In our world, Jane Austen occupies at least half the calendar year. The first sight of a brown leaf—the slightest sense of a chill in the air—and we're bidding the outside world adieu to watch a bunch of Regency-era young women go on long, suggestive walks with men in riding boots. Can't get enough of Austen's biting wit and time-tested romance? We set out to find the best Jane Austen movies and TV series ever made, coming out of our binge with a ranking that's 27 titles strong and that covers every laughable, lovable adaptation from 1940 to 2022.
Our list of Austen adaptations, ranked from worst to best, covers new and familiar territory. We pay homage to the Austen-mania of 1995, which gave us Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy, as well as the all-powerful As if! And we take a magnifying glass to every misbegotten "modernization" and stuffy BBC period piece known to man. Heck, we even give more recent adaptations, like the painfully sarcastic "Persuasion" (2022), their due. Odds are you'll discover a film or series you haven't seen before on this list, even if you're a card-carrying Janeite. It's even more likely that you'll go red with fury at some of our, er, warmer takes. (Gwyneth, you have so many gifts to be thankful for. Dynamite accent work is not one of them.) Finally, we throw our hat in the ring for the great 1995 vs. 2005 debate.
Consider the below ranking our glistening tablets brought down from the mount. Sure, we'll breeze through the more atrocious entries. But once we get to the real meat—the films and series that touch greatness—we're zealously making our case for the best Jane Austen movies and TV series ever made. 27 titles, and only one has bewitched us body and soul.
#27. 'Northanger Abbey' (1987)
BBC
Starring: Katharine Schlesinger, Peter Firth, Robert Hardy
Veteran actor Peter Firth would go on to star in the long-running BBC series "MI-5," but playing Henry Tilney in this quick-and-dirty BBC adaptation was not his best day. Everyone's hair is permed up to high heaven, and there's just no glue holding all these wacky plot points together. Don't fret. This TV movie is nowhere to be found online, probably by the grace of Jane Austen's all-powerful spirit.
#26. 'Sense and Sensibility' (1971)
BBC
Starring: Joanna David, Ciaran Madden, Robin Ellis, Richard Owens
For everything, there is a season. But it's hard to imagine this 1971 BBC miniseries having ever been the move. It's shot like a soap opera, Ciaran Madden's Marianne is actually unwatchable and the Coke bottle glasses are not the stylish, anachronistic flourish we would have chosen.
#25. 'Persuasion' (1971)
BBC
Starring: Ann Firbank, Bryan Marshall, Marian Spencer
It's so, so weird. Ann Firbank's Anne Elliot is just not a good hang. The BBC may have stuck to the novel on this one, but everyone is so uncomfortable in their own characters that it's tough to watch.
#24. 'Pride and Prejudice' (2003)
Bestboy Pictures
Starring: Kam Heskin, Orlando Seale, Lucila Solá
One wonders why they even bothered to release this bubblegum-y, early-aughts take on "Pride and Prejudice" after "Bridget Jones" did it so successfully two years earlier. The only thing lower than these jeans is our patience. But if you're looking for a waste of time, by all means!
#23. 'Mansfield Park' (1983)
BBC
Starring: Sylvestra Le Touzel, Nicholas Farrell, Jackie Smith-Wood
Maybe Jonny Lee Miller's Edmund is so astonishingly good because he learned what not to do on the set of this miniseries, the BBC's first go at "Mansfield Park." A young Miller has a small role as Fanny's little brother Charles in this faithful but boring adaptation. It's almost impressive how unromantic this show manages to be.
#22. 'Sense and Sensibility' (1981)
BBC
Starring: Irene Richard, Tracey Childs, Robert Swann, Bosco Hogan
This BBC miniseries is just alright. You may even be able to cruise through on vibes alone. It has a pretty color palette and a gentle score. It's divided into seven very short episodes, and the transitions can be jarring.
#21. 'Emma' (1996)
Miramax
Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northam, Alan Cumming, Toni Collette, Ewan McGregor
Oh, boy. This is one of the great missed opportunities of romance cinema: Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam had absolutely zero chemistry as Emma Woodhouse and Mr. Knightley. Just... none. We don't need to throw around words like "insufferable" or "atrocious," and we certainly need not make any mention of horrible British accents. You get the gist. Just watch the 2020 adaptation, closer to the top spot on this list.
