7 Near-Perfect TV Shows Inspired By Jane Austen

Published Oct 10, 2026, 10:30 PM EDT

Shealyn Scott is a Senior Writer at Screen Rant. She has been writing for the site since 2024, focused on network, reality, streaming, and classic television.
A creative writer, journalist, and lover of the written word in all its forms, Shealyn enjoys deconstructing scenes from her favorite shows, using context clues and historical precedent to predict major plot points (which, due to her successful track record, has sparked rumors of clairvoyance).
As an award-winning student journalist, Shealyn spent her college years advocating for the humanities while studying English Literature. Her love of storytelling propelled her to expand her degree with minors in Writing and History, believing life to be a mere collection of stories that can be framed in as many ways as a movie scene.
As a Senior member of the TV Team, Shealyn treats the series she covers like books, analyzing every line, camera angle, and lighting choice. Thankfully, her personal mission statement lines up perfectly with Screen Rant: every creative work deserves just as much thought from the viewer as it received from its creator.

Jane Austen's impact on literature cannot be overstated, but the famed novelist's legacy extends to some of the biggest shows of the last hundred years. Despite only writing six complete novels over the course of her life, Jane Austen's bibliography is the blueprint for practically every historical drama set during the Regency era. Similarly, her critical reflection of English society helped usher in a new era of literary realism, though her novels are now chiefly praised as romances.

Like countless other authors whose popularity surged posthumously, there have been many films and TV shows based on the books of Jane Austen, but her influence doesn't stop at direct adaptation. From the detailed worlds she built within each novel to the timeless quality of their social critique, Jane Austen's longest lasting hits have served as inspiration for remixes, remakes, and modern retellings like Clueless, Bridget Jones's Diary, and Material Girls. Yet, many of the best Austenian tales play out on the small screen.

The Other Bennet Sister

Photographer: James Pardon - Courtesy of BritBox

Beyond being arguably the biggest sleeper hit of 2026, The Other Bennet Sister is one of the best Jane Austen-inspired shows of the decade thus far. Based on the 2020 novel of the same name by Janice Hadlow, The Other Bennet Sister follows Mary Bennet (Ella Bruccoleri), a side character from Austen's magnum opus: Pride and Prejudice. In the original novel— and every prior adaptation of it— Mary is the living equivalent of a footnote, always on the sidelines of the story.

The 2026 drama, in stark contrast, recontextualizes the events of Pride and Prejudice through the eyes of Mary, following her journey of self-discovery and giving her a swoonworthy love story of her own. The Other Bennet Sister does something truly special by taking a character who is always overlooked and turning her into an enchanting protagonist. Luckily, the period drama miniseries is returning for a holiday special this winter, expanding on Mary's captivating story even further.

Bridgerton

Bridgerton may be based on a bestselling book series of its own, but Julia Quinn's Regency romances wouldn't exist without Jane Austen. From the timely overarching themes to the familiar character archetypes of "marriage-minded mamas" and sparkling debutantes, Bridgerton is rooted in the historical framework that Austen's writing preserved for centuries to come. Of course, that's not to say the series is unoriginal by any means— in fact, Bridgerton redefined the historical romance genre on TV— but Austen's influence can be felt far and wide in the wildly popular Netflix original series.

Ironically, the most outwardly feminist member of the titular family— Claudia Jessie's Eloise— even references Jane Austen in Bridgerton season 3. Cleverly, the show uses her 1815 novel Emma as a symbolic reflection of major plots like Colin (Luke Newton) acting as Penelope's (Nicola Coughlan) matchmaker and the underlying tension from Penelope and Eloise's fallout. Undoubtedly, Bridgerton is far more modern— and, at times, fantastical— than Jane Austen's depiction of the early 19th century, but the anachronistic glitz and glamor is what made it such a smash-hit streamer in the first place.

Death Comes to Pemberley

Another creative offshoot of Pride and Prejudice, Death Comes to Pemberley gives the main characters a thrilling epilogue— namely, a murder mystery. Six years following the events of the novel, Elizabeth (Anna Maxwell Martin) and Fitzwilliam Darcy (Matthew Rhys) plan to throw a ball, only for the festivities to be cut short by the discovery of a body. The prime suspect is George Wickham (Matthew Goode), Elizabeth's mischievous brother-in-law who serves as one of the novel's secondary antagonists.

