 |
| Shows Like The Doll to Watch Next. |
If The Doll has left you wanting another period drama where romance, wealth, social status and personal ambition collide rather spectacularly, there are plenty of options waiting in the wings. Netflix’s six-episode Polish miniseries, originally titled Lalka, brings Bolesław Prus’s 1890 novel to television through the story of Stanisław Wokulski, a self-made merchant whose pursuit of Izabela Łęcka becomes tangled up with Warsaw’s rigid social hierarchy.
Set in the late 19th century under the Russian partition, the drama mixes romance, class tension and a society slowly being reshaped by money and modern ideas. Naturally, once you finish it, simply staring at the Netflix home screen and hoping another Wokulski appears is not much of a strategy. These 21 shows like The Doll should make the next choice considerably easier.
Shows Like THE DOLL (2026)
1. My Brilliant Friend (2018)
Based on Elena Ferrante’s acclaimed Neapolitan novels, My Brilliant Friend follows Elena and Lila as they grow up in post-war Naples while navigating friendship, family expectations, education, romance and social limitations. Like The Doll, it is deeply interested in how class shapes people's choices, with personal ambition constantly running into the walls built by society. It is less focused on aristocratic Warsaw and more on working-class Naples, but that struggle to escape the circumstances of your birth makes the two dramas natural companions.
2. The Gilded Age (2022)
The Gilded Age transports the social warfare to 1880s New York, where established families and newly wealthy industrialists fight over money, influence and acceptance. Sound familiar? Like The Doll, it examines a society caught between old privilege and a rapidly changing economy, with characters discovering that having money does not necessarily mean having a seat at the right table. The costumes are grander, the houses are bigger and everyone seems to have an opinion about everyone else, which is basically period drama mathematics.
3. The Buccaneers (2023)
Based on Edith Wharton’s unfinished novel, The Buccaneers follows a group of wealthy young American women who travel to England and become entangled with the British aristocracy. Its central tension comes from money meeting inherited status, making it particularly appealing after The Doll. Both stories explore relationships shaped by social expectations, wealth and family pressure, while their characters question whether marrying into privilege actually delivers the freedom they were promised.
4. Downton Abbey (2010)
Few period dramas understand the machinery of class quite like Downton Abbey. Set around an English aristocratic estate, the series follows the Crawley family alongside the servants who keep their world functioning as Britain undergoes enormous social and economic changes. Like The Doll, it explores the fading influence of traditional elites and the arrival of new social and financial realities. There is also considerably more tea, dinner-table tension and people having strong opinions about inheritance.
5. The Empress (2022)
The Empress centres on Elisabeth of Austria, known as Sisi, and her complicated entry into imperial life after marrying Emperor Franz Joseph. The series combines romance with the pressures of court society, where personal wishes rarely get priority over tradition. That makes it a strong choice for The Doll viewers who particularly enjoyed the clash between romantic expectations and restrictive social structures. Both dramas understand that beautiful clothes and enormous rooms do not necessarily equal personal freedom.
6. North & South (2004)
BBC’s North & South follows Margaret Hale, a young woman whose life changes after her family moves from the rural south of England to the industrial north. Her relationship with mill owner John Thornton develops alongside conflicts involving class, labour, money and social attitudes. Like The Doll, it places romance inside a much bigger argument about changing society and economic power. The central relationship also has enough tension to keep anyone who enjoys complicated period romances happily occupied.
7. The Paradise (2012)
Set in a Victorian department store, The Paradise follows Denise Lovett as she enters a new world of commerce, ambition and social mobility. The series shares The Doll’s interest in the rise of modern capitalism and the way commercial success begins challenging traditional social structures. Romance is part of the story, but so are ambition, status and the changing role of women. It is essentially a period drama asking what happens when shopping becomes modern business and everyone suddenly has career problems.
8. The Forsyte Saga (2002)
The Forsyte Saga follows a wealthy English family across generations, exploring marriage, inheritance, social expectations and the consequences of putting reputation above personal happiness. Its characters are surrounded by wealth yet frequently discover that money and social position come with their own restrictions. Like The Doll, it is interested in the uncomfortable gap between what society expects and what individuals actually want, particularly when romance enters the equation.
9. Vanity Fair (2018)
Vanity Fair follows Becky Sharp, an ambitious young woman determined to climb the social ladder in Regency-era England. Unlike Wokulski, she does not rely on romantic idealism alone; Becky treats society itself as a game worth mastering.
The connection with The Doll comes through ambition, class mobility, wealth and characters attempting to navigate a world where birth still carries enormous weight. Both dramas also understand that high society can be remarkably entertaining when everyone is pretending everything is perfectly respectable.
10. Belgravia (2020)
Created by Julian Fellowes, Belgravia centres on wealthy families in 19th-century London whose carefully maintained reputations begin to unravel because of old secrets and complicated relationships. Like The Doll, it explores the importance of social standing and the uneasy relationship between established privilege and people whose wealth comes from newer sources. If the aristocratic side of The Doll was what caught your attention, Belgravia offers another beautifully dressed world where everyone has something to protect.
11. Bridgerton (2020)
Bridgerton is considerably more playful than The Doll, but underneath the lavish parties and romance is the same fascination with social hierarchy. The series follows aristocratic families navigating marriage, reputation, wealth and the expectations of London's high society.
