Best tv shows like Ben Hur
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
About the struggle between the Roman Empire and its rebellious conquest Judaea, and two best friends caught in a terrible moment in history.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, History
Country: UK, Germany, Spain, Canada, USA
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, epic, captivating, historical drama, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Best tv shows and movies like Ben Hur (2010):
Similar in 84%
The Final Inquiry (2006)
Plot Summary:
It is the year 33 of the Vulgar Era. The Emperor Tiberius is troubled by strange phenomena, an earthquake and the sky turning black as an eclipse. His astrologers give him fair warning: their omens indicate that the world is in the throes of a great upheaval and that old gods have been annihilated. A new kingdom is about to rise in the East. The Emperor calls Tito Valerio Tauro, the most prominent.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, History, Mystery
Country: Italy, Spain
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: christian film, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, biblical, spiritual, esoteric
Similar in 84%
Solomon (1997)
Plot Summary:
David, now an old man, is still king of Israel. Among his sons, the ambitious Adonijah and the clever Solomon. The two young men are fierce rivals, since both are prospective heirs to the throne and only one can be successful.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History
Country: Italy, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Spain, USA, Netherlands, UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: biblical, sincere, atmospheric, epic, serious, realistic
Similar in 89%
The Bible: Moses (1995)
Plot Summary:
An ordinary man is called upon by God to do the impossible in this lovingly told production of the Old Testament story. When the Pharaoh of Egypt begins to tighten the noose on his Jewish slaves, Moses (Ben Kingsley) leads them to freedom. Philip Stone, Anthony Higgins, Anton Lesser and Anita Zagaria are featured in this award-winning installment from TNT's "greatest stories of the Bible" series directed by Roger Young.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Crime, Drama, History
Country: Czech Republic, Netherlands, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, USA
Duration: 188 min
Plot tags: biblical, epic, serious, suspense, disturbing, tense, uplifting, suspenseful, informative, captivating
Similar in 84%
The Bible (2013)
Plot Summary:
The Bible comes to life in History Channel's epic new miniseries. From Genesis to Revelation, these unforgettable stories unfold through live action and cutting-edge computer-generated imagery, offering new insight into famous scenes and iconic characters. Created by producer Mark Burnett and featuring an international cast that includes Roma Downey, this 10-hour docudrama explores the sacred text’s most significant episodes, including Noah’s journey in the ark, the Exodus and the life of Jesus.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 440 min
Plot tags: christian film, biblical, spiritual, serious, captivating, uplifting, historical drama, inspirational
Similar in 81%
In the Beginning (2000)
Plot Summary:
Biblical tales from the books of Genesis and Exodus, including the stories of Abraham's devotion and Joseph's betrayal.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 869
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 189 min
Plot tags: biblical, christian film, serious, captivating, epic, semi serious
Similar in 82%
David (1997)
Plot Summary:
The tribes of Israel need to defeat the superior might of the Philistines: "Now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." (I Samuel, 8:5). And so the prophet Samuel gives the Hebrews their first king, Saul. Saul, however, has incessant doubts about his mission. The influential prophet Samuel turns away from Saul in order to select a new king according to God's will: David. He is still a young boy, tending sheep in the fields, when, secretly Samuel oints him as the next king of the Israelites.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History
Country: Italy, Germany, USA
Duration: 190 min
Plot tags: biblical, christian film, exciting, atmospheric, epic, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 80%
Joseph (1995)
Plot Summary:
The Biblical story of Joseph, who was sold to slavery by his brothers who were jealous of his prophetic abilities to analyze dreams and of his being their fathers' favorite.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History
Country: Italy, Germany, USA
Duration: 185 min
Plot tags: biblical, christian film, sexy, spiritual, epic, serious, realistic
Similar in 85%
Samson and Delilah (1996)
Plot Summary:
Mara and Manoa are both upstanding and religious Israelites living under the harsh and unjust rule of the Philistines. One day, a mysterious stranger appears to Mara and promises her that she will bear a son whom she is to call Samson.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, History, Romance
Country: Germany, Italy, USA
Duration: 172 min
Plot tags: biblical, epic, serious, christian film, suspenseful, tense, captivating, period drama
Similar in 82%
St. Paul (2000)
Plot Summary:
Director Roger Young (JOSEPH AND JESUS) presents this dramatic television miniseries that recounts the life of Paul (Johannes Brandrup) the Apostle of Jesus Christ. Originally known as Paul of Tarsus, Paul tortured and persecuted Christians until he experienced a vision of Jesus that forever changed his life. After converting to Christianity, Paul suffered persecution and imprisonment, but never stopped trying to spread the teachings of Christ. Notably, this program was shot on location in the Moroccan desert.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: Italy, Germany, France, USA, Czech Republic, Netherlands, UK
