Explained: Why Are Period Dramas About Rich People So Popular?

History has a lot of different topics, so it is no surprise that our content is constantly filled with period pieces. But the ease of finding a topic is not the only reason studios continue to produce period dramas, as audiences clearly love them. People love to fall into a drama-filled story set in the romanticized past. These stories tend to have gallant heroes, beautiful maidens, and amazing settings, so it’s no surprise these pieces, especially period romance movies about the rich, are so popular. But the obsession with period dramas about the rich goes deeper than face value.

Royal Obsession

We seemingly can’t get enough of the British Royal Family. From the newly released film Spencer, about the people’s princess, Diana, to The Crown, a series about the reigning monarch Elizabeth II, we are absolutely obsessed. But this strange fascination is not new to today and not selective to the British monarchy as we see with shows like The Great. People have always loved to gossip about the royals of their day and create stories surrounding them. Even many of William Shakespeare’s best work includes plots about monarchies like Henry V, Richard III, and Antony and Cleopatra.

Part of the reason we feel like we see a lot of pieces on monarchies is because the story is already  plotted out for the writer. History dictates the beginning, the middle, and the end; it is just up to the creator to fill in the blanks and make it interesting enough for an audience, because unfortunately not all history is interesting.

But the complete fascination with royalty comes down to them being untouchable. To the peasants, their monarchies represented success and a life to strive for, causing them to do anything that would place them in the good graces of their King. This still rings true today as people long for the romanticized life that is lived in period pieces. Plus, movies about royalty give audiences the ability to live out this imagined idea of how perfect it is to be a royal, no matter how far from reality that is.

Capitalistic Dystopia

In America, we fought and won for our independence from a monarch, but that did not stop us from creating a system that puts the wealthy on a pedestal. Within the capitalist American dream, one can make it big with hard work and determination. Of course, it is not that easy to join the club of the one percent, which causes the public to watch their every move. We want to imitate the wealthy and learn from them to essentially gain what we feel we are lacking.

People idolize the likes of Elon Musk, the Kardashians, and the A-Listers of Hollywood because they want to be like them. The way the tabloids and now the news skewer extreme wealth makes  them appear perfect and untouchable. These celebrities and top earners represent beauty, power, and freedom, giving us no choice but to idolize them. Shows like Billions and Succession show us this example of extreme wealth in a modern setting, while shows like Bridgerton show us a periodic version.

The Nostalgia Effect

Arguably the greatest reason why period pieces about the rich are so popular is the Nostalgia Effect. The Nostalgia Effect is the sentiment for days gone by. In Germany, they use the word “Sehnsucht” which loosely translates to yearning or craving, and is used to represent the feelings that things are unfinished or imperfect and the longing for an ideal alternative experience.

We have seen this theory heavily used in politics most recently with Trump’s motto, “Make America Great Again.” This discussion of a greater time passed has never been lived by the  people discussing it. Every part of history has its horrors, but we’ve romanticized history to the point of ignoring the facts and reality. We long for the idyllic heroism of Jane Austen’s work but that heroism never truly existed. These ideals are fantasies based on real stories made to fit a narrative, and whether that be for political reasons or a romance story, they are not ideals you can base your life upon.

Now, not all period pieces take themselves as seriously as The Gilded Age or the King’s Speech. Some are just pure satire, which makes for a ridiculously fun story as seen in Hulu’s The Great. Although these satires sit in a different category, they hold on to that same Nostalgia Effect that has shown success to their counterparts. The Nostalgia Effect seems to be similar to baby talk, where everyone has it. It is almost like it is just human nature to have a longing for a time never seen.

But whatever the reason seems to be, period pieces continue to be produced at an exorbitant rate and audiences continue to eat them up, giving studios no reason to slow down. Although period pieces may show a skewed version of history, that does not stop them from being entertaining. Period pieces continue to deliver gorgeous visuals with the help of locations, costuming, and hair design. Period pieces are an example of just one thing that movies and television were intended for, and that is to give their audiences an escape from their mundane lives.

The original article was posted on July 29, 2022, and can be found on Movieweb.com.