Worst Costume Dramas Ever!
by moonmom-295-621699 | created - 28 Dec 2020 | updated - 4 days ago | PublicBad, cringy films that aren't even bad enough to be campy. Really, this is a list to avoid instead of wasting hours of your life. These all have shallow writing, poor acting. Many have dreadful costume design choices and rely on polyester fabrics. In one, a parchment did not burn...it melted because it was plastic.
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1. Bridgerton (2020– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Romance
The eight close-knit siblings of the Bridgerton family look for love and happiness in London high society.
Stars: Nicola Coughlan, Luke Newton, Julie Andrews, Jessica Madsen
Votes: 169,036
Bad costumes, bad acting, inexcusably terrible writing. Did I mention bad costumes? Someone (who couldn't do fittings) decided to blend Regency and 1950's costuming. It probably saved money by using polyester and plastic but it reads as super tacky. It may have worked better if the costumes were actually sewn to fit the actors...and the actors had a better script. I could go on and on...but you'll know when you see.
2. The Spanish Princess (2019–2020)
TV-MA | 55 min | Drama, History, Romance
Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon navigates the royal lineage of England with an eye on the throne.
Stars: Laura Carmichael, Aaron Cobham, Charlotte Hope, Stephanie Levi-John
Votes: 10,713
Actress cannot carry the role. She gets an A for effort (over acting). Show is repetitive, dull and predictable. The costuming is bizarre, not in a good way. The characters lack depth. Nobody is likable. In one scene they burn a letter but the prop was plasticised and dripped into the fire.
3. The White Princess (2017)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance
Based on the Philippa Gregory book of the same name, the story of Elizabeth of York, the White Queen's daughter, and her marriage to the Lancaster victor, Henry VII.
Stars: Jodie Comer, Rebecca Benson, Jacob Collins-Levy, Richard Dillane
Votes: 15,603
This failure of a sequel, sucks by comparison in every way. Bad acting, horrendous choices in actor replacement for all original the cast. Shallow, repetitive, unimaginative, disappointing. And visible hair extensions on both men and women...ugh.
4. Angels and Insects (1995)
R | 116 min | Drama, Romance
In the 1800s a naturalist marries into a family of British country gentry.
Director: Philip Haas | Stars: Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas, Patsy Kensit, Jeremy Kemp
Votes: 4,843 | Gross: $5.30M
Weird and monotonous. Full of pregnant pauses. The shame of it all.
5. The Musketeers (2014–2016)
TV-14 | 55 min | Adventure, Drama
Set on the streets of 17th-century Paris, "The Musketeers" gives a contemporary take on the classic story about a group of highly trained soldiers and bodyguards assigned to protect King and country.
Stars: Luke Pasqualino, Tom Burke, Santiago Cabrera, Howard Charles
Votes: 23,863
Silly. Basically cosplay.
6. Dickensian (2015–2016)
TV-PG | 60 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
Drama set within the fictional realms of Charles Dickens critically acclaimed novels, bringing together some of his most iconic characters as their lives intertwine in 19th century London.
Stars: Tuppence Middleton, Sophie Rundle, Alexandra Moen, Joseph Quinn
Votes: 4,054
Oh god, please just stop singing! Cosplay with bad lyrics.
7. The Affair of the Necklace (2001)
R | 118 min | Drama, History, Romance
In pre-Revolutionary France, a young aristocratic woman left penniless by the political unrest in the country must avenge her family's fall from grace by scheming to steal a priceless necklace.
Director: Charles Shyer | Stars: Hilary Swank, Simon Baker, Jonathan Pryce, Adrien Brody
Votes: 5,596 | Gross: $0.43M
Silly, shallow, slow.
8. Reign (2013–2017)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama
Mary, Queen of Scots, faces political and sexual intrigue in the treacherous world of the French court.
Stars: Adelaide Kane, Megan Follows, Celina Sinden, Torrance Coombs
Votes: 54,416
This is cosplay. Mean girls in prom dresses, writing ridiculous, acting worse.
9. The Borgias (2011–2013)
TV-MA | 50 min | Crime, Drama, History
In the fifteenth century, Pope Alexander VI tries to control all power in Italy with the help of his several sons, through murder, intrigue, war, and marriage alliances.
Stars: Jeremy Irons, François Arnaud, Holliday Grainger, Peter Sullivan
Votes: 53,964
Pretty people pretending to act while wearing nice costumes. I blame the writers and directors for this error in judgement. It's so bad. Watch the BBC version if you want a great story.
10. Medici (2016–2019)
TV-14 | 1,314 min | Biography, Drama, History
A political family drama set in Florence in the early fifteenth century. Cosimo de Medici finds himself at the helm of his banking dynasty when his father, Giovanni, dies suddenly.
Stars: Daniel Sharman, Alessandra Mastronardi, Synnove Karlsen, Sebastian De Souza
Votes: 22,326
Really Dustin? You couldn't have mustered some acting skill for old times sake? Or maybe you knew it was a crappy part? Ugh, this series has terrible, TERRIBLE acting and cringy writing. Costumes are not so good.
11. Black Sails (2014–2017)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Follows Captain Flint and his pirates twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel "Treasure Island."
Stars: Jessica Parker Kennedy, Toby Stephens, Hannah New, Zach McGowan
Votes: 113,979
Dorky and misogynistic. Like cosplay but anti woman.
12. The Luminaries (2020)
TV-MA | 60 min | Adventure, Drama, Mystery
Adventure mystery set in the midst of New Zealand's 1860's gold rush period. It has all the stuff that makes a good drama: murder, love and revenge, as men and women travel the world making their fortunes.
Stars: Eve Hewson, Eva Green, Himesh Patel, Marton Csokas
Votes: 4,206
13. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
PG | 99 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
A young girl is transported into a magical world of gingerbread soldiers and an army of mice.
Directors: Lasse Hallström, Joe Johnston | Stars: Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren
Votes: 37,451 | Gross: $54.86M
misogynistic and super bad.
14. Camelot (1967)
G | 179 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
The story of the marriage of England's King Arthur to Guinevere. The plot of illegitimate Mordred to gain the throne and Guinevere's growing attachment to Sir Lancelot, threaten to topple Arthur and destroy his "round table" of knights.
Director: Joshua Logan | Stars: Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero, David Hemmings
Votes: 7,482 | Gross: $31.10M
Slow and dreadfully silly.
15. Harlots (2017–2019)
TV-MA | 45 min | Drama
Brothel owner Margaret Wells struggles to raise her daughters in London during the 18th century.
Stars: Lesley Manville, Kate Fleetwood, Holli Dempsey, Eloise Smyth
Votes: 10,549
Costumes seem nice but it is a deeply misogynistic and poorly acted show. Every character is shallow. The whole story is their hatred of each other. No substance.
A poor copycat of the French series 'Maison Close', in which the women actually have substance and form bonds, although the subject is still the same business, brothels and crime.
16. New Worlds (2014)
222 min | Drama, History, War
The 1680s bring a new King, Restoration, and more tyranny. In Massachusetts, a robber's son falls for an anti-monarchist. In England, a young lady falls for an outlaw.
Stars: Jamie Dornan, Jeremy Northam, Joe Dempsie, Holli Dempsey
Votes: 1,379
Ugh, unbearable as a sequel to remarkable series 'The Devil's Whore'.
17. The Aeronauts (2019)
PG-13 | 100 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A balloon pilot and a scientist find themselves in a fight for survival while attempting to make discoveries in a gas balloon in the 1860s.
Director: Tom Harper | Stars: Felicity Jones, Eddie Redmayne, Himesh Patel, Vincent Perez
Votes: 37,429
So very mundane, CGI bad.
18. Britannia (2017–2021)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
In 43 AD, the Roman Army returns to crush the Celtic heart of Britannia.
Stars: David Morrissey, Eleanor Worthington-Cox, Mackenzie Crook, Julian Rhind-Tutt
Votes: 17,867
Ugh...stinks!
19. Mata Hari (2016–2017)
60 min | Drama, History
A sex icon becomes a spy during one of the most important wars of the 20th century.
Stars: Vahina Giocante, Aleksey Guskov, Viktoriya Isakova, Keith Silverstein
Votes: 506
So sad, they shoulda made an effort for this awesome chick.
20. Sinbad (2012–2013)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A Persian prisoner sets out to find his dead brother with help from his misfit group.