Throughout the gripping crime drama, the characters are forced to reckon with the skeletons in their own closets as the murder investigation continues, throwing curveball after curveball at the audience with precision. By the end of the three-episode drama, the viewer walks away feeling like they have just finished an Agatha Christie novel rather than a loose adaptation of a ubiquitous romance. Sadly, Death Comes to Pemberley remains criminally underrated despite its wholly unique twist on the classic story.

Lost in Austen

Whereas Death Comes to Pemberley attempts to stay as faithful as possible to the novel's canon, Lost in Austen is a bold and borderline irreverent take on Pride and Prejudice. The 2008 miniseries follows Amanda (Jemima Rooper), a 21st century woman who accidentally ends up trading lives with Elizabeth Bennet (Gemma Arterton). Amanda, an ardent Jane Austen fan, navigates the world of Pride and Prejudice while trying to protect the plot, but her very existence throws the story off-course.

Not only does Lost in Austen disrupt the classic novel's narrative; it completely alters multiple major characters in such drastic ways that it completely changes the book's original meaning. At some points, the series feels like a ridiculous self-insert fanfiction that every Mr. Darcy lover dreams of. Regardless, Lost in Austen is a great bit of fun, and it's a forgotten fantasy series that deserves more attention— even if pedantic Austen fans should irrefutably steer clear.

Pride and Prejudice

As intriguing as modern retellings and genre-bending twists are, it's impossible to compete with the original. Out of the numerous Pride and Prejudice adaptations to grace the screen, the 1995 miniseries is almost universally lauded as the best. The BBC's iteration of Elizabeth (Jennifer Ehle) and Darcy (Colin Firth) was perfect casting, and the six-episode masterpiece managed to keep in almost every major event from the novel without sacrificing its enrapturing pace.

Since its 1813 publication, Pride and Prejudice has been adapted over 30 times for film, stage, and television.

Consequently, Pride and Prejudice (1995) is both the most faithful and the most enthralling adaptation, though 2005's Pride & Prejudice is a close second thanks to creative liberties like the infamous "hand flex" scene and a few romantic line changes. Over 30 years later, however, Netflix's upcoming Pride and Prejudice series will have big shoes to fill— but, frankly, it will be nearly impossible to dethrone the iconic 1995 version.

Miss Austen

Although she is one of the most highly discussed figures in literary history, shows about Jane Austen tend to stick to her career. Conversely, Miss Austen turns the tables by spotlighting Jane (Patsy Ferran) and real figures from the author's family, like sister Cassandra (Keeley Hawes). Granted, the realism ends there, as the story of Miss Austen is fundamentally rooted in fiction. Nevertheless, that doesn't stop the 2025 miniseries from being a downright fascinating watch.

Miss Austen subverts expectations from start to finish, immediately shirking Jane to center Cassandra on her quest to recover her sister's lost correspondence. Along the way, romance, grief, and good old-fashioned drama combine to weave a bittersweet battle between the heart and the mind. The four-episode historical drama was so compelling, sequel series Miss Austen Returns has already been greenlit, meaning Cassandra Austen's journey is just beginning.

Sanditon

In addition to the six complete novels she wrote, Jane Austen left behind an unfinished manuscript for a seventh book called Sanditon. Rather than allow the story to fade into obscurity, PBS and British broadcast network ITV used the existing chapters as the starting point for a television drama. The first episode of 2019's Sanditon is effectively an adaptation of what Austen had penned prior to her death, leaving the other seven episodes in the first season up for interpretation.

The innovative direction taken by creator Andrew Davies was so popular, the period drama was renewed for two more seasons, drawing to an end in 2023. The fusion of Austen's final work and a completely original story proved to be a success, but Sanditon is criminally overlooked in the historical romance genre. Even still, its very creation is a testament to the enduring legacy of Jane Austen, as her life's work continues to inspire storytellers to this day.