#20. 'Persuasion' (2022)
Nick Wall/Netflix
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis, Henry Golding, Richard E. Grant
Why is this relatively fine adaptation so low on our ranking? Because we had such high hopes for finally seeing "Persuasion" done right, and this Netflix original just succumbs to today's worst impulses. It's "modern" only for the sake of being so, and it's inaccurate without any real payoff. Seeing the usually straight-laced Anne Elliot get wine drunk is promising in theory. But it just falls flat here, along with the romance — if that's what you can call it. You won't remember Wentworth's face. Watch Dakota Johnson's unhinged Architectural Digest tour instead.
#19. 'Bride and Prejudice' (2004)
Miramax
Starring: Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, Indira Varma, Alexis Bledel
Alas, Jane Austen musicals just aren't our cup of tea — or else this English-language, Bollywood version of "Pride and Prejudice" would rank higher on our list. The film gained a cult following over the years because, well, it's pretty much a breath of fresh air. There's singing, dancing and romance with a real pulse. "Virgin River" hunk Martin Henderson makes a fabulous Darcy, and transposing the 19th-century plight of the unwed Bennet sisters onto a contemporary Indian family of unmarried daughters was a stroke of brilliance.
#18. 'Fire Island' (2022)
Jeong Park/20th Century Studios
Starring: Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Margaret Cho, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully
This Emmy-nominated, R-rated take on "Pride and Prejudice" stars actor-comedian Joel Kim Booster and "SNL" cast member Bowen Yang as gender-swapped versions of Elizabeth and Jane. The classic tale takes on a whole new form as five gay best friends navigate the thorny social politics of Fire Island Pines, a historically queer vacation spot off Long Island. It's a raucous good time, with some zingers from the legendary Margaret Cho as the guys' den mother-slash-Mrs. Bennet figure.
#17. 'Pride and Prejudice' (1940)
Warner Bros.
Starring: Greer Garson, Laurence Olivier, Maureen O'Sullivan, Ann Rutherford
This extravagant studio adaptation is full of silver-screen legends. Greer Garson was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Elizabeth Bennet, and Laurence Olivier was, like, tailor-made to play Darcy. You'd think it'd be a hole-in-one, but it just kind of sits there looking pretty and feeling light as air.
#16. 'Sanditon' (2019-2023)
PBS
Starring: Rose Williams, Crystal Clarke, Kris Marshall, Jack Fox, Theo James
Created by Andrew Davies (the writer of many other projects on this list, including the classic 1995 "Pride and Prejudice"), this period drama wrapped its 3-season run on PBS in April 2023. Based on Austen's unfinished novel, it centers on the young and spirited Charlotte Heywood, who moves from her home in the countryside to the fishing village of Sanditon — and meets the dashing Sydney Parker (Theo James). It's a little low-rent compared to the few masterpieces on this list, but it has a loyal following. And Theo James.
#15. 'Persuasion' (2007)
BBC
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Rupert Penry-Jones, Alice Krige, Anthony Head
This BBC film version of "Persuasion" has its admirers, but we just can't connect with the great Sally Hawkins' ultra-timid portrayal. While we ranked the 1995 "Persuasion" above this, it has a similar leading lady problem: Hard to live vicariously through our girls (the very point of watching an Austen adaptation, we think) when they're cold on-camera. That being said, Rupert Penry-Jones does an admirable job of making Wentworth his own. Ciarán Hinds' shoes are big ones to fill.
#14. 'Mansfield Park' (2007)
ITV
Starring: Billie Piper, Blake Ritson, Hayley Atwell, Joseph Beattie
This ITV movie version of "Mansfield Park" is, by many accounts, criminally unfaithful to the novel. BAFTA-nominated actress and onetime pop star Billie Piper (Remember "Because We Want To?") bubbles over with charisma — a trait totally wrong for the painfully shy Fanny Price. But we think it's worth a watch for MCU alum Hayley Atwell's villainous presence alone. She makes for such a vicious and alluring Mary Crawford that you find yourself rooting for her. Character actor Rory Kinnear and "Vampire Diaries" vet Joseph Morgan are also in the cast.
#13. 'Love & Friendship' (2016)
Ross McDonnell/Amazon Studios
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Chloë Sevigny, Xavier Samuel, Morfydd Clark, Stephen Fry
Sick of all the pride, prejudice, sense, sensibility and girls named Emma? Try "Love & Friendship," which really is nothing like the quaint period romance it sounds like. This feature film is based on "Lady Susan," a lesser-known epistolary novel published after Austen's death. It follows the titular Susan Vernon, an unscrupulous widowed lady who seeks refuge at her in-laws' estate — along with well-to-do men for her shy daughter and herself. It lacks much of the usual Austen magic, but Kate Beckinsale is deliciously cunning as the vixen-slash-mother willing to do anything to secure her future.
