Well, I was not intending to write this post but I’ve received several questions already and thought it might be helpful to address this widely. With the change in US government and several announced tariffs, there are many of us in Canada and elsewhere looking for alternatives to products and services. (There is zero judgement from me on what services you are or aren’t using, I am simply providing options.) If you are looking, here are some alternative ways to watch period dramas!
Alternative Ways to Watch Period Dramas
While many of my readers are in the US, many of you are from elsewhere (like me), and it becomes increasingly difficult to find things online. (Especially outside of the UK.) I have tried to stay as broad as possible with these recommendations to hopefully be as helpful as I can to a wide geographic base.
And as a note: I will not be providing information on how to sail the high seas, I am sure that you can figure that out on your side if you wish.
National Streaming Platforms
No matter where you are, I would recommend looking into your national streaming services, Here in Canada, that would be CBC Gem and CTV type services, but your country will have their own, and I would recommend checking them out. I have found that CBC in particular has been picking up a bunch of period dramas from the last 30ish years, it has been a goldmine. Sure, I have to watch an ad periodically but I would need to do that if I watched it on TV. (I’ve noticed that many will offer a paid subscription if you want to remove ads.) While we all tend to focus on the newer dramas coming out (that are typically on the premium-side of streaming services), few of us have seen everything- these older shows are often as good.
Library Streaming Services (ie. Kanopy, Hoopla)
I do not want to get too specific with these again because this will very much depend on your own library. However, it is worthwhile looking into your local library service to see if membership includes any streaming services. Every library will use different services and have licenses for different films/ shows, but they may include it.
These services, like Kanopy and Hoopla, often have different limitations. You have to watch the episode or movie within a time frame (typically 24, 48, or 72 hours) from checking it out. Many also have a numerical limit per month or use tickets (different items are worth different amounts of tickets). I have found it to be a great way to explore media that I otherwise wouldn’t have, either because I wouldn’t have signed up for a separate service for it or I wouldn’t have found it. They are also fantastic for smaller, independent films and international media.
If you have access to these services, I would recommend poking around to see options. I’ve noticed that there are options to get a collection of items for one borrow or ticket, when you would normally need to check out each episode individually. If you are wanting to watch television through these services, you might need to pace out your watching over several months. However, if it means you do not need to subscribe to another service, it could very well be worth it. (Back to weekly airing, am I right?)
DVDs
Although I wrote a whole separate post on this, I cannot recommend getting DVDs (or Blurays) enough. Yes, it is getting increasingly difficult to find newer shows on DVD (as many streamers want you to stream it rather than purchase once) but if you can, I would recommend it. We have seen shows removed abruptly from services with no warning (if they even show up). And quite frankly, it can be expensive to carry numerous services at once to be able to watch things. Keep an eye on sales, check your local thrift stores and online sale sites, and even your public libraries! (My city library still has DVDs and will sell them once they are out of commission.) It might seem old-fashioned and out-dated but it has actually saved me money in the long run.
Want more period dramas? These are the period dramas I’m waiting for this year!
What are your alternative ways to watch period dramas?
Cheers,
The Historian
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