Apple TV’s 2-Part Drama Is Perfect for ‘Bridgerton’ Fans Waiting for Season 5

A little over a month ago, Bridgerton Season 4 brought the love story of Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) to a heartwarming close, and now the long wait is on for Season 5. Though production on the Netflix series just got underway — and the central couple has been confirmed — fans know all too well that it will be some time before their favorite period romance returns.

Fortunately, for those already missing the sweeping romances and gorgeous ballgowns, there are plenty of other period offerings available on streaming to binge. Period dramas can vary when it comes to historical accuracy and steaminess, and Bridgerton undoubtedly led the charge for a new kind of historical romance on television. Since its premiere, several comparable projects have sprung up, and right now, Apple TV has the perfect two-season show to fill the void left by Netflix's behemoth hit. If Bridgerton fans haven't yet watched The Buccaneers, they should add it to their watchlists immediately.

'The Buccaneers' Reinvents a Classic Novel and Has a Blast Doing It

Based on the unfinished novel of the same name by Edith Wharton, The Buccaneers premiered on Apple TV in late 2023 and dove headfirst into reinterpreting and expanding upon the original story with a modern lens. It follows a group of American socialites in the 1870s who travel to England to join the marriage mart and experience the thrills of British high society. There's a real historical basis to the premise; American brides with sizable wealth were seen as very appealing to English aristocrats in need of new money. The Buccaneers takes the inevitable culture clash and makes it one of its key selling points, revolving around a group of five best friends with rambunctious, free-spirited personalities.

The ostensible lead is Nan St. George (Kristine Froseth), a headstrong young woman who finds herself at the center of a love triangle. There's also Conchita (Alisha Boe), the first married woman of the group; Jinny (Imogen Waterhouse), Nan's more straitlaced sister; Lizzy (Aubri Ibrag), whose romantic exploits get increasingly complicated; and Mabel (Josie Totah), Lizzy's younger sister who gives the series some welcome queer representation. Each character is well-defined and embarks on her own journey that shines a light on a different aspect of this time period, such as how unmarried women navigated society and the terrifying reality of domestic abuse at a time when wives had fewer freedoms.

If that last part sounded unexpectedly heavy, that's understandable; despite its lighthearted tone, The Buccaneers isn't afraid to get heavy and seriously examine what it was like for women in the late 1800s. Largely, though, it presents its story with a blast of feminist energy, portraying the main characters as exactly what they are: young women experiencing the breathless rush of newfound independence and whirlwind romance. At the heart of the series are the friendships between each character, which are just as multifaceted as the women themselves.

'The Buccaneers' Follows 'Bridgerton's Period Drama Style, but With Its Own Spin

Bridgerton made such a splash when it first premiered because of how it depicted period drama with a present-day sensibility. Its characters were still bound by the societal restrictions of the Regency era, but they could also have sex to string covers of Taylor Swift and not bat an eye over the ton's diversity. The Buccaneers takes the same approach to its period-era story, but goes a step further by actually playing the original versions of pop songs from Swift and Chappell Roan and embracing anachronistic costumes.

Admittedly, as the series continues, its interpersonal dynamics and their distribution within the story get messier, but that only makes The Buccaneers more of an addicting watch. It never quite goes the way one would expect from a standard period drama, and it leaves viewers eager to know what happens next. There are plenty of storylines to get invested in, from Nan's love triangle with best friends Guy (Matthew Broome) and Theo (Guy Remmers) to Mabel's budding relationship with the repressed Honoria (Mia Threapleton). Outside of romance, Nan learns a shocking secret about her parentage in the very first episode, and Conchita confronts difficult in-laws.

The Buccaneers revels in high drama and excessive mess, making it a very bingeable companion piece to Bridgerton. It uses Wharton's novel as its blueprint, but takes advantage of its unfinished nature to tell its own story. With a large ensemble of headstrong women and swoon-worthy men, the Apple TV show has a lot to offer, and after an explosive Season 2 finale, Season 3 is thankfully already confirmed. Hopefully, it'll arrive before Bridgerton Season 5 does.