Stars: Elliot Knight, Marama Corlett, Elliot Cowan, Junix Inocian
Votes: 3,779
Oh dear...
21. Excalibur (1981)
PG | 140 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Merlin the magician helps Arthur Pendragon unite the Britons around the Round Table of Camelot, even as dark forces conspire to tear it apart.
Director: John Boorman | Stars: Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi
Votes: 67,212 | Gross: $34.97M
Bad...just bad....and dull...and bad.
22. The Pagan Queen (2009)
Not Rated | 99 min | Fantasy, History, Romance
Fantasy film based on the medieval legend of the visionary Queen Libuse (Winter Ave Zoli), founder of Prague. When Libuse marries farmer Premysl (Csaba Lucas), he threatens to destroy her new kingdom. New 2018 Director's Cut.
Director: Constantin Werner | Stars: Winter Ave Zoli, Csaba Lucas, Lea Mornar, Vera Graziadei
Votes: 2,208
Hot hippie dude and pretty wench don't make this worth watching.
23. True Blood (2008–2014)
TV-MA | 55 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse encounters a strange new supernatural world when she meets the mysterious Bill Compton, a southern Louisiana gentleman and vampire.
Stars: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten
Votes: 260,209
Dammit! I really like vampires and this is intolerable.
24. Little Women (2017)
TV-PG | 59 min | Drama
Dramatization of Louisa May Alcott's novel about the lives of the four March sisters during the American Civil War as they learn to navigate love, loss, and the trials of growing up.
Stars: Maya Hawke, Kathryn Newton, Dylan Baker, Willa Fitzgerald
Votes: 4,902
Bad costumes, saccharine dialogue...Uggs?
25. Robin Hood (2006–2009)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
After 5 years of fighting in the crusades, Robin returns to England and leads a band of outlaws to outwit the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Stars: Jonas Armstrong, Gordon Kennedy, Sam Troughton, Joe Armstrong
Votes: 17,303
Long winded...slow
26. The Three Musketeers (1993)
PG | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Romance
France, 1625: Young d'Artagnan heads to Paris to join the Musketeers but the evil cardinal has disbanded them - save 3. He meets the 3, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and joins them on their quest to save the king and country.
Director: Stephen Herek | Stars: Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Chris O'Donnell, Oliver Platt
Votes: 59,398 | Gross: $53.90M
27. The Three Musketeers (2011)
PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
The hot-headed young D'Artagnan along with three former legendary but now down-on-their-luck Musketeers must unite and defeat a beautiful double agent and her villainous employer from seizing the French throne and engulfing Europe in war.
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson | Stars: Logan Lerman, Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson, Milla Jovovich
Votes: 112,065 | Gross: $20.38M
28. The Man in the Iron Mask (I) (1998)
PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The cruel King Louis XIV of France has a secret twin brother whom he keeps imprisoned. Can the twin be substituted for the real king?
Director: Randall Wallace | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gérard Depardieu
Votes: 178,893 | Gross: $56.97M
Leo Dicaprio gives a wooden performance as usual.
29. The Devil's Violinist (2013)
R | 122 min | Biography, Drama, Musical
19th Century violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini incurs the wrath of his diabolical manager while preparing for his debut performance in London, and falling for the daughter of an English impresario.
Director: Bernard Rose | Stars: David Garrett, Jared Harris, Joely Richardson, Christian McKay
Votes: 3,837
If you are really really stoned, it's pretty hilarious.
30. Dracula (2013–2014)
TV-14 | 417 min | Drama, Horror, Romance
Dracula travels to London, with dark plans for revenge against those who ruined his life centuries earlier. However, his plan is complicated when he falls in love with a woman who seems to be a reincarnation of his dead wife.
Stars: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jessica De Gouw, Thomas Kretschmann, Victoria Smurfit
Votes: 30,152
Really? Captain Kirk style acting, unsuitable for a vampire. Cringeworthy.
31. Tale of Tales (2015)
R | 134 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
From the bitter quest of the Queen of Longtrellis, to two mysterious sisters who provoke the passion of a king, to the King of Highhills obsessed with a giant Flea, these tales are inspired by the fairytales by Giambattista Basile.
Director: Matteo Garrone | Stars: Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, Toby Jones, John C. Reilly
Votes: 31,219 | Gross: $0.08M
EEEEEUUUUWWW...YUCK.
