie Manette, Anne refuses to simply stand around while other people decide what her life should look like.
16. The Empress (2022)
The Empress follows Elisabeth of Austria, known as Sisi, as she enters the imperial court and discovers that royal life involves rather more political pressure than the fairy-tale version would suggest. The series shares A Tale of Two Cities' interest in individuals caught between personal feelings and powerful institutions. Romance is important, but so are family expectations, political tensions and the question of how much freedom anyone really has inside an unforgiving social hierarchy.
17. The Essex Serpent (2022)
The Essex Serpent follows Cora Seaborne, a recently widowed woman who travels to Essex after hearing rumours about a mysterious creature. Her arrival draws her into a complicated relationship with local communities, science, faith and personal belief. Like A Tale of Two Cities, it uses a period setting to explore people struggling against the assumptions of their era, while its slow-burning emotional story gives the characters room to become considerably more complicated than they first appear.
18. North & South (2004)
North & South follows Margaret Hale, who moves from the rural south of England to the industrial north and encounters John Thornton, a wealthy mill owner with very different views about class and society.
Their relationship develops alongside tensions between workers and industrialists, giving the romance a strong social dimension. For viewers who liked the class conflict and emotional restraint of A Tale of Two Cities, this remains one of the most fitting choices.
19. The Paradise (2012)
The Paradise is set inside a grand Victorian department store and follows Denise Lovett, a young woman whose arrival changes the dynamics among employees and wealthy customers.
Beneath the romance is a story about social mobility, ambition, changing commerce and the clash between old and new ways of life. It is less turbulent than A Tale of Two Cities, but it shares the fascination with a society being transformed while its characters try desperately to keep up.
20. The Red Sleeve (2021)
The Red Sleeve is a Korean historical romance centred on Yi San, a future king, and Deok-im, a court lady who values her independence. Their relationship develops within a rigid royal environment where duty repeatedly clashes with personal feelings.
Although culturally and historically distinct from A Tale of Two Cities, both dramas place love under enormous pressure and ask whether personal happiness can survive when duty inevitably comes knocking.
21. My Dearest (2023)
My Dearest follows Lee Jang-hyun and Yoo Gil-chae as their relationship unfolds during the upheaval surrounding the Qing invasion of Joseon. War, separation, changing loyalties and survival repeatedly reshape their lives. Like A Tale of Two Cities, the drama makes history intensely personal, showing how large political events can transform ordinary relationships and force people to make choices they never expected to face.
22. The Crowned Clown (2019)
The Crowned Clown centres on a performer who is brought into the royal palace because he bears an uncanny resemblance to the king. What begins as an unusual arrangement develops into a story of political manoeuvring, identity, loyalty and personal sacrifice. Fans of A Tale of Two Cities may enjoy its emphasis on characters forced to navigate dangerous institutions while trying to hold on to their humanity.
23. The Long Song (2018)
The Long Song is set in 19th-century Jamaica and follows July, a woman navigating life during the final years of slavery and the changing society that follows. The drama combines family, romance, social inequality and historical upheaval through a deeply personal story. Like A Tale of Two Cities, it places individual lives against enormous social change and explores how people attempt to find dignity, connection and hope when the world around them is being remade.
The appeal of A Tale of Two Cities is clearly not limited to its Dickens connection. Its mixture of historical tension, romance, class conflict, political upheaval, family bonds and personal sacrifice gives viewers several different reasons to become invested, which also explains why reactions can vary.
Some fans may be most interested in Sydney Carton and his emotional journey, while others will prefer the historical backdrop, Lucie and Darnay's relationship or the wider conflict between London and Paris. That makes the best follow-up dependent on which part of the miniseries grabbed you most.
If the emotional sacrifice was what stayed with you, Les Misérables, My Dearest and North & South are particularly strong places to start. If the political tension and social divisions were more your thing, The Serpent Queen, War & Peace, Taboo and The Crowned Clown should move higher up the queue. And if it was simply the pleasure of getting completely lost in an elaborate period drama that did the trick, there is enough here to keep your next few evenings dangerously well occupied. Which of these shows would you put at the top of your watchlist, and which historical drama do you think deserves a spot on this list?