‘Irresistible’ Post-WW2 Drama Has Six Seasons of Family Secrets, Romance and Twists for Downton Abbey Fans
If Downton Abbey left you wanting another period drama packed with complicated families, hidden secrets and shifting relationships, A Place to Call Home offers six seasons of exactly that kind of story.
The Australian drama, which ran from 2013 to 2018, is set in post-World War II Australia and follows Sarah Adams, played by Marta Dusseldorp, as she returns home after two decades abroad. What begins as an attempt to rebuild her life soon draws her into the world of the wealthy Bligh family and its formidable matriarch, Elizabeth Bligh, portrayed by Noni Hazlehurst.
The series combines romance and family drama with the social tensions of 1950s Australia, including prejudice, religion and the expectations imposed on people by the society around them.
Sarah Adams Returns to Australia
Sarah has been away from Australia for 20 years when she finally returns, hoping to make a fresh start.
Instead, her arrival places her directly in the orbit of the Bligh family, one of the most influential families in the area. Elizabeth Bligh has considerable authority within her family and is far from welcoming toward Sarah.
The situation becomes even more complicated when Sarah discovers that the husband for whom she had previously uprooted her life and moved to Paris survived World War II.
That revelation changes everything Sarah believed about her past and becomes one of the forces driving the drama that follows.
The story unfolds in New South Wales against the backdrop of the post-war years. Alongside the family conflicts and romantic storylines, the series explores the social attitudes of the 1950s, including prejudice, religious differences and the pressure to conform.
The result is a period drama with a distinctly Australian setting but many of the familiar ingredients that appeal to fans of British family sagas.
A Large Ensemble Keeps the Story Moving
Marta Dusseldorp and Noni Hazlehurst anchor the series, but A Place to Call Home relies on a substantial ensemble to build its interconnected world.
Brett Climo plays George Bligh, while Craig Hall takes the role of Dr Jack Duncan. David Berry appears as James Bligh, with Abby Earl playing Anna Bligh and Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood portraying Olivia Bligh.
The wider cast includes Aldo Mignone as Gino Poletti, Sara Wiseman as Carolyn Bligh, Jenni Baird as Regina Standish, Tim Draxl as Henry Fox and Frankie J. Holden as Roy Briggs.
As the six seasons progress, their characters become increasingly connected through relationships, disagreements, secrets and personal struggles. That expanding web of connections is a major part of what gives the series its long-running family-drama appeal.
The 1950s Setting Is Part of the Appeal
The period setting gives A Place to Call Home much of its visual identity.
The costumes and production design place the characters firmly in the mid-20th century, while the story uses the period to examine the attitudes and social pressures of the time.
Viewers have particularly praised the combination of the show’s locations, costumes, performances and storylines. The series currently holds an 8.3/10 rating on IMDb, based on thousands of user ratings.
The drama’s central conflict also goes beyond romantic complications. Sarah’s return forces old assumptions and family secrets back into the open, while Elizabeth’s determination to maintain control over the Bligh family creates another continuing source of tension.
Viewers Have Called It an ‘Irresistible Soap’
Part of A Place to Call Home‘s appeal comes from the fact that it embraces the heightened storytelling associated with a soap opera while maintaining the look and atmosphere of a period drama.
One viewer described it as an “irresistible soap” and praised it as a soap opera “of the very highest quality,” particularly highlighting Noni Hazlehurst’s performance as Elizabeth Bligh.
Another viewer praised the combination of the story, cast and setting, describing it as a beautiful story with enough suspense to encourage viewers to keep watching.
The same reaction highlighted the show’s treatment of the post-war period, including the prejudices of the era, and praised the cast for making the characters’ emotional conflicts compelling.
Hazlehurst’s Elizabeth is repeatedly singled out as a standout character, particularly because of the lengths she goes to in order to preserve her influence over her family.
Six Seasons Give the Family Story Room to Develop
The series ran for six seasons and 67 episodes between 2013 and 2018, giving its characters considerably more time to evolve than a shorter period drama would allow.
That long run is one reason viewers have described becoming deeply attached to the characters and reluctant to reach the end.
The mid-century costumes and staging have also received praise, while the storylines tackle difficult questions about how people were treated because of their lifestyles and religious beliefs during the 1950s.
For some viewers, the characters themselves are the show’s strongest element. Their personalities and relationships change over the course of the six seasons, and even characters who initially appear to be villains are given enough complexity to become more than straightforward antagonists.
The storytelling can sometimes move into unmistakably soap-opera territory, but viewers have also praised the way those heightened plots are grounded in believable emotional conflicts.
The ending provides a sense of resolution for the characters who have carried the story across the full six-season run. The final season brings the 1950s era of the Bligh family to a close, with the series concluding in 2018.
Why Downton Abbey Fans May Enjoy A Place to Call Home
Although A Place to Call Home is set in Australia rather than Britain, the similarities in its basic appeal are easy to see.
It features an affluent family, an imposing family matriarch, romance, social expectations, personal secrets and relationships that change as the story unfolds. Like Downton Abbey, it uses the lives of its characters to explore a society undergoing change.
The difference is its distinctly Australian setting and its focus on the post-war years of rural New South Wales.
The series also puts its characters ahead of historical spectacle. Their relationships, personal choices and conflicts provide the main engine of the story, while the period setting gives those struggles additional context.
That makes the six-season run particularly useful for anyone looking for a substantial period drama rather than a short miniseries.
Six Seasons of Secrets to Binge
At its core, A Place to Call Home is a story about people trying to build new lives while dealing with the consequences of the past.
Sarah’s return to Australia sets the story in motion, but the drama soon expands into the wider Bligh family, bringing romance, rivalry, prejudice, religion and long-held secrets into the mix.
For viewers who enjoy period dramas with an extensive ensemble and plenty of family conflict, there is a lot of story to settle into. The six seasons allow relationships to develop gradually while giving the show’s central characters room to change.
A Place to Call Home originally aired from 2013 to 2018 and all six seasons are listed for streaming on Prime Video, with availability varying by market.
For anyone looking for a post-World War II drama with wealthy families, complicated relationships, social tensions and revelations from the past, A Place to Call Home offers a long-running Australian alternative to the familiar period-drama formula.