Last updated March 2024
On the hunt for acclaimed Best History Tv Shows worth watching now? We assembled 30 incredible Best History Tv Shows praised by both IMDB reviewers and our own discerning user community. Dive right into these top-tier Best History 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 History Tv Shows!
Band of Brothers (2001)
Plot Summary:
Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as their journals and letters, Band of Brothers chronicles the experiences of these men from paratrooper training in Georgia through the end of the war. As an elite rifle company parachuting into Normandy early on D-Day morning, participants in the Battle of the Bulge, and witness to the horrors of war, the men of Easy knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear - and became the stuff of legend. Based on Stephen E. Ambrose's acclaimed book of the same name
Duration: 594 min
IMDB Rating: 9.4/10
IMDB Votes: 508000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: world war two, military, combat, war, soldier, battles, courage, american soldier, behind enemy lines, paratrooper, nazi germany, infantry, sniper, war violence, warrior, military life, shooting, patriotism, friendship, squad, army, battlefield, leader, u.s. army, human spirit
Chernobyl (2019)
Plot Summary:
A dramatization of the true story of one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history, the catastrophic nuclear accident at Chernobyl. A tale of the brave men and women who sacrificed to save Europe from unimaginable disaster
Duration: 330 min
IMDB Rating: 9.3/10
IMDB Votes: 835000
Genere: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Plot tags: radiation, nuclear holocaust, radiation poisoning, nuclear power plant, nuclear reactor, save the day, nuclear explosion, salvation, scientist, nuclear radiation, nuclear threat, disaster, abandoned city, evacuation, accident, heroic mission, cold war, save the world, society, post nuclear, nuclear power, propaganda, government coverup, government official, nuclear
The Chosen (2017)
Plot Summary:
The life of Christ through the eyes of those who encountered him called The Chosen
Duration: 54 min
IMDB Rating: 9.2/10
IMDB Votes: 42000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: USA
Plot tags: christian, bible, christianity, apostle, jesus, faith, medieval, bible story, life, jesus christ, religion, saint, inspiration, religious, nativity, roman empire, forgiveness, gospel, new testament, messiah, christian faith, miraculous event, remorse, crucifix, alternate history
Mahabharat (2013)
Plot Summary:
Mahabharat is a 2013 drama TV series on Star Plus based on Indian legendary epic of the same name. It has been produced by Swastik Pictures and features actors such as Saurabh Raj Jain as Lord Krishna, Shaheer Sheikh as Arjuna, Pooja Sharma as Draupadi, Aham Sharma as Karna and Arav Chowdhary as Bhishma Pitamah. The producers had creative associations with writer Salim Khan, author Devdutt Pattanaik, designer Bhanu Athaiya, music directors Ajay-Atul and Ismail Darbar, action director Ram Shetty and set designer Omang Kumar. The casting of the show is done by Sahil Ansari, Mahesh Chandra Bhatt, Arun Mitra. It started broadcasting on 16 September 2013
Duration: 20 min
IMDB Rating: 9.0/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: India
Plot tags: mythology, hinduism, king, female warrior, ambition, feud, revenge, betrayal, warrior, emperor, deception, dysfunctional family, vengeance, rivalry, greed, royalty, fight, hate, anger, palace, throne, secret, power struggle, showdown, uninhibited rivalry
When They See Us (2019)
Plot Summary:
Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they're falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park
Duration: 296 min
IMDB Rating: 8.9/10
IMDB Votes: 134000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, History
Country: USA
Plot tags: investigation, legal, social injustice, black, black lives matter, black cast, racial injustice, black history, lgbtq, criminal justice, suspect, false accusation, social problems, fight for justice, social issues, false accusation of rape, falsely accused, racial issues, social justice, law and order, courtroom, accusation, guilty verdict, framed for a crime, blaxploitation
I, Claudius (1976)
Plot Summary:
Tracing the lives of several Roman emperors, this is an epic of ruthless ambition, shocking debauchery and murderous intrigue set in one of history's most fascinating eras. Bearing witness to the saga is Claudius, whose stutter and limp have marked him a fool - yet whom prophecies have foretold will one day rule Rome