32. The Pagan King: The Battle of Death (2018)
TV-MA | 114 min | Action, Drama, History
On his deathbed, the reigning king bestows power to an unexpected heir who must find strength within himself to unite his people against the violent crusades which threaten their freedom.
Director: Aigars Grauba | Stars: Edvin Endre, James Bloor, Dainis Grube, Gints Andzans
Votes: 2,525
33. The Serpent Queen (2022–2024)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama
Series based on Leonie Frieda's book "Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France."
Stars: Samantha Morton, Amrita Acharia, Enzo Cilenti, Sennia Nanua
Votes: 7,331
No coherent plot. No grounds in anything resembling reality. Obnoxious characters. I'm embarrassed for the actors that had to recite this pap.
34. Dangerous Liaisons (2022)
R | 60 min | Drama, History
A pair of scheming ex-lovers attempt to exploit others by using the power of seduction.
Stars: Alice Englert, Nicholas Denton, Kosar Ali, Nathanael Saleh
Votes: 1,015
Dull, lackluster characters, simply unwatchable, even when nothing else is available. I'D RATHER WATCH PAINT DRY.
35. Interview with the Vampire (2022– )
TV-MA | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Based on Anne Rice's iconic novel, follow Louis de Pointe's epic story of love, blood and the perils of immortality, as told to the journalist Daniel Molloy.
Stars: Assad Zaman, Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Eric Bogosian
Votes: 22,323
So bad
36. Carnival Row (2019–2023)
TV-MA | 56 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A human detective and a fairy rekindle a dangerous affair in a Victorian fantasy world, where the city's uneasy peace collapses when a string of murders reveals an unimaginable monster.
Stars: Orlando Bloom, Cara Delevingne, Simon McBurney, Tamzin Merchant
Votes: 82,393
37. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023)
TV-MA | 58 min | Drama, History, Romance
Betrothed against her will to King George, young Charlotte arrives in London on her wedding day and faces scrutiny from the monarch's cunning mother.
Stars: India Amarteifio, Adjoa Andoh, Michelle Fairley, Ruth Gemmell
Votes: 55,695
38. The Gilded Age (2022– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama
The series follows the conflicts surrounding the new money Russell family and their old money neighbors, the van Rhijn family, in 1880s New York City high society.
Stars: Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton
Votes: 38,247
Terrible acting, terrible writing, strange costumes. Everyone talks in a stilted, pretentious manor. The costumes are super cheap polyester articulately folded.The fabric resembles Amazon shower curtains. The women's corsetry lacks the proper undergarments, causing awkward edges to show through clothing. I waited 7 years for this show and it just stinks! Season 2 is worse than season 1.
39. The Last Tycoon (2016–2017)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama
Centers on Hollywood's first wunderkind studio executive in the 1930s, Monroe Stahr, and the power struggle between him, his mentor, and current head of the studio, Pat Brady.
Stars: Matt Bomer, Kelsey Grammer, Lily Collins, Dominique McElligott
Votes: 5,647
Snoozefest. Bad acting, bad writing, bad costumes. Lots of polyester.
40. The Favorite (1989)
R | 104 min | Adventure
The true story of Aimee Dubuca De Rivery, a French girl sold into slavery to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
Director: Jack Smight | Stars: F. Murray Abraham, Maud Adams, Amber O'Shea, James Michael Gregary
Votes: 326
Ghastly, just ghastly.
41. Archie (2023)
TV-14 | Biography, Drama
Four-part drama depicting the life of Hollywood's greatest leading man, Archibald Alexander Leach - A.K.A. Cary Grant.
Stars: Jason Isaacs, Laura Aikman, Kara Tointon, Jason Watkins
Votes: 2,268
A travesty of propaganda. The actor tries but fails, as the script is dreadful. Also, Cary Grant was gay. He spent a lot of his famous years trying to overcome it but his early days were spent cohabitating with his long-term boyfriend, happily ensconced in Greenwich Village, a haven for LGBTQ.
42. Daisy Jones & The Six (2023)
TV-MA | 49 min | Drama, Music, Romance
Following the rise of rock band Daisy Jones and The Six through the 1970s Los Angeles music scene on their quest for worldwide icon status.
