Preparing to tune into a new batch of small screen period dramas in 2019

With the holidays fast approaching, a lot of our favorite TV shows are taking their midseason breaks and it feels as if it'll be forever and a New Year's Day before they return.

Yes, there are streaming options out there with plenty of programs to binge on but if you're more of a "watching in real time" person like myself, it's a bit more heartening to hear news of certain seasonal fare returning early this  upcoming winter.

For example, season 3 of Victoria is set to air on PBS this January with Her Royal Highness having to deal with the unexpected arrival of her sister Feodora as well as the antics of her Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston and pressure from Parliament to leave London for her own protection, due to the rise of the Chartist Movement during that time.

There will be other personal battles to deal with as well but rest assured, Victoria will see them through to the end with her dear Albert by her side. Granted, I know how their relationship ultimately ends yet I can't help rooting for these regal darlings to make it after all:

For another true to life look at a British marriage, the three part miniseries Mrs. Wilson, scheduled for March, has the distinction of the leading lady of this harrowing tale being portrayed by her own granddaughter.

Ruth Wilson stars here as Alison Wilson, a woman in post WWII England who believes she had a happy marriage with her husband Alec. However, upon his death, a strange woman comes to call and claims that she is the real Mrs. Wilson.

Confused and dismayed, Alison seeks the truth and discovers that Alec was not all that he appeared to be. This collision between the reality of love and the consequences of lies ought to be a suspenseful engaging treat indeed:

PBS is not the only place for historical drama as Starz plans to continue with their royal adaptations of Phillipa Gregory's novels featuring the rise of the Tudors.

Upon the heels of The White Queen and The White Princess, their next Gregory inspired miniseries will be The Spanish Princess(based on the novels, The Constant Princess and The King's Curse). No set date just yet but it should be around spring when it airs.

The titled lady in question is Catherine of Aragon, meant to marry Prince Arthur to seal the alliance between Spain and England. Upon the death of her newly wed husband, however, she has no choice but to make a claim that will allow her to marry his younger brother Henry instead.

As much as I enjoy stories about the six wives of Henry VIII, we don't always get a good look at Catherine of Aragon, who put up with a great deal in order to protect more than one country as best she could. Sure, Anne Boleyn was quite the diva in her day and I wouldn't turn down a fresh view on her. However, it's beyond time that Catherine of Aragon had her moment in the storytelling spotlight:

There is a more definite date for the premiere of another book adaptation, Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. The six part PBS miniseries is set for April with a screenplay by acclaimed writer Andrew Davies.

It's a non-musical version, of course, with a cast of great actors such as Dominic West, David Oyelowo, Lily Collins and Olivia Colman. No matter how many times this epic story is told in pop culture, it always manages to resonate with modern audiences and this time, perhaps for many good reasons:

No doubt, many more tales of historical fact and historical fiction will appear on TV screens will be joining this quartet of period dramas. However, there is one that will escape the tidy realm of television by arranging a reunion for the residents of a certain beloved estate at a movie theater near you next year.

This should be quite the event of the season, particularly if you can imagine Dowager Countess Violet's reaction if someone dared to offer her a box of popcorn at the official film premiere: