It's no secret that fans of period dramas are in a bit of a rut at the moment. "Bridgerton" won't return until May, "The Buccaneers" has zero re-watch value and there's no telling when "Outlander" will accost our senses again. Have no fear, corseted warriors: "Belgravia: The Next Chapter," currently streaming weekly on MGM+, could be the salve you've been waiting for.
"Belgravia: The Next Chapter" premiered Jan. 14 on MGM+, with new episodes dropping weekly every Sunday. Produced by the king of period dramas, Oscar and Emmy winner Julian Fellowes ("Downton Abbey"), "The Next Chapter" is a sequel to the 2020 limited series "Belgravia." Both are adapted from Fellowes' novel of the same name.
The literary roots of "Belgravia" are the franchise's strong suit. It builds an entire world of class warfare and deliciously petty squabbles around one family's scandalous secret. In "Belgravia," we follow the "new money" Trenchard family from the close of the Napoleonic Wars in 1825 to the ritzy new Belgravia Mews neighborhood in the 1840s.
"Belgravia: The Next Chapter" picks up 30 years later, in 1871, with a star-crossed love story. Here's the official plot summary:
"The series tells the love story of Frederick Trenchard, who has grown up as the third Lord Trenchard, and his new love interest, Clara Dunn, who is a newcomer to London society. Unaware that his birth was the product of an affair between his mother Susan and the scoundrel John Bellasis, a troubled childhood has left Frederick deeply insecure, which challenges his courtship of and marriage to Clara."
MGM+
"Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" actress Harriet Slater stars as Clara alongside Benjamin Wainwright ("Gangs of London") as Frederick. The supporting cast is stacked with stage legends, as well as a literal member of the British Royal Family. Six-time Olivier Award nominee Sophie Thompson ("Silo") plays Mrs. Dunn, and real-life royal Sophie Winkleman (or Lady Frederick Windsor) guests as the Duchess of Rochester.
So whether you're not-so-patiently waiting on Penelope and Colin's love story in "Bridgerton" Season 3 or simply tired of re-watching allll the Jane Austen adaptations, "Belgravia: The Next Chapter" is well worth your time.
New episodes of "Belgravia: The Next Chapter" stream Sundays on MGM+.