#12. 'Northanger Abbey' (2007)
ITV
Starring: Felicity Jones, JJ Field, Carey Mulligan
Jane Austen was a hilarious gossip and a skilled troll. She'd be all over Reddit today. "Emma" is credited with being her most biting work, but "Northanger Abbey" is also a schmaltzy good time. It's a send-up of psychosexual Gothic novels, and this 2007 TV movie is in on the joke... kind of? The excellent Felicity Jones ("Rogue One") stars as the paranoid heroine Catherine Morland, who's ready to cry "Murder!" at every bump in the night at the wealthy Tilney estate. Warning: The second-hand embarrassment is strong with this one.
#11. 'Sense & Sensibility' (2008)
BBC
Starring: Hattie Morahan, Charity Wakefield, Dan Stevens, Dominic Cooper
This 2008 BBC miniseries is less than Emma Thompson's 1995 classic, but it has its charms — starting with the lovely little cottage by the sea that serves as the penniless Dashwood sisters' poorhouse. Charity Wakefield ("The Great") plays Marianne with a little less air in her head than Kate Winslet does, if you're looking for a more sympathetic view of the senseless sister.
#10. 'Emma' (2009)
BBC
Starring: Romola Garai, Michael Gambon, Jonny Lee Miller, Blake Ritson
Breakout Romola Garai nabbed a Golden Globe nomination for her surprisingly electric portrayal of Emma Woodhouse in this 2009 BBC miniseries. Besides, we can never resist the dainty charms of perennial good-guy Jonny Lee Miller (aka Angelina Jolie's first husband), who pops up again on this list. Come for a bubbly retelling of one teenage girl's matchmaking gone awry, and stay to watch the late Michael Gambon (Dumbledore in the "Harry Potter" franchise) chew up the scenery as the hypochondriac Mr. Woodhouse.
#9. 'Mansfield Park' (1999)
Miramax
Starring: Frances O'Connor, Jonny Lee Miller, Embeth Davidtz, Alessandro Nivola
"Mansfield Park" is the underrated banger of Jane Austen's oeuvre, and this tidy 1999 adaptation—the book's first-ever feature film treatment—is the hidden gem of the Austen Cinematic Universe. Frances O'Connor is adorable as Fanny Price, the penniless dreamer sent to live with her wealthy uncle and his grown children. Jane Austen king Jonny Lee Miller will steal your heart (again) as Fanny's good-natured cousin Edmund (different time, and all that), who's kind of adorably devastated that their childhood bond has turned into something riskier. Once you get used to the weird main floor of the mansion—which looks like a drafty warehouse—, you'll have a delightful time hissing at Fanny's mean-girl rivals.
#8. 'Persuasion' (1995)
BBC Film
Starring: Amanda Root, Ciarán Hinds, Susan Fleetwood, Fiona Shaw
They don't call 1995 the year of Austen-mania for nothing. Look at the great films and series it produced: The BBC's "Pride and Prejudice," Emma Thompson's "Sense and Sensibility," "Clueless" and this BBC film, which remains the best version of "Persuasion." (But is that really saying much?) You wouldn't know it was a TV movie by looking at it. It was shot in the actual locations featured in the novel, like Bath and Lyme Regis. Irish legend Ciarán Hinds carries the whole movie as an imposing Captain Wentworth. Amanda Root's rather mousy portrayal of Anne Elliot leaves much to be desired. We still don't have a definitive Anne Elliot!
#7. 'Pride and Prejudice' (1980)
BBC
Starring: Elizabeth Garvie, David Rintoul, Sabina Franklyn
Here's a great "Pride and Prejudice" adaptation you probably don't know about. This BBC miniseries was nominated for a couple lighting and costume BAFTA Awards, so you can trust that it's done up well. In her first professional acting role, Elizabeth Garvie nails Lizzie's curt but expansive demeanor. And David Rintoul is one of the great Darcy interpreters, perhaps only behind Colin Firth.
