Best tv shows like Life and Fate
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
This Russian series is based on the book of the same name, once considered a serious danger to the future of the Soviet Union. "Life and Fate" is an epic tale of World War II and a reckoning with dark forces emerging. It juxtaposes bedrooms and sniper's nests, science labs and the Gulag, taking us deep into the hearts and minds of citizens and soldiers struggling to cope with the ravages of war.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 189
Genere: Drama
Country: Russia
Duration: 40 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Best tv shows and movies like Life and Fate (2012):
Similar in 87%
The Little Nyonya (2020)
Plot Summary:
Set in the 1930s, the drama spans across several generations of a wealthy Straits-born Chinese family in Malacca, and revolves around the feuds surrounding it. Yue Niang, a strong-willed Nyonya refuses to be consigned to her lowborn status in life and sets out to change her destiny, eventually succeeding as a businesswoman.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 20
Genere: Drama
Country: China
Duration: 41 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 84%
One War (2009)
Plot Summary:
May, 8, 1945. Maxim Prokhorov, major of People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs, arrives at a small northern island. There live eleven people: five young women, five children from one to three years, and the captain Karp Nichiporuk. The young mothers were exiled to the island from the territories occupied by fascists, and their children are the children of the German occupier. Arrival of the major upsets the casual life on the island. The major has to "clean up" the island and the nearest settlements. The military man authorizes a plan to organize a training camp in the region for saboteurs. The night of May, 9, the women are told about the German capitulation, their hopes for forgiveness and return home become a certainty. They are even allowed to celebrate the Victory.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 165
Genere: Drama
Country: Russia
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: sincere, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 87%
Fighting Season (2018)
Plot Summary:
The story involves an Australian platoon in the Afghanistan war, forced to come home following the death of their leader. A murder mystery involving the now deceased Captain Ted Nordenfelt ensues.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 189
Genere: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 77%
Charlie Golf One (2016)
Plot Summary:
A series taking place in an army medical center located in a remote military base and following the bizarre characters and occurrences in the center.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 373
Genere: Drama
Country: Israel
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: tense, sincere, captivating, suspense, disturbing, medical drama
Similar in 81%
Fog (2010)
Plot Summary:
Present time. A squad of young soldiers of the Russian army during the march-throw splits from the main group. In order to save time, they decide to cut the path, but get into the strange fog, which transfers them to the past, right into the World War the Second. Boys, who saw fight only in the movies, and imagined it on the training field, get into the heart of the real WAR. Real courage, real fear, real love and hate, and real DEATH. No time to ask questions. Survive and fight for your country!.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 219
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, War
Country: Russia
Duration:
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense
Similar in 76%
Tombstone of the Fireflies (2008)
Plot Summary:
Set during World War II, the film follows a young brother and sister as they attempt to survive the aftermath of the firebombing of Kobe City.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 370
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, touching, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 84%
Amar es para siempre (2005)
Plot Summary:
The series is set in the Spanish Civil War and the first years of the Franco regime and tells the stories of characters who lived the aftermath of the war.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 350
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Spain
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense
Similar in 78%
Resistance (2019)
Plot Summary:
This follow up to the Rebellion miniseries unfolds at the height of what became known as Ireland's War of Independence, and follows the lives of those caught up in the vicissitudes of history.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 660
Genere: Drama
Country: Ireland
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing, historical drama
Similar in 90%
Cross the Yalu River (2020)
Plot Summary:
TV mini-series telling the PRC's official narrative of its involvement in the Korean War (1950-1953). It's one of several films produced in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) (founded in July 1921).