Its characters are constantly being judged by the people around them, much like those in The Doll. The difference is that Bridgerton turns the volume up on glamour and romance, because apparently subtlety was unavailable when the costumes were being ordered.
12. Anna Karenina (2012)
The television adaptation of Anna Karenina offers another Russian-era literary drama built around love, marriage, social convention and the pressures imposed by high society. Like The Doll, it is adapted from a major European novel and refuses to treat romance as something happening in isolation from the world around its characters. Both stories show how personal relationships become far more complicated when reputation, wealth and social expectations are involved.
13. War & Peace (2016)
BBC’s War & Peace brings Leo Tolstoy’s enormous novel to television, following several aristocratic families during the Napoleonic Wars. Romance, inheritance, social position and personal ambition all sit alongside the larger historical upheaval. It shares The Doll’s literary roots and fascination with privileged society confronting a changing world. The scale is much larger, though, so viewers should probably clear their schedules before getting emotionally attached to everyone.
14. The Cook of Castamar (2021)
Set in early 18th-century Madrid, The Cook of Castamar follows a romance between an aristocrat and a talented cook working within his household. Their relationship immediately runs into the enormous barrier created by social status. That makes it an obvious recommendation for The Doll viewers interested in romance complicated by class. The series also combines palace intrigue, family expectations and period detail, giving it a similarly sumptuous atmosphere with a distinctly different setting.
15. Gran Hotel (2011)
Spanish drama Gran Hotel begins with a young man arriving at an elegant hotel to investigate the disappearance of his sister. What follows combines romance, family secrets, wealth and a sharply divided social world.
While its mystery element gives it a different flavour from The Doll, the fascination with wealthy families and the people working around them makes the connection clear. It is also considerably more interested in keeping viewers guessing, which is useful when you want your period drama with a side order of mystery.
16. Velvet (2014)
Set in a glamorous Madrid fashion house during the late 1950s, Velvet follows the romance between a wealthy heir and a young woman working at the store. Their relationship is complicated by class, family expectations and the traditions surrounding the business.
Like The Doll, it places an emotionally complicated romance inside a world where wealth and social position determine what people are supposedly allowed to do. The era is different, but the basic problem remains wonderfully familiar: love has terrible timing.
17. The Serpent Queen (2022)
The Serpent Queen tells the story of Catherine de Medici and her rise within the French royal court. It is more politically driven than The Doll, but both series examine ambitious individuals attempting to survive environments governed by status, wealth and rigid social rules. Catherine's journey is particularly compelling for viewers interested in characters who refuse to simply accept the position society has assigned them.
18. The Law According to Lidia Poët (2023)
Italian period drama The Law According to Lidia Poët follows a determined woman challenging the restrictions placed on her professional ambitions in 19th-century Turin. It shares The Doll’s interest in a society undergoing gradual change and individuals pushing against established expectations. Romance is present, but the bigger appeal is watching a character attempt to carve out independence while the world around her keeps insisting that certain doors should remain firmly shut.
19. Mr. Sunshine (2018)
South Korean historical drama Mr. Sunshine is set during a turbulent period in Korea's history and follows characters from very different social backgrounds whose lives become intertwined.
It combines romance with questions of class, identity, social change and personal freedom, making it a strong alternative for viewers who enjoyed the historical and emotional layers of The Doll. The setting is completely different, but the tension between individual choices and a rigid society feels strikingly familiar.
20. Pachinko (2022)
Pachinko spans generations and follows a Korean family whose lives are shaped by migration, social prejudice, love, ambition and survival during periods of enormous historical change. It is broader in scope than The Doll, but both stories use individual lives to explore the consequences of social structures and economic circumstances. Viewers drawn to the literary quality and serious historical backdrop of The Doll may find plenty to appreciate here, particularly in its emphasis on how one generation's decisions can affect the next.
21. The Crowned Clown (2019)
South Korean historical drama The Crowned Clown follows a commoner who is brought into the royal court because of his resemblance to the king. The premise is very different from The Doll, yet the series shares its fascination with class, power, social expectations and people attempting to survive systems designed around rigid hierarchy. Its mixture of romance, political manoeuvring and period storytelling makes it a worthwhile final pick when you want something with historical weight but a very different route into the genre.
Honestly, The Doll is the sort of series that makes you realise money cannot buy happiness, status, or even a peaceful dinner. Wokulski has wealth, ambition and enough determination to power a small city, yet his heart chooses the one person who makes every sensible decision look increasingly questionable. That combination is what makes the series so genuinely watchable. If you enjoy period dramas where romance collides with class, ambition and changing social rules, these recommendations should keep the historical-drama cupboard nicely stocked indeed.
Some lean harder into romance, while others focus on family fortunes, social climbing or women pushing against the rules of their time. A few are grander and glossier, naturally, because television loves spending money on fancy costumes. Still, they share that same delicious tension between what characters want and what society allows. Pick one and see where it takes you next.
If The Doll is the one that brought you here, which of these 21 shows would you put at the top of your watchlist? And if you have another period drama that deserves to be on this list, share it — because there is always room for one more beautifully dressed collection of people making spectacularly complicated decisions.