Last updated March 2024
On the hunt for acclaimed Best factual Tv Shows worth watching now? We assembled 30 incredible Best factual Tv Shows praised by both IMDB reviewers and our own discerning user community. Dive right into these top-tier Best factual Tv Shows picked especially for quality and broad appeal. Cast your vote to help surface other viewers' next great find. We're grateful when members take the time to highlight stellar Best factual Tv Shows!
Mr. Sunshine (2018)
Plot Summary:
Based in Shinmiyangyo, or the U.S. expedition to Korea in the late 19th century, Mr. Sunshine tells the story of a Korean boy born into a family of a house servant running away to board an American warship, later to return to his homeland as a U.S. marine officer. He ironically falls in love with an aristocrat’s daughter and discovers the dark scheme to colonize the country that he once ran away from
Duration: 80 min
IMDB Rating: 8.7/10
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Action, Drama, Romance, War
Country: South Korea
Plot tags: japanese occupation of korea, love triangle, patriotism, culture clash, joseon dynasty, betrayal, destiny, wartime, boyfriend girlfriend relationship, survival, historical event, stereotypes, propaganda, childhood friend, tragic event, social realism, child abuse, military life, sniper, friendship, queen, faith, occupation, asian, female protagonist
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011)
Plot Summary:
Before Spartacus struck down his first opponent in the arena, there were many gladiators who passed through the gates onto the sand.'Spartacus: Gods of the Arena' tells the story of the original Champion of the House of Batiatus: Gannicus in a more ruthless time before Spartacus' arrival where honor was just finding its way into the arena
Duration: 331 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 144000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: USA
Plot tags: ancient rome, ancient history, roman empire, gladiator, arena, roman, slave, heroes, warrior, sword fight, slavery, master warrior, strong sexual content, friendship, violence, training, group sex, fight, sword, gore, extramarital affair, pride and honor, male nudity, ancient, sex
Feud: Bette and Joan (2017)
Plot Summary:
Anthology series of famous feuds with the first season based on the legendary rivalry between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford which began early on their careers, climaxed on the set of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" and evolved into an Oscar vendetta
Duration: 406 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Plot tags: hollywood, filmmaking, feud, movie star, actress, jealousy, glory, aging, woman, family problems, workplace problem, loneliness, frustration, women, strong female lead, alzheimer's disease, drinking problem, designer, actor, feminist, film industry, backstage, resistance, human rights, girl power
Victoria (2016)
Plot Summary:
The story of Queen Victoria, who came to the throne at a time of great economic turbulence and resurgent republicanism – and died 64 years later the head of the largest empire the world had ever seen, having revitalised the throne’s public image and become “grandmother of Europe”
Duration: 60 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK
Plot tags: royal family, british history, royalty, monarchy, queen victoria, british monarchy, european history, queen of england, queen, female protagonist, british politics, british royal family, husband wife relationship, prime minister, british empire, women, politics, power, mother daughter relationship, biopic, ancient rome, world war one, lady, feminist, strength
Wolf Hall (2015)
Plot Summary:
England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the King dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The Pope and most of Europe oppose him. Into this impass steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer, and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people, and implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?
Duration: 360 min
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK
Plot tags: royal family, tudors, rise to the top, political intrigue, royalty, british monarchy, monarch, manipulation, ambition, state affairs, medieval, politics, betrayal, society, dishonesty, blind ambition, british royal family, monarchy, queen, aristocrat, clergy, british history, knight, ancient rome, world war one
Dirilis: Ertugrul (2014)
Plot Summary:
Ertuğrul Bey and the Knights Templar in the 13th century Alba and step and step with the struggle against brutal Mongols depicts the process of establishing the Ottoman principality
Duration: 120 min
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
IMDB Votes: 39000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: Turkey
Plot tags: historical character, betrayal, military coup, turkish history, heroes, father son relationship, life & death, rivalry, war, vengeance, mongol empire, medieval, culture clash, barbarian, twists and turns, muslim, turk, islam, conqueror, horse, village, tribe, arab, brutality, christian
The Spy (2019)
Plot Summary:
In the 1960s, Israeli clerk-turned-secret agent Eli Cohen goes deep undercover inside Syria on a perilous, years-long mission to spy for Mossad
Duration: 53 min
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: France, USA
Plot tags: espionage, mossad, spy, israeli palestinian conflict, secret mission, politics, arab, national security, arab israeli conflict, secrets, mafia, death, cold war, traitor, profession, intrigue, robbery, real life, secret, israeli, history lesson, airplane, female nudity, male nudity, bare breasts
El Chapo (2017)
Plot Summary:
A look at the life of notorious drug kingpin, El Chapo, from his early days in the 1980s working for the Guadalajara Cartel, to his rise to power of during the '90s and his ultimate downfall in 2016
Duration: 43 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, History
Country: USA
Plot tags: cartel, drug cartel, drug lord, business, drug dealing, fight for supremacy, gang, drug, drug crime, mafia, criminal, drug dealer, drug traffic, danger, drug smuggler, outlaw, organized crime, drug trade, drug smuggling, gang leader, outlaw gang, true crime, ghetto, inspiration, gangster
Dickinson (2019)
Plot Summary:
Emily Dickinson. Poet. Daughter. Total rebel. In this coming-of-age story, Emily’s determined to become the world’s greatest poet
Duration: 30 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Plot tags: lesbian, lgbt, women, female protagonist, lesbian interest, poetry, lesbian love, rebellious daughter, poet, sexual orientation, lgbtq, dream, gay, sapphic, longing, love, women's rights, writers, ancient, feminist, coming of age, lgbtqi, christmas romance, teen romance, revisionist history
Halston (2021)
Plot Summary:
American fashion designer Halston skyrockets to fame before his life starts to spin out of control
Duration: 240 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Plot tags: fashion, drug use, gay hustler, homosexual, lgbt, gay interest, gay relationship, gay, gay lead character, rise to the top, lgbtq, disco, leadership, rising to stardom, haute couture, drug, art, smoking, male protagonist, lifestyle, sex scene, criminal, aids, beauty, real life
Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2003)
Plot Summary:
A unique slant, profiling the life of Adolf Hitler as a child and his rise through the ranks of the National German Workers' Party prior to World War II
Duration: 186 min
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Canada, USA
Plot tags: world war two, hitler, nazism, fascism, against humanity, racism, dictatorship, political unrest, nazi, politics, war, historical character, soldier, ruler, leadership, society, life is a bitch, rise to the top, biopic, trench warfare, world war, anti semitism, ambition, head of state, ss
Gunpowder (2017)
Plot Summary:
England, 1603. Elizabeth I is dead and King James of Scotland has taken the throne. With the country at war with catholic Spain, English catholics are persecuted and priests caught saying mass are punished with death. Several attempts have already been made on the new king’s life. All so far have failed. But deep in the heart of the Warwickshire countryside a new plot is brewing. A plot that will become legend, and leave a mark on the country that will still be felt over 400 years later
Duration: 59 min
IMDB Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK
Plot tags: king of england, religion, planned murder, activist, british monarchy, catholic, parliament, treason, execution, medieval, royalty, british history, ancient rome, savage, revolution, monarch, monarchy, religious, king, female nudity, belief in god, conspiracy, british royal family, male protagonist, catholicism