It's a Period Piece

With the premiere of BBC America's Copper less than an hour away, it got me thinking - why are we so fascinated with period dramas? Copper is a crime drama set in 1864 New York City, from Five Points to Fifth Avenue, and follows an Irish Catholic cop as he tries to solve crimes in a corrupt city. I am so excited to see how this turns out; it has been described as a grittier Gangs of New York.

So, Copper, Gangs of New York, Titanic, Downton Abbey...what's the intrigue? I believe the attraction of period drama is our fascination with our own history. Sure, the costumes are usually beautiful and mildly mindblowing, so add to the awesomeness that is a period piece, but I find myself drawn to historical projects because I love the glimpse into how life used to be (however Hollywood-ified it may be). I love imagining myself in the costumes and in the society - upper class, of course ;)

I love history. I prefer certain periods more than others, of course, but I like knowing where we've been and - as pessimistic as this may sound - what mistakes we're repeating. As the saying goes, "Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it" and I find it all fascinating.

I would love to get immortality just so I can go to school for years and years and study everything I would love to study. But for now, I'll just have to settle for my period pieces.