Stars: Riley Keough, Sam Claflin, Camila Morrone, Suki Waterhouse
Votes: 37,640
This might as well be called Daisy Duke and the idiots. I'm not sure what offended me more, the fake music or the false representation of counterculture.
43. Poor Things (2023)
R | 141 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An account of the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter.
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos | Stars: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef
Votes: 253,634
Pedifillic fetish porn. Age of consent is ignored. So cringy. All the nudity/sex was voyeuristic and geared to the 'male gaze'. Also, she literally has the brain of a 4 year old, which is far under the age of consent.
The fact that we are invited to see her having sex is contingent on her being too compromised mentally to prevent it or confront us as an adult.
They gave her a strong sexual appetite in lieu of consent; "if she enjoys it, that's ok" = problematic. Also, these sex and nude scenes are less about plot and more about exploiting Emma Stone's body. End credits were filled with dildo's and such.
It was super fetish driven soft porn.
With an all male writing/directing, even the ending seemed a male sexual fantasy of what a 'powerful' woman would be.
It is derivative in terms of scenery and utterly perverse.
44. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022– )
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Epic drama set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.
Stars: Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh
Votes: 352,372
So sad that it was so bad.
45. House of the Dragon (2022– )
TV-MA | 50 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
An internal succession war within House Targaryen at the height of its power, 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen.
Stars: Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans
Votes: 377,063
I so wanted this to be good but it was so very, very bad.
46. Queen of the Damned (2002)
R | 101 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
In this loose sequel to Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), the vampire Lestat becomes a rock star whose music wakes up the equally beautiful and monstrous queen of all vampires.
Director: Michael Rymer | Stars: Aaliyah, Stuart Townsend, Marguerite Moreau, Vincent Perez
Votes: 59,986 | Gross: $30.34M
47. Anne Boleyn (2021)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History
The final months of Boleyn's life, her struggle with Tudor England's patriarchal society, her desire to secure a future for her daughter, Elizabeth, and the brutal reality of her failure to provide Henry with a male heir.
Stars: Jodie Turner-Smith, Kris Hitchen, Thalissa Teixeira, Barry Ward
Votes: 28,022
48. The Artful Dodger (2023– )
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, History
Set in 1850s Australia the series follows adult double life of Charles Dickens' famous prince of thieves Dodger now a surgeon, but who can't shake his predilection for crime.
Stars: Thomas Brodie-Sangster, David Thewlis, Maia Mitchell, Damon Herriman
Votes: 11,187
Gratuitous medical gore, instead of good writing. I love the lead actor so I wish I wanted to watch this but I just couldn't. It was gross and poorly written.
49. Palm Royale (2024– )
TV-MA | Drama
An ambitious woman schemes to secure her seat at America's most exclusive table: Palm Beach high society circa 1969.
Stars: Kristen Wiig, Ricky Martin, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb
Votes: 5,168
50. Funny Woman (2023– )
TV-MA | 47 min | Comedy
A young woman from Blackpool finds her voice in the male-dominated world of the 1960s comedy and takes London by storm.
Stars: Gemma Arterton, Tom Bateman, Arsher Ali, Rupert Everett
Votes: 2,764
51. The Red Tent (2014)
88 min | Drama, History, Romance
The story of the twelve tribes of Israel is told through the eyes of Jacob's only daughter, Dinah.
Stars: Minnie Driver, Iain Glen, Will Tudor, Vinette Robinson
Votes: 3,796
52. The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)
R | 98 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
A young Cro-Magnon woman is raised by Neanderthals.
Director: Michael Chapman | Stars: Daryl Hannah, Pamela Reed, James Remar, Thomas G. Waites
Votes: 6,968 | Gross: $1.95M
So bad it hurts
53. The Mask of Zorro (1998)
PG-13 | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A young thief seeking revenge for his brother's death is trained by the once-great, aging Zorro, who is pursuing his own vengeance.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, José María de Tavira
Votes: 197,880 | Gross: $94.10M
54. Penny Dreadful (2014–2016)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Explorer Sir Malcolm Murray, American gunslinger Ethan Chandler, scientist Victor Frankenstein and medium Vanessa Ives unite to combat supernatural threats in Victorian London.
Stars: Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton, Eva Green, Reeve Carney
Votes: 131,139
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