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 25
Genere: Drama
Country: China
Duration:
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 86%
The Network of Freedom (2017)
Plot Summary:
France, beginning of World War II. Hélène Studler is a nun who has been dedicated to the care of orphans and the abandoned people. But the times have changed, the people are living a whole revolt, the Germansoldiers have entered their city and the reality that now faces far exceeds the harshness to which they are accustomed: Hélène discovers that near her locality, the Nazis have installed a concentration camp. Along with some people of the city, several of her Sisters Daughters of Charity plot a whole plan to free the captives from their tragic end.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 126
Genere: Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 78%
Auntie Duohe (2009)
Plot Summary:
After losing her kin in the wake of the Second Sino-Japanese War, a Japanese girl in China stays to live with a traditional Chinese family.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 30
Genere: Drama
Country: China
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 90%
Drama Special (2010)
Plot Summary:
Forget the existing one-act dramas! Short but impactive! KBS Drama Special presents high quality single episode dramas. Dramas are the broadcast content with the widest public appeal. KBS Drama Special will produce short dramas of far-reaching impact involving at times a serious social message, unique emotions or perspectives. It will stay abreast of modern viewership.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 36
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 77%
The Village (2019)
Plot Summary:
Welcome to the Village, an apartment building in Brooklyn that appears like any other from the outside but is quite unique inside. The people who reside here have built a bonded family of friends and neighbors.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 89%
Clouds Over the Hill (2009)
Plot Summary:
Saka no Ue no Kumo is an NHK 21st Century special drama which was aired over three years starting from November 29, 2009. The series runs 13 episodes at 90 minutes each. The first series, with 5 episodes, was broadcast in 2009, while series two and three, each with 4 episodes, were broadcast in late 2010 and 2011. While most episodes were shot in Japan, one of the episodes in series two was shot in Latvia. The TV series is based on the novel Saka no ue no kumo by Ryōtarō Shiba and adopted by Hisashi Nozawa. The theme song of the drama series is titled "Stand Alone". It was composed by Joe Hisaishi, written by Kundo Koyama and performed by British soprano singer Sarah Brightman.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 501
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 87%
The Grand Mansion Gate (2001)
Plot Summary:
This Chinese period drama series follows the fortunes of a prominent merchant family engaged in Traditional Chinese Medicine during the waning years of the Ching dynasty. The affairs of this family of doctors/pharmacists (which in those days were one and the same) are intimately linked with social upheavals of the time such as the encroachment of Christian missionaries and foreign imperialism as well as conflicts that inevitably emerge in a large upper class family. Comparable in scope and production value to such recent titles as "Downton Abbey", the lives and character of both masters and servants intertwine in plot lines that spans more than a generation.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 541
Genere: Drama
Country: China
Duration: 47 min
Plot tags: captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 85%
EXIT (2018)
Plot Summary:
Kang Soo is a loan shark that tries to get by day to day in his depressing reality. His father's abuse lead to his mother running away from home. Thanks to his father's crippling debt, he began to work under Hwang Tae Bok. Happiness wasn't something that was allowed to him. His only dream is to find his mother and live a happy life. However, this is impossible in his life. No matter how hard he tries, he can't escape the nightmare of his reality, and when he was about to give up on his life, he sees a flier asking, "Do you want to become happy?" With the smallest inkling of hope, he goes to the research center, so he can experience a bit of happiness. However, he learns that happiness comes at a steep price of 300,000 dollars. He decides to steal the money from Tae Bok. Will he be able to achieve happiness?.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 15
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 85%
The Rebel (2022)
Plot Summary:
Javid is a seventeen-year-old youngster, who has lost his parents years ago and has nobody except his half-sister Atefeh and his love Abra.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: Iran
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 82%
Apaches (2017)
Plot Summary:
A young journalist is forced into a life of crime to save his father and family in this series based on the novel by Miguel Sáez Carral.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 328
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 84%
New World (2020)
Plot Summary:
Set in the city of Beiping during the 22 days before the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 is a story about the drastic changes in the lives of three brothers Jin Hai, Tie Lin, and Xu Tian as well as a romance between Xu Tian and Tian Dan. In investigating the murder that claimed the life of his fiancee, policeman Xu Tian starts on a trail that will eventually lead to his involvement in the liberation of Beiping. Jin Hai, Tie Lin, and Xu Tian are three friends who are as close as brothers. In the face of historic changes and conflicting beliefs, they make choices that take them on diverging paths. Xu Tian and communist member Tian Dan meet during their lowest moments and find a common goal that brings them together.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 45
Genere: Drama
Country: China
Duration: 40 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 82%
The Ordinary World (2015)
Plot Summary:
A TV serialization of the classic Chinese novel 'Ordinary World'.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 15
Genere: Drama
Country: China
Duration: 40 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, captivating
Similar in 80%
Convoy PQ-17 (2004)
Plot Summary:
"PQ-17 was the code name for an Allied Second World War convoy in the Arctic Ocean. In July 1942, the Arctic convoys suffered a significant defeat when Convoy PQ-17 lost 24 of its 35 merchant ships during a series of heavy enemy daylight attacks which lasted a week.".
