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weekend watch

Can’t get enough ‘Bridgerton’? Here are more queer, bodice-ripping costume dramas to stream this weekend

By Lee Meyer May 24, 2024 at 10:00am · Updated on May 30, 2024
Image Credit: ‘Edward II,’ The Criterion Collection

Welcome to your weekend streaming recommendations, a.k.a. the Weekend Watch, a handy guide to the queerest film and TV content that’s just a click away!

Lady Whistledown has spoken, and the new season of Netflix’s hot costume drama Bridgerton is back to its sexy ways.

And while we’d prefer seeing Jonathan Bailey doing unspeakably naughty things to another hot Regency-era nobleman, we do adore his ongoing romance with the lovely Simone Ashley. If, like us, you binged Bridgerton instantly as it dropped last week, these period piece streaming picks will hopefully sate your appetite while we wait for the second half of the season on June 13.

Read on for more queer-inclusive costume dramas to stream this weekend.

Edward II

Derek Jarman’s adaptation of the Christopher Marlowe play of the same name, Edward II is a post-modern take on the costume drama, utilizing both medieval and modern settings and props to tell the intense romantic affair of King Edward (Steve Waddington) and his lover, Piers Gaveston (Andrew Tiernan). While the film uses Marlowe’s original dialogue, there are modern references throughout and a very sexy scene between Edward and Gaveston. Oh, and icon Tilda Swinton is here as Edward’s repressed wife, Isabella!

Now streaming on Peacock, Roku, Kanopy, Plex, and Freevee.

Downton Abbey

Set in the early 1900s in post-Edwardian England, this sumptuous costume drama from Julian Fellowes follows the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants over six seasons and two (soon to be three!) movies. Among the main characters are ice queen Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), who can’t find a man to marry; Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier), a conniving, closeted footman-turned-butler; and of course, the bitingly funny Lady Grantham (Dame Maggie Smith), who has a witty retort for any occasion. Thomas goes through a beautiful journey over the course of his time at Downton Abbey, and its large ensemble is filled with compelling stories.

Now streaming on Prime Video, Peacock, and Britbox.

Tipping The Velvet

Set in London in the 1890s, this BBC miniseries, based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Waters, Tipping the Velvet stars Keeley Hawes as Kitty Butler, a male impersonator, who catches the eye of young and naive Nan Astley (Rachael Stirling). Nan comes of age as a lesbian in a time where there wasn’t even language for being queer, and falls in love with two other women along the way, but Nan and Kitty are always at the center of the story. 

Now streaming on Prime Video, Roku, and Freevee.

Black Sails

A prequel series to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Black Sails is set in the early 18th century and takes place during the Golden Age of Piracy. On of its leads, thesexy Captain Flint (Toby Stephens), is revealed to be queer via a past romance with Lord Thomas Hamilton (Rupert Penry-Jones), and is a complex, dynamic and fascinating character. The queer content in Black Sails is based on historical records, which found pirates to be surprisingly inclusive!

Now streaming on Netflix, Starz and Spectrum.

The Kicker…

SNL lampoons Downton Abbey’s film adaptation in this brilliant digital short. The trailer highlights the show’s relatively low stakes and has Kate McKinnon as Dame Maggie. Just watch, it’s shockingly authentic.

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One Comment*

  • Kangol2

    Martins + Regé-Jean = perfection.

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