#6. 'Bridget Jones's Diary' (2001)
Miramax
Starring: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant
What more can be said about the sheer delight that is "Bridget Jones's Diary?" You have two all-time-great Austen interpreters buttressing Renée Zellweger's Oscar-nominated performance. It's pretty remarkable when you dwell on the fact that Colin Firth—arguably our most potent Darcy—actually poked fun at his most iconic role only a few years after 1995's "Pride and Prejudice." Sure, it's based on a novel which is based on Austen's work, and some of it really doesn't go down so well in 2023. But it's a shining example of fitting Austen's magnificence to a modern rom-com format.
#5. 'Sense and Sensibility' (1995)
Columbia Pictures
Starring: Star Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman
For some, "Sense and Sensibility" is Jane Austen's magnum opus — not "Pride and Prejudice." And for even more, Ang Lee's 1995 "Sense and Sensibility" is the Austen adaptation to beat. We're not quite that hot on this one, but there's no denying its brilliance. Star Emma Thompson won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for her masterful, naturalistic script. (She would go on to pen that astonishing letter scene in 2005's "Pride and Prejudice.") Watch Kate Winslet act a fool, see a new side of Hugh Grant as the blubbering, lovable Edward Ferrars and let the late-great Alan Rickman's Colonel Brandon wash over you like bitter wine.
#4. 'Emma.' (2020)
Focus Features
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Mia Goth, Bill Nighy
Love and light to Madame Goop, but Anya Taylor-Joy's delightfully bratty Emma Woodhouse eats Gwyneth Paltrow's tired rendition for breakfast. In fact, of all "Emma" adaptations, Autumn de Wilde's Oscar-nominated concoction is the best period-accurate version, behind only the sheer genius of "Clueless." The punctuation in this film's title tells you pretty much everything you need to know. It's definitive, but fun; Ironic, but not too obsessed with modernizing an already-perfect story (cough 2022's "Persuasion" cough). You'll fall in love with every dollhouse-like frame — and with Johnny Flynn's Mr. Knightley, who has a habit of sprawling naked on very expensive rugs when he's frustrated.
#3. 'Clueless' (1995)
Paramount Pictures
Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash
Alongside Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and Johnny Cash's "Hurt," Amy Heckerling's "Clueless" is one of the great triumphs of adaptation. Who would have thought that spoiled brat Emma Woodhouse of Regency-era England would translate so perfectly to spoiled brat Cher Horowitz of '90s Beverly Hills? Every beat of this teen drama is ingenious, from the ultra-specific dialect ("As if!") to Paul Rudd's performance as Josh, this film's version of Knightley who is also—scandalously—Cher's step-brother. Nothing could be funnier.
#2. 'Pride and Prejudice' (1995)
BBC
Starring: Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth, Susannah Harker
No, we're not giving the top spot to the BBC's landmark 1995 miniseries "Pride and Prejudice." Yes, we know at least half of you have dug out your pitchforks. Hear us out, though. This is the definitive Austen adaptation for how closely it hews to the source text, except in one crucial respect: Jennifer Ehle's BAFTA-winning performance captures Elizabeth Bennet's razor-sharp intellect, but not her youth and the deficiencies that come with it. Ehle was only 26 when she played the role, but 20-year-old Keira Knightley would better match 20-year-old Lizzie's insecurities and obstinacies that linger when you've only just broken out of those fraught teenage years. Besides, what Rosamund Pike does to elevate the character of Jane in the 2005 version gives a different weight to the Bennet family drama, and Susannah Harker's performance here just doesn't compare. Still, Andrew Davies' script is brilliant, and Colin Firth's Darcy is not only the best-ever rendition, but maybe also the dreamiest romantic hero ever put to film. Don't get us started on the lake scene...
#1. 'Pride & Prejudice' (2005)
Focus Features
Starring: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike, Donald Sutherland
Sorry, not sorry. What the 1995 miniseries did Joe Wright's 2005 masterpiece achieves in less than half the runtime. In many respects, this Oscar-nominated classic improves upon the BBC version. For starters, Keira Knightley finds a way of making Lizzie's obsession with walks compelling and character-driven. She's magnetic the whole way through. Matthew Macfadyen had an impossible task in following up Colin Firth's Darcy, and he finds a whole new way into the character that still feels uncannily accurate. And you cannot beat this supporting cast: Rosamund Pike is the definitive Jane, and Donald Sutherland is the antidote to all those silly Mr. Bennets of past adaptations. It's gorgeously shot, impeccably scored, inherently romantic and modern without insisting that it's doing anything revolutionary. If you disavow that inaccurate epilogue tacked onto the American release (which we do, of course), it's a perfect film — starting with those gently groundbreaking first few minutes.
