Bridgerton is back with Benedict’s love story in the 2026 TV schedule nearly two years after Colin’s got closure, and it should surprise nobody that it took all of a day for the romantic period drama to ascend to the #1 spot on Netflix’s Top 10 List. It seems that most people with a Netflix subscription are making the Ton the priority, but looking at that Top 10 allowed another romantic period drama to catch my eye. Yes, consider me officially intrigued by Sandokan: The Pirate Prince.
At the time of writing on January 30, a.k.a. one day after Part 1 of Bridgerton Season 4 premiered on Netflix, the Shondaland series is comfortably at the top of Netflix’s Top 10 in the U.S. list. Take a look:
- Bridgerton
- Mike Epps: Delusional
- His & Hers
- Free Bert
- Skyscraper Live
- Finding Her Edge
- 11.22.63
- Star Search
- Sandokan: The Pirate Prince
- Stranger Things
I'll be honest: I’d never heard of Sandokan: The Pirate Prince before spotting it on Netflix’s Top 10, and at first glance lumped it in with movies like A Christmas Prince (which had people watching and rewatching back in 2017) and the sequel called A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding. On second glance, though, this show is clearly a lot grittier than any kind of happy holiday romp.
So, I clicked on the title, and the genres of “Romantic TV Dramas” and “TV Dramas” had me intrigued after binge-watching my way through Bridgerton Season 3. I was going to need something after the Bridgerton well dried up for me, so why not a 19th century romantic TV drama set in Europe? Besides, when I see a cast list that includes The Mummy’s John Hannah, I’m going to give it a shot. If the genre says "Romantic" on Netflix, I'll trust it!
Well, watching the trailer is proof enough that Sandokan: The Pirate Prince definitely isn’t Bridgerton 2.0 just because the actors are wearing period costumes and the story is set in the 1800s. In fact, it looks more Pirates of the Caribbean-esque than anything that would cross the threshold of Bridgerton House, and an Italian show set in 19th-century Southeast Asia is very different from the world author Julia Quinn built for Bridgerton.
It’s worth noting that based on the trailer, Sandokan does seem to be in English despite originally airing on an Italian network. Check out the preview for yourself:
It feels more likely to run into Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow than Jonathan Bailey’s Anthony in this world, but a pirate TV show that seems to combine elements of fantasy, romance, and exploits on the high seas while battling the 19th-century British empire? I’ll take it! I’m also curious to see Ed Westwick in period drama mode, since I know him primarily from Gossip Girl.
With a month between the first four episodes of Bridgerton Season 4 and the last four, I feel like Sandokan: The Pirate Prince could be a fun watch. The show was also renewed for a second season on Rai, the Italian TV network. What’s On Netflix reports that Netflix currently has the rights to stream Season 1 for a two-year period through early 2028; what that means for Season 2 remains to be seen.
For now, you and I and everybody else who will be in the mood for another period drama soon can check out the eight episodes of Sandokan: The Pirate Prince. I’m under no illusions after the trailer than anything will remind me of Bridgerton other than some of the English accents, but I do appreciate that streaming Bridgerton brought me to discover the show in the first place.
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