Duration: 669 min
IMDB Rating: 8.8/10
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK
Plot tags: ancient, roman empire, ancient rome, political intrigue, ancient history, intrigue, ancient world, antiquity, politics, emperor, royal family, medieval, roman soldier, power struggle, roman emperor, incest, shakespeare, historical event, ambition, dictatorship, head of state, historical character, female nudity, peplum, lawyer
BLUE EYE SAMURAI (2023)
Plot Summary:
Driven by a dream of revenge against those who made her an outcast in Edo-period Japan, a young warrior cuts a bloody path toward her destiny
Duration: 377 min
IMDB Rating: 8.8/10
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, History, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: samurai, revenge, edo period, sword, master, fight, violence, female nudity, warrior, male nudity, blood, female full frontal nudity
Vinland Saga (2019)
Plot Summary:
For a thousand years, the Vikings have made quite a name and reputation for themselves as the strongest families with a thirst for violence. Thorfinn, the son of one of the Vikings' greatest warriors, spends his boyhood in a battlefield enhancing his skills in his adventure to redeem his most-desired revenge after his father was murdered
Duration: 24 min
IMDB Rating: 8.8/10
IMDB Votes: 64000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, History
Country: Japan
Plot tags: power struggle, viking, intrigue, danger, battles, courage, norse mythology, war, sea battle, warrior, vandalism, revenge, legends and myths, violence, mutilation, parents and children, leader, gore, massacre, folk hero, tough heroes, exploration, propaganda, adaptation, white supremacy
It's a Sin (2021)
Plot Summary:
A chronicle of four friends during a decade in which everything changed, including the rise of AIDS
Duration: 239 min
IMDB Rating: 8.7/10
IMDB Votes: 36000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, History
Country: UK
Plot tags: lgbt, gay, aids, lgbtq, gay relationship, gay sex, gay interest, hiv, adolescence vs adulthood, sexual relations, friendship, grownups, lgbtqi, youth, society, male female relationship, adulthood, lifestyle, boyfriend girlfriend relationship, one night stand, social relations, teenager, lesbian, doctor, news
Call the Midwife (2012)
Plot Summary:
Drama following the lives of a group of midwives working in the poverty-stricken East End of London during the 1950s, based on the best-selling memoirs of Jennifer Worth
Duration: 60 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK
Plot tags: midwife, childbirth, pregnancy, convent, nurse, doctor, nursing, friends, medical, family life, hospital, friendship, family relations, nun, women, medicine, home birth, unrequited love, death, strong female lead, woman, lgbtq, pregnant woman, monk, leader
Deadwood (2004)
Plot Summary:
The story of the early days of Deadwood, South Dakota; woven around actual historic events with most of the main characters based on real people. Deadwood starts as a gold mining camp and gradually turns from a lawless wild-west community into an organized wild-west civilized town. The story focuses on the real-life characters Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen
Duration: 55 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 115000
Genere: Crime, Drama, History, Western
Country: USA
Plot tags: sheriff, old west, power struggle, shooting, rivalry, gold rush, prostitute, gunfight, profanity, lifestyle, dishonesty, violence, society, intrigue, cowboy, greed, brothel, gambling, mining town, outlaw, gold mine, small town life, wild west, killings, sex scene
Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal (1999)
Plot Summary:
A young boy is saved from death at the hands of bandits by a passing swordsman. The swordsman offers to take the boy in as his apprentice and renames him "Kenshin". After years of training, Kenshin abandons his master to join the growing revolution against the Tokugawa shogunate
Duration: 118 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, History
Country: Japan
Plot tags: master warrior, samurai, revolution, mature, superhero, tragedy, japanese history, treason, rurouni kenshin, heroes, redemption, idealism, hopes, assassin, sacrifice, grief, kendo, patriot, flashback, swordplay, civil war, politics, betrayal, rivalry, danger
The Crown (2016)
Plot Summary:
The gripping, decades-spanning inside story of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Prime Ministers who shaped Britain's post-war destiny. The Crown tells the inside story of two of the most famous addresses in the world – Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street – and the intrigues, love lives and machinations behind the great events that shaped the second half of the 20th century. Two houses, two courts, one Crown
Duration: 58 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 242000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK
Plot tags: royal family, british royal family, queen, monarchy, monarch, royalty, politics, winston churchill, british history, queen elizabeth ii, british monarchy, prime minister, british politics, power, woman, women, british government, strong female lead, female protagonist, medieval, post war, feminist, storytelling, women power, palace intrigue
From the Earth to the Moon (1998)
Plot Summary:
Tom Hanks, Imagine Entertainment and HBO present From the Earth to the Moon, the dramatic story of the unforgettable Apollo missions and their heroic astronauts, from President John F. Kennedy's historic speech, through the first manned expeditions into space, to the defining moment of the space program - putting a man on the moon. "One small step for man...one giant leap for mankind." Powerfully told as never before through the unforgettable performances of Cary Elwes, Sally Field, Chris Isaak and many more, these are the stories of the men, women and children who lived, breathed and manufactured from the power of human will one of the greatest achievements in the history of mankind
Duration: 60 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Action, Drama, History, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: nasa, space travel, against the odds, space program, space, moon landing, moon, science, space exploration, storytelling, american history, exploration, cold war, dream, astronomy, travel, nature, expedition, computer, explorer, scientific discovery, cadet, usa history, deep space, atheism
John Adams (2008)
Plot Summary:
The life of one of the USA's Founding Fathers, its second President, and his role in the nation's first 50 years
Duration: 71 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 36000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Plot tags: american history, president, american revolution, politics, lawyer, freedom, u.s. president, politician, colonial america, leadership, historical character, true love, marriage, father son relationship, first lady, human spirit, head of state, state affairs, army, family relations, ambition, determination, supportive spouse, idealism, revolution
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
Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
Plot Summary:
Passion, beauty, and brilliant storytelling are all on display in this six-hour-plus epic from Italian director Franco Zeffirelli. Robert Powell is superb in the title role, and with the overwhelming success of this TV movie throughout the world, has perhaps become what Jesus looks like in many people's minds. The story begins with the arrangements of the wedding between Joseph and Mary, and chronicles the nativity, the encounter with John the Baptist (a ferocious Michael York) and everything up to the crucifixion and resurrection
Duration: 382 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, Italy
Plot tags: jesus, christianity, jesus christ, faith, religion, self sacrifice, roman empire, new testament, prophet, apostle, bible, god or devil, christian, crucifixion of jesus, resurrection, religious, idealism, ancient history, catholic, ancient, antiquity, back from the dead, last supper, betrayal, rabbi
Rurouni Kenshin (1996)
Plot Summary:
The Meiji Era was one of great renewal for Japan, where swords and killing were outlawed. However, many survivors from the time of Revolution still live, lurking in the shadows and waiting for a chance to use their killing blades again. Only Kenshin Himura, formerly one of the most brutal of killers, hopes to keep his swordsman's honor and still live in the new era
Duration: 24 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, History, Thriller
Country: Japan
Plot tags: samurai, master warrior, martial arts, swordsman, mature, bully, superhero, serial killer, rurouni kenshin, battles, sword fight, innocence, mercy, betrayal, escapades, rivalry, society, glory, reconciliation, love, school, killer, revenge, fight, friendship
The Knick (2014)
Plot Summary:
Set in downtown New York in 1900, 'The Knick' is centered on the Knickerbocker Hospital and the groundbreaking surgeons, nurses and staff who work there, pushing the bounds of medicine in a time of astonishingly high mortality rates and zero antibiotics. John Thackery is a brilliant surgeon pioneering new methods in the field, despite his secret addiction to cocaine. He leads a team of doctors including his protégé Dr. Everett Gallinger; the young Dr. Bertie Chickering Jr. and Dr. Algernon Edwards, a promising surgeon who's been recently thrust upon him. The lively cast of characters at the hospital also includes Cornelia Robertson, the daughter of its benefactor, Captain August Robertson; surly ambulance driver Tom Cleary; Lucy Elkins; a fresh-faced nurse from the country; the crooked hospital administrator Herman Barrow; and Sister Harriet, a nun who isn't afraid to speak her mind
Duration: 58 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 52000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: USA
Plot tags: medicine, life is a bitch, addiction, hospital, doctor, workplace situations, surgeon, doctors and patients, nun, medical, realism, society, drug, power relations, surgery, gory, violent, nurse, escapades, gilded age, world war one, supernatural, ancient, villain, darkness
Vikings (2013)
Plot Summary:
Vikings follows the adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok, the greatest hero of his age. The series tells the sagas of Ragnar's band of Viking brothers and his family, as he rises to become King of the Viking tribes. As well as being a fearless warrior, Ragnar embodies the Norse traditions of devotion to the gods. Legend has it that he was a direct descendant of Odin, the god of war and warriors
Duration: 44 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 568000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: Ireland, Canada
Plot tags: viking, battles, king, warrior, medieval, sword fight, legends and myths, sword and shield, norse mythology, historical character, war, adventurer, myth, mythology, conflict, heroes, danger, tough heroes, swords and armor, female nudity, leader, intrigue, execution, merciless, rise to the top
The Last Kingdom (2015)
Plot Summary:
A show of heroic deeds and epic battles with a thematic depth that embraces politics, religion, warfare, courage, love, loyalty and our universal search for identity. Combining real historical figures and events with fictional characters, it is the story of how a people combined their strength under one of the most iconic kings of history in order to reclaim their land for themselves and build a place they call home
Duration: 60 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 161000
Genere: Action, Drama, History
Country: UK
Plot tags: viking, king, battles, danger, medieval, escapades, kingdom, castle, war, heroes, kidnapping, rivalry, political unrest, sword, vengeance, british, orphan, female nudity, warrior, royalty, ancient rome, monarch, revenge, fight, murder
'Allo 'Allo! (1982)
Plot Summary:
'Allo 'Allo! is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC One from 1982 to 1992 comprising eighty-five episodes. The story is set up in a small town café in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. It is a parody of another BBC programme, the wartime drama Secret Army. 'Allo, 'Allo! was created by David Croft, who also wrote the theme music, and Jeremy Lloyd. Lloyd and Croft wrote the first six seasons. The remaining seasons were written by Lloyd and Paul Adam. In 2004, 'Allo 'Allo came 13th in Britain's Best Sitcom. A reunion special, comprising new material, archive clips and specially recorded interviews, was broadcast on 28 April 2007 on BBC Two
Duration: 45 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Comedy, History, War
Country: UK
Plot tags: world war two, german army, farce, cafe, french resistance, satire, world war, soldier, lgbt, partisan, girl, everyday life, breaking the fourth wall, cooking show, german soldier, homosexual, captain, painting, nazi germany, italian army, absurdism, mother in law, british army, small town, workplace
Generation War (2013)
Plot Summary:
Berlin, 1941. Five friends eager to become heroes in an adventure that will change the face of Europe - and that will forever change them as well
Duration: 270 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: Germany
Plot tags: world war two, holocaust, nazism, military, friendship, war, nazi germany, danger, against humanity, eastern front, atrocity, friends, wehrmacht, soldier, group of friends, guilt, anti semitism, enemy, nazi soldier, world war, wartime, nazi, resistance, nurse, military life
Warrior (2019)
Plot Summary:
A gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. The series follows Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who immigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances, and becomes a hatchet man for one of Chinatown’s most powerful tongs
