7 Best Jane Austen Adaptations on Streaming Right Now
It is a truth universally acknowledged that there is no such thing as too many Jane Austen adaptations. From Pride and Prejudice to Sense and Sensibility, Austen’s material has been brought to both the small and big screen for decades — and some are decidedly better than others.
Most recently, Netflix tried its hand at Persuasion, the final novel completed by Austen before her death. Persuasion, which arrived on the streaming service July 15, follows Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson) who is reunited with Capt. Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), who she was persuaded not to marry eight years ago, after he returns from war. With her family facing bankruptcy, Anne must decide whether to pursue new love or leave the past behind.
Whether you loved the Netflix film and need more — or it wasn’t for you and a palette cleanser is needed — we’ve compiled the greatest takes on Austen’s novels that are available to stream right now. Read on for the movies and shows guaranteed to bewitch you, body and soul.
Persuasion, Now Available, Netflix
Fire Island (Hulu)
Austen-inspired with a modern twist, Hulu’s Fire Island pulls from the ever-popular Pride and Prejudice, and refreshes it well. The film stars Joel Kim Booster as the Elizabeth Bennett equivalent and Conrad Ricamora as his Darcy, and centers around a found family that travels to Fire Island, a popular LGBTQ+-friendly getaway. All of the characters have Austen parallels, including a charming Bowen Yang as Howie (a.k.a. Jane Bennett). Though the plot and swoon-worthy romance mostly echoes its source material, Fire Island definitely has more fun with its setting: a summer paradise complete with drag shows and underwear parties. Basically everything you could want in a movie, right?
Sanditon (Prime Video)
Through Persuasion was Austen’s final completed work, Sanditon was the novel she was in the process of writing before her death at age 41. Some have attempted a continuation of it on the page, but PBS Masterpiece brought it to the screen. The series took many liberties from the unfinished work; while it taps into the lavish balls and rich characters typical of Austen, PBS’s version is more unexpected, with far more spice than Austen probably ever anticipated. But so is Austen’s manuscript in some ways, which features gambling gentlemen and her first Black character, Georgiana Lambe (Crystal Clarke).
Sanditon follows Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams), who is whisked away to a seaside town following a chance encounter with Mr. and Mrs. Parker, a couple who wants to turn the area into a resort town. The series is helmed by screenwriter Andrew Davies, who’s no stranger to an Austen television adaptation — he most famously developed Pride and Prejudice (1995) — and it shows, serving some wonderful period-piece escapism.
Clueless (Prime Video)
As if we wouldn’t include Clueless, a modern take on Austen’s Emma, on our best adaptations list! Over the past almost 30 years, Clueless has become a cult classic, and for good reason: with its iconic outfits and one-liners, it still utilizes the best Austen tropes, despite being set in 90s Beverly Hills rather than 19th century England. Clueless‘s characters are parallel to Emma and the core of the plot — a popular girl (Alicia Silverstone) tries to play matchmaker with one of her friends, but things don’t go well — is the same.
Pride and Prejudice, 1995 (Hulu)
Colin Firth delivers an iconic performance as the arrogant Mr. Darcy in the 1995 six-episode miniseries adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Jennifer Ehle is just as memorable as the fiercely independent and smart Elizabeth Bennett. With the series spending about six hours with its characters, Pride and Prejudice gets into the nitty gritty, maybe sometimes too much — but we can hardly complain about watching the smoldering chemistry and will-they-won’t-they dynamic between the two leads for several hours. The show delves into Mr. Darcy far more than the book does, showing his character development and personal growth (thankfully), but otherwise mostly stays true to the novel.
Emma. (HBO Max)
If we loved Emma. less, we might be able to talk about it more. Just before her turn in The Queen’s Gambit, Anya Taylor-Joy starred in this flick as the titular character, a scheming but well-intentioned matchmaker. On the surface, this 2020 film appears to follow its source material much more closely, and it does to an extent (there is quite a bit of word-for-word dialogue). But Emma., colorful and bright, takes far more stylistic liberties than the novel. Not to mention, the film ignores the problematic age gap between the love interest, and instead casts an endlessly charming and age-appropriate Johnny Flynn. For a period piece, it feels remarkably modern.
Pride & Prejudice, 2005 (Vudu)
This list wouldn’t be complete without the nearly universally beloved 2005 Pride & Prejudice. Matthew MacFadyen as a moody Darcy and Keira Knightley as his stubborn Elizabeth are perfectly cast; their simmering chemistry is impossible to look away from, and the film’s strength lies in their performances. Similar to the 1995 series, it dedicates a bit more time to developing Darcy, but Elizabeth is a bit more feisty in the film than in the book, having conflicts with both her sister Jane and her parents. However, the drama just elevates Pride & Prejudice and makes it more palatable for a modern audience.
Sense and Sensibility (HBO Max)
Sense and Sensibility, another 1995 adaptation, takes on similar tropes to Austen’s other novels. The film follows Elinor Dashwood (Emma Thompson) whose family is experiencing some financial hardship. They move to Devonshire, and there, Elinor and her sister are each caught up in romantic entanglements. Just as witty as Austen’s book of the same name, Sense and Sensibility earned Thompson an Oscar for her adapted screenplay. The film treats its source material lovingly, though its imbued with a bit more action to fit the screen, and similar to other on-screen Austen works, further develops the characters. It also ages the sisters up, making Elinor 27 rather than 19 and Marianne 19 instead of 16. Still, it stays true to the story and perhaps even makes it better.
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J
Wait, wait, wait. The 1995 Ehle/Firth miniseries of P&P "mostly stays true to the novel"??? No, it stays 1000% true to the novel. A 2-hour movie can only skim the surface of an Austen novel, it certainly can't do it justice. This 6-hour miniseries is very true to the book, right down to the dialogue.
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O
I think that your recommendations are pretty much correct which is the reason I am still very unhappy with Theo James. He is handsome a decent actor but also arrogant. He ruined Sandition since it was the love story. He hides out so he does not need to respond. I hope some interviewer will remind him fans of all ages count. When close to 90,000 of us wrote and supported the return and funny Rose Williams got it but he did not. So far his other things have not done great. Maybe a little less funny or sexy. And some serious thinking might help. He owes the PBS viewers are owed better and unfortunately. Sandition just does not have anything Jane Austen We. All lost because of him and Andrew Davies.
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O
The Emma Thompson version of Sense and Sensibility does not compare to the 2008 mini-series. I did not enjoy it.
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G
Explain me, please, the last adaptation of Persuasion is a kitsch or what? Is it natural to disturt the original novell, without even informing viewers about it. And I mean not only multinational characters, what is shocking , but the way how this characters, even the main, were interpreted. Very free adaptation. Far away from author's elegance and irony
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J
While Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth's 1995 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice is fantastic and my favorite, Fire Island was a fun, clever reinvention of the story. I really enjoyed it!
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P
Haven't seen Fire Island but loved the others! Sanditon season 1 was great, not a fan of s2.
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R
Best adaptation of Jane Austen yet. Dakota Johnson is lovely and brilliant.
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O
Really? Good to know you like it. I'll give it a try. The critics have been trashing it.
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