Period Drama Fans Are Rediscovering This Acclaimed 10-Episode Family Saga — And You Can Stream It Free

More than 20 years after its original television run, The Forsyte Saga continues to win over period-drama fans with its sweeping family story, complicated relationships and unforgettable performances. Led by Damian Lewis and Gina McKee, the 10-episode ITV adaptation follows three generations of a wealthy British family as ambition, social expectations and the pursuit of love threaten to tear them apart.

Spanning the late Victorian era through the early decades of the 20th century, the drama remains a compelling portrait of a society in transition. For viewers who missed it the first time around, all 10 episodes are available to stream free with adverts on ITVX in the UK.

A Family Torn Between Wealth, Status and Love

Based on John Galsworthy’s celebrated novels, The Forsyte Saga centres on a prosperous family whose members are constantly caught between personal desires and the expectations that come with their social position.

At the heart of the story is Soames Forsyte, played by Damian Lewis. A wealthy solicitor with a powerful attachment to money, property and status, Soames becomes determined to marry Irene Heron (Gina McKee), a beautiful young woman living in genteel poverty.

Irene initially rejects his advances, but the two eventually marry. Their relationship, however, proves deeply unhappy. Soames struggles to understand Irene as an independent person, while his possessiveness and emotional restraint gradually expose the gulf between them.

Their troubled marriage becomes one of the defining conflicts of the series, with consequences that extend beyond the couple and shape the lives of the wider Forsyte family.

Damian Lewis Delivers a Standout Performance

Although Soames is far from an easy character to like, Lewis gives him a complexity that makes the role particularly compelling. His portrayal captures a man whose emotional repression and obsession with control often make him difficult to sympathise with, yet whose humanity occasionally emerges beneath that hard exterior.

The performance has remained one of the show’s most frequently praised elements. Critics have highlighted how Lewis gradually makes Soames more than a conventional villain, encouraging viewers to reconsider their feelings about him as the story develops.

Audiences have also continued to express their affection for the series years after its debut. Some describe it as a favourite period drama, while others say they were immediately drawn into its emotional story and found the family’s misfortunes deeply moving.

For many viewers, the appeal lies in the combination of strong performances, layered characters and a story that explores the personal cost of pursuing wealth and social acceptance.

From the 1960s BBC Classic to the ITV Adaptation

Galsworthy’s novels have enjoyed a long history on television. The BBC first adapted The Forsyte Saga in the 1960s, producing a 26-episode black-and-white series that became a major international success.

Around 35 years later, ITV brought the story to a new generation with its adaptation, which aired across 2002 and 2003. The 10-episode production retained the central themes of the novels while introducing the Forsyte family to a modern television audience.

The series also earned critical recognition, including a BAFTA win for Best Original Television Music in 2003.

A New Generation Gets Its Own Forsyte Drama

The family saga returned to television in 2025 with The Forsytes, a new Channel 5 reimagining inspired by Galsworthy’s novels. Rather than retelling the events of the original books, the six-part drama explores the family’s earlier history in 1880s London.

Its ensemble cast includes Eleanor Tomlinson as Louisa Byrne, a Soho dressmaker whose relationship with Jolyon Forsyte Jr. brings her into the family’s complicated world. Other leading performers include Stephen Moyer, Jack Davenport, Danny Griffin, Tuppence Middleton, Millie Gibson and Joshua Orpin.

The new series explores the Forsytes’ romances, ambitions and rivalries, focusing on the tension between family tradition, personal sacrifice and the desire for happiness.

The two productions offer different ways to explore the same fictional family: the ITV drama follows the events of Galsworthy’s original saga, while The Forsytes takes viewers back to the relationships and conflicts that came before.

For anyone drawn to lavish period settings, complicated family dynamics and emotionally rich storytelling, both series offer plenty to discover.

The Forsyte Saga is available to stream free with adverts on ITVX in the UK, while The Forsytes can be watched on catch-up through Channel 5’s streaming service.