Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "american-historical-setting"
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1. Outlander (2014– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Claire Beauchamp Randall, a nurse in World War II, mysteriously goes back in time to Scotland in 1743. There, she meets a dashing Highland warrior and gets drawn into an epic rebellion.
Stars: Caitríona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton, Richard Rankin
Votes: 179,109
2. 1883 (2021–2022)
TV-MA | 56 min | Drama, Western
The post-Civil war generation of the Dutton family travels to Texas, and joins a wagon train undertaking the arduous journey west to Oregon, before settling in Montana to establish what would eventually become the Yellowstone Ranch.
Stars: Tim McGraw, Sam Elliott, Faith Hill, Isabel May
Votes: 116,236
3. Deadwood (2004–2006)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, History
A show set in the late 1800s, revolving around the characters of Deadwood, South Dakota; a town of deep corruption and crime.
Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker, Brad Dourif
Votes: 117,681
4. Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
An Atlantic City politician plays both sides of the law by conspiring with gangsters during the Prohibition era.
Stars: Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham
Votes: 203,181
5. The Gilded Age (2022– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama
The series follows the conflicts surrounding the new money Russell family and their old money neighbors, the van Rhijn family, in 1880s New York City high society.
Stars: Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton
Votes: 38,208
6. 11.22.63 (2016)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Jake Epping, a teacher, gets a chance to travel back in time to avert the death of John F. Kennedy. However, history's aversion to alteration and his love for the era and a woman endanger him.
Stars: James Franco, Sarah Gadon, George MacKay, Chris Cooper
Votes: 99,345
7. Masters of Sex (2013–2016)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Romance
Drama about the pioneers of the science of human sexuality whose research touched off the sexual revolution.
Stars: Michael Sheen, Lizzy Caplan, Caitlin FitzGerald, Teddy Sears
Votes: 38,524
8. Hell on Wheels (2011–2016)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama, Western
The Civil War is past, but former Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon can't put it behind him. Fresh are the memories of the death of his wife, killed at the hands of Union soldiers, an act that sets him on a course of revenge.
Stars: Anson Mount, Colm Meaney, Robin McLeavy, Phil Burke
Votes: 55,770
9. Wagon Train (1957–1965)
TV-PG | 75 min | Western
Stories of the journeys of a wagon train as it leaves post-Civil War Missouri on its way to California through the plains, deserts, and Rocky Mountains.
Stars: Frank McGrath, Terry Wilson, Robert Horton, John McIntire
Votes: 3,753
10. Dark Winds (2022– )
TV-MA | 49 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Follows Leaphorn and Chee, two Navajo police officers in the 1970s Southwest that are forced to challenge their own spiritual beliefs when they search for clues in a double murder case.
Stars: Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, Deanna Allison
Votes: 16,301
11. Perry Mason (2020–2023)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, History
In booming 1932 Los Angeles, a down-and-out defense attorney takes on the case of a lifetime.
Stars: Matthew Rhys, Juliet Rylance, Chris Chalk, Shea Whigham
Votes: 28,787
12. The Alienist (2018–2020)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Newspaper illustrator John Moore meets with criminal psychologist (alienist) Dr. Laszlo Kreizler to investigate a serial killer in New York during the late 19th century.
Stars: Daniel Brühl, Dakota Fanning, Luke Evans, Robert Wisdom
Votes: 60,185
13. Pan Am (2011–2012)
TV-PG | 583 min | Drama, History, Romance
Period drama about the pilots and flight attendants who once made Pan Am the most glamorous way to fly.
Stars: Christina Ricci, Margot Robbie, Michael Mosley, Karine Vanasse
Votes: 21,243
14. Hollywood (2020)
TV-MA | 50 min | Drama, History
A group of aspiring actors and filmmakers in post-World War II Hollywood try to make it big - no matter the cost.
Stars: David Corenswet, Darren Criss, Laura Harrier, Joe Mantello
Votes: 40,788
15. Ratched (2020)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, History
In 1947, Mildred Ratched begins working as a nurse at a leading psychiatric hospital. But beneath her stylish exterior lurks a growing darkness.
Stars: Sarah Paulson, Finn Wittrock, Cynthia Nixon, Jon Jon Briones
Votes: 70,572
16. Dickinson (2019–2021)
TV-14 | 30 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Set in the 19th century, it explores the constraints of society, gender and family from the perspective of rebellious young poet, Emily Dickinson.
Stars: Hailee Steinfeld, Adrian Enscoe, Anna Baryshnikov, Jane Krakowski
Votes: 19,753
17. Jamestown (2017–2019)
Not Rated | 60 min | Drama, History
A drama about English settlers in America in 1617.
Stars: Naomi Battrick, Max Beesley, Claire Cox, Patsy Ferran
Votes: 5,823
18. The Big Valley (1965–1969)
TV-PG | 60 min | Western
The Wild West adventures of the Barkley family in California's San Joaquin Valley.
Stars: Richard Long, Peter Breck, Lee Majors, Linda Evans
Votes: 3,545
19. Agent Carter (2015–2016)
TV-PG | 42 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
In 1946, Peggy Carter is relegated to secretarial duties in the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR). When Howard Stark is accused of treason, he secretly recruits Peggy to clear his name with the help of his butler, Edwin Jarvis.
Stars: Hayley Atwell, James D'Arcy, Enver Gjokaj, Chad Michael Murray
Votes: 89,178
20. Carnivàle (2003–2005)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
During the Great Depression, an Oklahoma farm boy and a charismatic minister learn that they are key players in a proxy war being fought between Heaven and Hell.
Stars: Michael J. Anderson, Adrienne Barbeau, Clancy Brown, Debra Christofferson
Votes: 46,874
21. Alias Grace (2017)
TV-MA | 45 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Grace, an Irish immigrant in 19th-century Canada, is convicted of the murder of her employer. However, things take a different turn when a psychiatrist arrives to analyze her mental state.
Stars: Sarah Gadon, Edward Holcroft, Rebecca Liddiard, Zachary Levi
Votes: 37,833
22. The Knick (2014–2015)
TV-MA | 58 min | Drama, History
A look at the professional and personal lives of the staff at New York's Knickerbocker Hospital during the early part of the twentieth century.
Stars: Clive Owen, André Holland, Jeremy Bobb, Juliet Rylance
Votes: 52,554
23. Manhattan (2014–2015)
TV-14 | 1,120 min | Drama, History, War
In 1943 Los Alamos, New Mexico, a team of government scientists is working on the top-secret Manhattan Project in a race to produce an atomic bomb before the Nazis. Meanwhile, their families adjust to life on the military base.
Stars: Rachel Brosnahan, Michael Chernus, Christopher Denham, Katja Herbers
Votes: 9,732
24. Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (2020)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
When a grisly murder shocks Los Angeles in 1938, Detective Tiago Vega and his partner Lewis Michener become embroiled in an epic story that reflects the troubled history of the city.
Stars: Natalie Dormer, Daniel Zovatto, Kerry Bishé, Adriana Barraza
Votes: 10,665
25. Project Blue Book (2019–2020)
TV-14 | 45 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A tough US Air Force officer and a skeptical scientist investigate UFO and alien conspiracies as Cold War paranoia spreads.
Stars: Aidan Gillen, Michael Malarkey, Laura Mennell, Ksenia Solo
Votes: 14,445
26. Fosse/Verdon (2019)
TV-MA | 50 min | Biography, Drama, Music
An inside look at the romantic and creative partnership between influential choreographer/director, Bob Fosse, and Gwen Verdon, one of the greatest Broadway dancers of all time.
Stars: Sam Rockwell, Michelle Williams, Norbert Leo Butz, Aya Cash
Votes: 7,386
27. The Wonder Years (2021–2023)
TV-PG | 21 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A man recalls his experiences growing up in Montgomery, Alabama during the late 1960s.
Stars: Elisha Williams, Dulé Hill, Saycon Sengbloh, Laura Kariuki
Votes: 5,329
28. Magic City (2012–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
Centers on Miami mobsters and other characters from Miami Beach in the late 1950s.
Stars: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Olga Kurylenko, Steven Strait, Jessica Marais
Votes: 13,287
29. Roots (2016)
TV-MA | 388 min | Drama, War
An adaptation of Alex Haley's "Roots." Chronicles the history of an African man and his descendants sold into slavery in America.
Stars: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Malachi Kirby, Forest Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne
Votes: 8,469
30. Into the West (2005)
TV-14 | 92 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
Tales from the American West in the 19th century, told from the perspective of two families, one of white settlers and one of Native Americans.
Stars: Joseph M. Marshall, Irene Bedard, Gil Birmingham, John Terry
Votes: 7,557
31. The Good Lord Bird (2020)
TV-MA | 48 min | Drama, War, Western
Ethan Hawke stars as abolitionist John Brown in this series based on the novel. "Onion" is a fictional enslaved boy who becomes a member of Brown's family of abolitionist soldiers and finds himself in the 1859 raid at Harpers Ferry.
Stars: Ethan Hawke, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Beau Knapp, Nick Eversman
Votes: 7,399
32. Good Girls Revolt (2015–2016)
TV-MA | 55 min | Drama
A look at the personal and professional lives of employees at an American news magazine in the late 1960s.
Stars: Genevieve Angelson, Anna Camp, Erin Darke, Hunter Parrish
Votes: 6,271
33. The Underground Railroad (2021)
TV-MA | 59 min | Drama, Fantasy, History
A young woman named Cora makes an amazing discovery during her attempt to break free from slavery in the deep south.
Stars: Thuso Mbedu, Chase Dillon, Joel Edgerton, Reshonnah Harvey
Votes: 8,433
34. The Right Stuff (2020)
TV-14 | 45 min | Drama, History
U.S. fighter pilots are recruited to test experimental aircraft and rockets to become first Mercury astronauts. TV adaptation of Tom Wolfe's book, 'The Right Stuff'.
Stars: Patrick J. Adams, Jake McDorman, Colin O'Donoghue, Patrick Fischler
Votes: 4,207
35. The Playboy Club (2011)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama
Centers on the Bunnies and patrons of the original Playboy Club in 1960s Chicago.
Stars: Randy Steinmeyer, Eddie Cibrian, David Krumholtz, Laura Benanti
Votes: 6,038
36. Another Period (2013–2018)
TV-14 | 21 min | Comedy, History
A mockumentary-style period piece comedy that follows members of the wealthy Bellacourt family and their servants in early 20th-century Newport, Rhode Island.
Stars: Natasha Leggero, Riki Lindhome, Armen Weitzman, Michael Ian Black
Votes: 5,448
37. Copper (2012–2013)
TV-MA | 42 min | Action, Drama
In the 1860s, an Irish-American Civil War veteran joins the New York City police force.
Stars: Tom Weston-Jones, Kyle Schmid, Anastasia Griffith, Ato Essandoh
Votes: 11,027
38. Texas Rising (2015)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, History, Western
The story of how the Texas Rangers were created.
Stars: Bill Paxton, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Olivier Martinez, Thomas Jane
Votes: 4,573
39. Crisis in Six Scenes (2016)
TV-PG | 23 min | Comedy
Crisis in Six Scenes is a comedy that takes place in the 1960's during turbulent times in the United States and a middle class suburban family is visited by a among us who turns their household completely upside down.
Stars: Woody Allen, Miley Cyrus, Elaine May, John Magaro
Votes: 7,171
40. Swingtown (2008)
TV-PG | 547 min | Drama
As America celebrates its 200th birthday, two generations of friends and neighbors in a Chicago suburb explore new freedoms and seek connections with each other in the midst of the socio/sexual revolution.
Stars: Molly Parker, Jack Davenport, Grant Show, Lana Parrilla
Votes: 2,858
41. Underground (2016–2017)
TV-MA | 43 min | Adventure, Drama, History
With the country on the brink of Civil War, the struggle for freedom is more dangerous than ever. Underground follows the story of American heroes and their moving journey to freedom.
Stars: Jurnee Smollett, Aldis Hodge, Jessica De Gouw, Alano Miller
Votes: 5,536
42. Damnation (2017–2018)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Western
An epic saga about the secret history of the 1930s American heartland, centering on the mythic conflict and bloody struggle between big money and the downtrodden.
Stars: Logan Marshall-Green, Killian Scott, Sarah Jones, Chasten Harmon
Votes: 9,020
43. Houdini (2014)
TV-14 | 76 min | Biography, Drama
Follow the man behind the magic as he finds fame, engages in espionage, battles spiritualists and encounters the greatest names of the era, from U.S. presidents to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Grigori Rasputin.
Stars: Adrien Brody, Kristen Connolly, Evan Jones, Tim Pigott-Smith
Votes: 12,344
44. Mob City (2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
1947, Los Angeles. Cop Joe Teague walks the line between the LAPD, led by William Parker, and the mob, led by Bugsy Siegel.
Stars: Jon Bernthal, Milo Ventimiglia, Neal McDonough, Alexa Davalos
Votes: 7,700
45. The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco (2018)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, History
Two female British code breakers team with American cryptographers to solve a series of murders in San Francisco.
Stars: Crystal Balint, Rachael Stirling, Chanelle Harquail-Ivsak, Julie Graham
Votes: 3,066
46. Mercy Street (2016–2017)
TV-14 | 53 min | Drama, History
Follows the lives of two volunteer nurses on opposing sides of the Civil War - New England abolitionist Mary Phinney and Confederate supporter Emma Green.
Stars: McKinley Belcher III, Suzanne Bertish, Norbert Leo Butz, Gary Cole
Votes: 2,948
47. Christy (1994–1995)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Family, History
Christy tells the story of an idealistic nineteen year old who leaves the comforts of her city home to teach school in the impoverished Appalachian community of Cutter Gap, Tennessee in 1912.
Stars: Kellie Martin, Stewart Finlay-McLennan, Tyne Daly, Randall Batinkoff
Votes: 1,399
48. Vegas (2012–2013)
914 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Ralph Lamb, a former MP for the US Army, becomes sheriff. His brother, Jack, and his son, Dixon, are deputized. Meanwhile, Vincent Savino comes from Chicago to Vegas to run The Savoy hotel and casino.
Stars: Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, Carrie-Anne Moss, Taylor Handley
Votes: 7,561
49. Quick Draw (2013–2014)
TV-14 | 23 min | Comedy, Western
Sheriff John Henry Hoyle and his reluctant Deputy Eli introduce the emerging science of forensics to an 1875 Kansas town.
Stars: John Lehr, Nick Brown, Allison Dunbar, Bob Clendenin
Votes: 1,615
50. New Worlds (2014)
222 min | Drama, History, War
The 1680s bring a new King, Restoration, and more tyranny. In Massachusetts, a robber's son falls for an anti-monarchist. In England, a young lady falls for an outlaw.
Stars: Jamie Dornan, Jeremy Northam, Joe Dempsie, Holli Dempsey
Votes: 1,379