Archived · Channel 4
We meet the magnetic Emma Harte in 1911, as an impoverished, ambitious maid in Yorkshire, England, and follow her irresistible and dizzying climb to become the world's richest woman, gazing down on her sprawling empire from a luxury New York penthouse. The background to Emma Harte's rags-to-riches rise is the tale of women through the 20th century, as Emma defies the expectations of her society, fearlessly challenging the roles she's given, smashing glass ceilings, and never, ever deviating from her masterplan: Get to the top. Whatever it takes. A housemaid-turned-mogul, daughter, mother, lover, fighter and a 20th century feminist icon who refused to know her ‘place', Emma Harte returns to Channel 4 once again to delight and scandalise audiences.
Start with the closest match, then check out two more shows with a similar feel, pace, mood, or theme.
A prequel to "Dangerous Liaisons" following the rise to power of the young Isabelle de Merteuil.
The Seduction is a period court intrigue where a woman climbs through charm, social maneuvering, and calculated choices, the same kind of ambition engine that drives A Woman of Substance. Expect slow-building psychological tension in aristocratic rooms, with romance treated like another tool, not a comfort blanket.
In 1925, a country house party prank turns deadly. Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent investigates the chilling murder plot. Lady Caterham and Superintendent Battle assist in solving the country house mystery that changes Bundle's life.
Agatha Christie's Seven Dials keeps the British period focus and female-led pressure-cooker energy, with A Woman of Substance’s class constraints turning into constant social risk. You get a contained country-house mystery where deduction and reputation collide, and the tension comes from how people behave under scrutiny, not from big action.
A contemporary, high-octane thriller about the heist of the century and the ordinary office worker who finds herself at the heart of it.
Steal brings the same “rise by force of will” feeling as A Woman of Substance, but it swaps penthouse power games for fast, escalating danger. An office worker gets pulled into high-stakes criminal pressure, so the tension stays personal and urgent, with momentum and jeopardy replacing the long, decades-spanning climb.
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See the Top 20 Most Recommended ShowsSee 3 more shows like A Woman of Substance