The series The Essex Serpent is a potent mix of Gothic romance, fantasy, and history. It focuses on a recently-widowed woman who journeys to the marshes of Essex in the hopes of discovering the mystery of the serpent said to inhabit the waters there. Once she arrives, she strikes up a powerful relationship with the local vicar, even as more mysterious events begin to unfold around her.
With its moody atmosphere and its beautiful and haunting cinematography–as well as the performances from Claire Daines and Tom Hiddleston–it is a striking show, joining the ranks of a number of other similar series.
Penny Dreadful (2014-2016) - Streaming On Hulu
There have been few television series quite like Penny Dreadful which, as the name suggests, draws on the lurid and the dangerous as it crafts its narrative. It focuses in particular on a group of characters in London as they contend with the supernatural, with some of the characters original to the series and others coming from various works of 19th century fiction.
With its beautiful cinematography, its powerful performances, and its blending of the fantastical and the historical, it has much to recommend it to fans of The Essex Serpent.
Midnight Mass (2021) - Streaming On Netflix
Netflix has excelled in recent years at creating a number of superb horror series, of which Midnight Mass is one of the best examples. It has much to recommend it to fans of The Essex Serpent, particularly since it is also set in a distant location far removed from the big city. In this case, it is a small island, which soon finds itself confronted with a vampire in its midst.
In addition to its horror elements, it is a moving rumination on grief, religion, and the human condition.
The Haunting Of Hill House (2018) - Streaming On Netflix
The Haunting of Hill House deserves to be seen as one of the best original Netflix series. Like The Essex Serpent, it has a gothic atmosphere, especially since so much of the action, and the tension, stems from the house of the title.
In particular, the series focuses on a family whose lives are upended when they move there and have to confront the evil that lurks there, and within themselves. Though it is obviously a horror, it also addresses such weighty emotional issues as death and trauma.
The Haunting Of Bly Manor (2020) - Streaming On Netflix
The follow-up series to The Haunting of Hill House is The Haunting of Bly Manor, and it hits a number of the same notes. It will appeal to those who enjoy the gothic elements of The Essex Serpent. And, like its predecessor series, it also focuses a great deal on grief, particularly since its main character, Dani, takes up a position as an au pair largely in an effort to escape her grief at her boyfriend’s death.
And, as with any good gothic story, there are also a number of mysteries, all of which keep the viewer guessing until the end.
Vikings (2013-2020) - Streaming On Hulu
Part of the appeal of a series like The Essex Serpent is its focus on period detail. This is a dark and at times gritty world, and it doesn’t shy away from some of the earthier details.
A similar dynamic is at work with Vikings, arguably one of the best period dramas. As its title suggests, it focuses on the adventures and conquests of this very warlike people as they set out to bring most of Europe under their sway.
Outlander (2014-Oresent) - Streaming On Netflix
Outlander is one of the best costume dramas to have come from Starz. It focuses on the character of Claire Randall, a World War II nurse who finds herself transported back to 18th century Scotland, where she falls in love with a Highlander and becomes embroiled in the Jacobite Rebellion.
With its emphasis on period detail–and on a woman whose arrival in a new area sparks conflict and chaos–it is the type of series that is designed to appeal to fans of The Essex Serpent.
The Alienist (2018-2020) - Streaming On HBO Max
In many ways, The Essex Serpent is a detective story, as Cora Seaborne tries to get to the bottom of just whether or not the titular serpent exists or not. A similar dynamic is at work in The Alienist, which focuses on a group of characters who attempt to locate a serial killer.
Though it lacks a fantastical element, it does a skilled job of immersing the viewer in the world of 19th century New York, with all of the class conflicts that were such a hallmark of the period.
Raised By Wolves (2020-Present) - Streaming On HBO Max
Even though it is not a historical series, Raised By Wolves has a similar aesthetic and disturbing atmosphere to The Essex Serpent. Set on a distant planet where two androids try to raise a group of human children away from the conflicts that destroyed Earth, it is arguably one of the best science fiction series of recent years.
And, for those who enjoy the potential presence of a giant serpent, a snake-like beast plays a major part in the story of the second season.
Dickensian (2015-2016) - Streaming On Prime Video
A series like The Essex Serpent is appealing precisely because it manages to immerse the viewer in the dark and at-times sinister world of the 19th century. A similar dynamic is at work in the series Dickensian. As the title suggests, it is a series that brings together the various characters who inhabit the works of Charles Dickens.
Thus, it is designed to appeal to those who enjoy both historical dramas as well as literary adaptations.
A Discovery Of Witches (2018-2022) - Streaming On Prime Video
Though it is set in a specific historical period, The Essex Serpent has more than a little of the fantastical about it. In particular, it remains ambiguous just what the creature is, and whether it exists at all.
While A Discovery of Witches is more straightforwardly fantastical, focusing as it does on a witch who gets in touch with her magical heritage, it still has much to recommend it to fans of The Essex Serpent. This is especially true of the season, where the action takes place in Elizabethan England.