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 91
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: Russia
Duration: 416 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense
Similar in 89%
Virgin 2: Not a Porn Movie (2009)
Plot Summary:
A friendship of two young girls, Tina and Nadya, who have fallen into dark professions. Friendships often come at a heavy price and end in tragic death, just when they want to change the course of their lives.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 77
Genere: Drama
Country: Indonesia
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, tense, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 77%
Ancestral Land (2017)
Plot Summary:
An epic family saga set in the Russian Urals before, during and after the Second World War. The story is centered on the Morozov family - Aleksey, Stepan, Aliona and Varvara - two brothers and two sisters, with a multitude of complex relationships between them. Miraculously, they all survive the slaughter of World War 2, but not without learning some important lessons on the way, including the meaning of true love, that overcomes all hurdles and heals all wounds, and how to cope with grief, leading them ultimately to a long dreamed-of happiness.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 129
Genere: Drama
Country: Russia
Duration:
Plot tags: captivating, tense
Similar in 75%
Alyosha (2020)
Plot Summary:
Summer 1944. The Second World War rages. On one side, elite German soldiers serving in the most dangerous and cruel army the world has ever seen. On the other, Russian partisans-fatigued, wounded and hungry, they have almost forgotten the warmth of home. But they do remember one thing: their country is behind them, and they cannot give up. The story is about machine gunner Yefrem Zhavoronok and Alyosha, a young boy. Alyosha is only sixteen, and Yefrem knows that he must look after him like his own. In war, everyone's children, mothers, wives and brothers are your family.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 19
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Russia
Duration:
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense
Similar in 80%
Land Girls (2009)
Plot Summary:
The lives, loves and highs and lows of four members of the Women's Land Army working at the Hoxley Estate during World War II.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 225 min
Plot tags: realistic, captivating, costume drama, historical drama, psychological, atmospheric, serious, period drama
Similar in 76%
A Touch of Green (2015)
Plot Summary:
The drama tells the story of air force pilots and their families from 1945 to 1971. As the husbands embarked on patriotic missions to fight against the enemies, their families must content with horror of wars, mass emigration to distant land, and death of love ones. Their shared experience brought the military families together to support one another.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 428
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Taiwan
Duration:
Plot tags: captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 88%
A French Village (2009)
Plot Summary:
The stories of the people of Villeneuve, a fictional subprefecture, in the Jura, in German–occupied France during the Second World War.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 52 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 79%
Island at War (2004)
Plot Summary:
Island at War is a British television series that tells the story of the German Occupation of the Channel Islands. It primarily focuses on three local families: the upper class Dorrs, the middle class Mahys and the working class Jonases, and four German officers. The fictional island of St. Gregory serves as a stand-in for the real-life islands Jersey and Guernsey, and the story is compiled from the events on both islands. Produced by Granada Television in Manchester, Island at War had an estimated budget of £9,000,000 and was filmed on location in the Isle of Man from August 2003 to October 2003. When the series was shown in the UK, it appeared in six 70-minute episodes.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: UK
Duration: 540 min
Plot tags: tense, atmospheric, captivating, suspenseful, historical drama, bleak, serious, realistic, stylized, period drama
Similar in 76%
Kardeslerim (2021)
Plot Summary:
4 siblings have to struggle with life after their parents' death.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Turkey
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 85%
World on Fire (2019)
Plot Summary:
The story of World War II told through the intertwining fates of ordinary people from all sides of this global conflict as they grapple with the effect of the war on their everyday lives.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: UK
Duration: 57 min
Plot tags: psychological, thought provoking, captivating, suspense, disturbing, retro, period piece, costume drama, historical drama, period drama