Historical tv shows worth your time
by DorotheaT | created - 27 May 2021 | updated - 02 Nov 2021 | PublicA fine selection of the best tv shows which take place in historical eras that you need to start watching immediately.
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Vanity Fair (2018)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama
An adaptation of the 1848 novel by William Makepeace Thackeray.
Stars: Michael Palin, Olivia Cooke, Tom Bateman, Johnny Flynn
Votes: 5,728
2. The Tudors (2007–2010)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance
A dramatic series about the reign and marriages of King Henry VIII.
Stars: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill, Anthony Brophy, James Frain
Votes: 81,244
3. The Borgias (2011–2013)
TV-MA | 50 min | Crime, Drama, History
In the fifteenth century, Pope Alexander VI tries to control all power in Italy with the help of his several sons, through murder, intrigue, war, and marriage alliances.
Stars: Jeremy Irons, François Arnaud, Holliday Grainger, Peter Sullivan
Votes: 53,960
4. Reign (2013–2017)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama
Mary, Queen of Scots, faces political and sexual intrigue in the treacherous world of the French court.
Stars: Adelaide Kane, Megan Follows, Celina Sinden, Torrance Coombs
Votes: 54,412
5. Medici (2016–2019)
TV-14 | 1,314 min | Biography, Drama, History
A political family drama set in Florence in the early fifteenth century. Cosimo de Medici finds himself at the helm of his banking dynasty when his father, Giovanni, dies suddenly.
Stars: Daniel Sharman, Alessandra Mastronardi, Synnove Karlsen, Sebastian De Souza
Votes: 22,321
6. Poldark (2015–2019)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Romance
Ross Poldark returns home after the American Revolutionary War and rebuilds his life with a new business venture, making new enemies and finding a new love where he least expects it.
Stars: Aidan Turner, Eleanor Tomlinson, Jack Farthing, Beatie Edney
Votes: 36,127
7. The Spanish Princess (2019–2020)
TV-MA | 55 min | Drama, History, Romance
Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon navigates the royal lineage of England with an eye on the throne.
Stars: Laura Carmichael, Aaron Cobham, Charlotte Hope, Stephanie Levi-John
Votes: 10,711
8. The Empress of China (2014–2015)
45 min | Biography, Drama, History
Harem inner life and female rivalry story based on events of life of Wu Zetian; the only female Emperor in the Chinese history.
Stars: Bingbing Fan, Baoping Shen, Huichun Wang, Yuan Gao
Votes: 441
9. Hwang Jin Yi (2006)
Drama
This story is about the life of Joseon-era dancer, musician and poet, Hwang Jin Yi, who seeks perfection in her art relentlessly and the hardship facing women due to their lowly social status.
Stars: Jo Sung-ha, Jeon Mi-seon, Kim Bo-yeon, Ryu Tae-joon
Votes: 260
10. The Empress Ki (2013–2014)
Action, Drama, Romance
A Korea-born warrior girl had to be a servant at the Mongol Yuan court but somehow overcame her low status to become an empress in another land.
Stars: Ha Ji-Won, Ji Chang-wook, Oh Gwang-Rok, Choi Jung-Won
Votes: 3,597
11. Jewel in the Palace (2003–2004)
60 min | Biography, Drama, History
A series based on a real person in Korean history, Suh, Jang-geum.
Stars: Lee Yeong-ae, Hong Ri-na, Ji Jin-hee, Lim Hyeon-shik
Votes: 4,368
12. Sophia (2016)
52 min | History
In 15th Century Russia, the last Byzantine princess, Sophia Palaiologina, moves from Rome to distant Moscow to marry Czar Ivan III. Destined to become the first influential female figure of... See full summary »
Stars: Evgeniy Tsyganov, Mariya Andreeva, Nadezhda Markina, Pyotr Zaychenko
Votes: 543
13. Merlin (2008–2012)
TV-PG | 45 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
These are the brand new adventures of Merlin, the legendary sorcerer as a young man, when he was just a servant to young Prince Arthur on the royal court of Camelot, who has soon become his best friend, and turned Arthur into a great king and a legend.
Stars: John Hurt, Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Richard Wilson
Votes: 87,278
14. The White Princess (2017)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance
Based on the Philippa Gregory book of the same name, the story of Elizabeth of York, the White Queen's daughter, and her marriage to the Lancaster victor, Henry VII.
Stars: Jodie Comer, Rebecca Benson, Jacob Collins-Levy, Richard Dillane
Votes: 15,600
15. The Name of the Rose (2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History, Mystery
In 1327, an enlightened friar and his young apprentice investigate a series of mysterious deaths at an abbey risking the wrath of a powerful Inquisitor. Television adaptation of Umberto Eco's novel 'The Name of the Rose'.
Stars: John Turturro, Rupert Everett, Damian Hardung, Fabrizio Bentivoglio
Votes: 4,460
16. Peaky Blinders (2013–2022)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
A gangster family epic set in 1900s England, centering on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby.
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson, Sophie Rundle, Helen McCrory
Votes: 650,414
17. L'onore e il rispetto (2006–2017)
Crime, Drama
Diverse famiglie italiane lottano per l'onore e il rispetto.
Stars: Gabriel Garko, Nunzio Bertolami, Valerio Morigi, Cristiano Pasca
Votes: 659
18. Chernobyl (2019)
TV-MA | 41 min | Drama, History, Thriller
In April 1986, the city of Chernobyl in the Soviet Union suffers one of the worst nuclear disasters in the history of mankind. Consequently, many heroes put their lives on the line in the following days, weeks and months.
Stars: Jessie Buckley, Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Adam Nagaitis
Votes: 866,250
19. M*A*S*H (1972–1983)
TV-PG | 25 min | Comedy, Drama, War
The staff of an Army hospital in the Korean War find that laughter is the best way to deal with their situation.
Stars: Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swit, Jamie Farr
Votes: 63,839
20. Atsuhime (2008)
45 min | Drama, History
The 47th NHK Taiga Drama is a life story of Atsuhime who was born in Kagoshima Prefecture, then called Satsuma, and became the wife of Tokugawa Iesada, the 13th shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Stars: Takehiro Hira, Aoi Miyazaki, Yumiko Takahashi, Marina Kozawa
Votes: 253
Tell Your Friends