Duration: 60 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, History
Country: USA
Plot tags: martial arts, gang war, rivalry, business, fistfight, corporation, hand to hand combat, sex scene, gang member, fight, gang, criminal, smuggling, master warrior, showdown, outlaw gang, lgbt, hitman, warrior, ancient, parents, organized crime, interracial romance, violent, nudity
The Heroes (2008)
Plot Summary:
The moral stories of a group of champions (Pahlevanan) living in Kharazm city in the 13th century
Duration: 30 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 168000
Genere: Animation, Drama, History
Country: Iran
Plot tags: horse, fight, king, god, heroes, sword, sword fight, alternate history, persian, fighting
American Crime Story (2016)
Plot Summary:
An anthology series centered around some of history's most famous criminals
Duration: 42 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 98000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, History
Country: USA
Plot tags: courtroom drama, true crime, murder, crime investigation, courtroom, legal investigation, police, racism, society, gay, legal action, lawyer, criminal, district attorney, investigation, trial, celebrity, witness, testimony, lgbtq, legal, serial killer, killer, death, designer
A Small Light (2023)
Plot Summary:
Twentysomething Miep Gies didn't hesitate when her boss Otto Frank came to her and asked her to hide his family from the Nazis during World War II. For the next two years, Miep, her husband Jan, and the other helpers watched over the eight souls in hiding in the Secret Annex. And it was Miep who found Anne’s Diary and kept it safe so Otto, the only one of the eight who survived, could later share it with the world as one of the most powerful accounts of the Holocaust
Duration: 54 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Plot tags: world war two, holocaust, biopic, survival, business, life, family relations, boss, secretary, diary, husband wife relationship, attic, employer employee relationship, hiding place, adopted daughter, jewish family, casualty of war, nazi occupation, soul, based on real people, world war, social worker, bilingualism, soul music, disney
Roots (1977)
Plot Summary:
African teen Kunta Kinte, brought to America to be enslaved, and the generations of his family
Duration: 588 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Plot tags: slavery, racism, civil war, american civil war, family history, human spirit, slave trade, african american, american south, escape attempt, justice, black, interracial relations, civil rights, slave, black history, injustice, discrimination, social problems, colonialism, life is a bitch, revolution, american history, sexual abuse, american culture
Grand Hotel (2011)
Plot Summary:
Grand Hotel is a Spanish drama television series directed by Carlos Sedes and starring Yon Gonzalez and Amaia Salamanca. It first aired on Antena 3 in Spain on 11 October 2011 and on Sky Arts 1 in the UK on 18 November 2012. The series, filmed at the Palacio de la Magdalena in Santander, is set in an early 20th century aristocratic hotel during the reign of King Alfonso XIII and is centered on the mysteries that involve the owner family and the hotel servants. Grand Hotel has received critical acclaim from television critics and won numerous accolades
Duration: 3098 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Crime, Drama, History, Mystery, Romance
Country: Spain
Plot tags: hotel, intrigue, investigation, love and romance, high society, master and servant, social differences, maid, guest, power relations, love affair, society, murder mystery, murder investigation, love triangle, killings, crime investigation, detective inspector, male female relationship, love story, private investigation, crime solving, uncover truth, relationships, homicide detective
The Pacific (2010)
Plot Summary:
A 10-part mini-series from the creators of "Band of Brothers" telling the intertwined stories of three Marines during America's battle with the Japanese in the Pacific during World War II
Duration: 530 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 125000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: USA, Australia
Plot tags: world war two, military, battlefield, war, battles, marines, soldier, squad, american soldier, pacific war, imperial japan, u.s. military, combat, world war, killed in action, navy, battle zone, male bonding, friends, gory, conflict, selflessness, behind enemy lines, peril, infantry