Duration: 170 min
Plot tags: biblical, realistic, serious, exciting, tense, captivating, suspenseful, christian film, spiritual
Similar in 80%
Abraham (1993)
Plot Summary:
This engrossing dramatization of the life of Abraham, the most tested servant of God and the father of Judaism, spans from the patriarch's quest for the Promised Land to the sacrifice of his son, Isaac.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History
Country: Germany, Italy, USA, Czech Republic, France
Duration: 175 min
Plot tags: biblical, christian film, epic, serious, psychological, captivating, disturbing, exciting
Similar in 80%
Gladiators 7 (1962)
Plot Summary:
Framed for the escape of five gladiators from the arena, the son of one of Sparta's leading citizens is sentenced to the arena as gladiator himself and forced to fight for his life in the Roman Colosseum. Years later he manages to escape and return to Sparta, only to find out that his father has been murdered--even though it was ruled a "suicide"--and the woman he loves is about to marry the evil king who has usurped the throne. He sets out to find six of his fellow gladiators and return to Sparta to save his woman and place the rightful king on the throne.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 199
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Italy, Spain
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: epic, exciting, serious, captivating, stylized, cult film
Similar in 79%
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.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, Italy
Duration: 382 min
Plot tags: biblical, epic, christian film, serious, atmospheric, inspirational, fairy tale, art house, period piece, costume drama
Similar in 90%
Barabbas (1961)
Plot Summary:
Epic account of the thief Barabbas, who was spared crucifixion when Pilate manipulated the crowd into pardoning him, rather than Jesus. Struggling with his spirituality, Barabbas goes through many ordeals leading him to the gladiatorial arena, where he tries to win his freedom and confront his inner demons, ultimately becoming a follower of the man who was crucified in his place.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Italy, USA
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags: biblical, epic, intense, exciting, serious, captivating, christian film, retro, technicolor, realistic
Similar in 86%
Hispania, The Legend (2010)
Plot Summary:
Viriato is a Hispanic shepherd who enjoys a simple life until the arrival of the Roman troops of the praetor Galba. It will changes his destiny. His village is attacked and massacred. Viriato, dam of hate, swears not to rest until revenge. "Hispania, the legend" is a TV series that chronicles the extraordinary journey of a humble man become a warrior to defend his people. It is the story of a group of warriors, young and brave, determined to give everything for freedom.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 626
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Spain
Duration:
Plot tags: epic, emotional, captivating, exciting, tense, erotic, sensual, serious, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 77%
Julius Caesar (2002)
Plot Summary:
Twenty year-old Julius Caesar flees Rome for his life during the reign of Sulla but through skill and ambition rises four decades later to become Rome's supreme dictator.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Netherlands, Italy, Germany, USA
Duration: 240 min
Plot tags: epic, serious, captivating, stylized, historical drama, realistic
Similar in 89%
The Last Days of Pompeii (1984)
Plot Summary:
This costume series portrays aspects of life in Pompeii, a coastal luxury resort near Naples catering for the very rich of imperial Rome, mainly before but culminating in the eruption of the Vesuvian volcano, which wipes it from the face of the earth. The main characters include Diomed, a common upstart merchant whose self-made riches from trade allow him to consider running for political office against sitting city magistrate Quintus and an impoverished aristocratic marriage for his daughter Julia; the cultivated Greek Glaucus; the gladiator Lydon; the noble-born Antonius and his sister Ione, the evil Isis-priest Arbaces who is after (their) money and power; the persecution-fearing Christian slaves Petrus, his true love Chloe and their secret leader Olinthus.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 608
Genere: Action, Drama, History, Romance
Country: Italy, UK, USA
Duration: 310 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 78%
The Antagonists (1981)
Plot Summary:
After the destruction of the Second Temple, 900 Jewish zealots hold out against a 5000 man Roman legion on the mountaintop fortress of Masada.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 394 min
Plot tags: captivating, exciting, tense, serious, biblical, political thriller, mythical, realistic, epic
Similar in 83%
Hero of Rome (1964)
Plot Summary:
In ancient Rome, the people finally oust their despised king, Tarquinius, and declare the city a republic. Tarquinius makes an alliance with the Etruscan king, Porsenna, to take back power in Rome, but a Roman general, the heroic Mucius, sets out to stop him.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 210
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: exciting, bleak, epic, serious, captivating, suspenseful, stylized, campy
Similar in 83%
Boudica (2003)
Plot Summary:
The Celtic queen who shook the Roman Empire. Boudica is one of history’s first and fiercest women warriors. Sickened by ceaseless war, the king of the Iceni accepts a treaty with the Romans in exchange for his tribe’s continued independence. But oppressively high taxes impoverish the tribe and soon the Romans want something more — slaves. Refusing to submit, the Romans, led by the greedy and psychotic Emperor Nero, move to crush the Iceni and control their lands. Drawing on the strength of her warriors, mystical druidic powers, and her own pain, Boudica unites the historically fractious tribes of Briton to unleash a stunning onslaught on the Roman colonial camps. The ferocity of Boudica’s attacks will shake the foundations of the Roman empire and make her a legend.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, Romania
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, epic, realistic, rough, costume drama, serious, period drama
Similar in 81%
Hannibal: Rome's Worst Nightmare (2006)
Plot Summary:
It is 200 years before the birth of Christ and Rome is the new superpower of the ancient world. She believes she is invincible - but one man is destined to change that. He is a man bound by oath to avenge the wrongs inflicted on his home and, in pursuit of revenge, he will stop at nothing. Hannibal explores the man behind the myth, revealing what drove the 26-year-old to mastermind one of the most audacious military moves in history. With 40,000 soldiers and 37 elephants, he marched 1,500 miles to challenge his enemies on their own soil. It was an act so daring that few people believed it possible.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, captivating, realistic, inspirational, historical drama, epic
Similar in 83%
Empire (2005)
Plot Summary:
As Conqueror Julius Caesar is drawing his last breath, he swears Tyrannus—Rome's finest warrior—to an oath to protect his successor, Octavius, his 18-year-old nephew. Tyrannus and Octavius are forced into exile to protect the young man from those who want to sever Caesar's bloodline once and for all.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 360 min
Plot tags: epic, realistic, exciting, serious, historical drama
Similar in 85%
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.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 669 min
Plot tags: costume drama, political thriller, historical drama, clever, epic, spiritual, political, controversial, mind blowing, dark comedy
Similar in 90%
Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire (2006)
Plot Summary:
Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire is a 2006 BBC One docudrama series, with each episode looking at a different key turning point in the history of the Roman Empire.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Documentary, Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 59 min
Plot tags: captivating, epic, realistic, serious, historical drama, educational, mythical, period drama
Similar in 75%
Into the Badlands (2015)
Plot Summary:
In a land controlled by feudal barons, a great warrior and a young boy embark on a journey across a dangerous land to find enlightenment. A genre-bending martial arts series very loosely based on the classic Chinese tale Journey to the West.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 49000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, tense, stylized, suspenseful, apocalyptic, scenic, action packed, action adventure, mind blowing
Similar in 83%
Attila (2001)
Plot Summary:
A romanced story of Attila the Hun, since his childhood, when he lost his parents until his death. Attila is disclosed as a great leader, strategist and lover and the movie shows his respect to the great Roman strategist Flavius Aetius, his loves and passions, the gossips, intrigues and betrayals in Rome, all of these feelings evolved by magic and mysticism.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: USA, Lithuania
Duration: 177 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, touching, epic, inspirational, historical drama, serious, realistic
Similar in 77%
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.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 144000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 331 min
Plot tags: exciting, epic, serious, realistic, stylized, rough, suspense, factual, sexy, tense
Similar in 76%
Spartacus (2004)
Plot Summary:
Sentenced to spend out the rest of his adult life laboring in the harsh deserts of Egypt, the Thracian slave Spartacus gets a new lease on life when he is purchased by the obese owner of a Roman gladiator school. Moved by the defiance of an Ethiopian warrior, Draba, Spartacus leads a slave uprising which threatens Rome's status quo. As Spartacus gains sympathy within the Roman Senate, he also makes a powerful enemy in form of Marcus Lucinius Crassus, who makes it a matter of personal honor to crush the rebellion.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 174 min
Plot tags: epic, serious, atmospheric, tense, uplifting, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, emotional, rough
Similar in 90%
Barbarians (2020)
Plot Summary:
Three people's fates are interwoven in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 A.D., during which Germanic warriors halt the spread of the Roman Empire.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 280 min
Plot tags: heroic, exciting, atmospheric, rough, breathtaking, epic, serious, captivating, realistic, stylized
Similar in 77%
Ben-Hur (2016)
Plot Summary:
A falsely accused nobleman survives years of slavery to take vengeance on his best friend who betrayed him.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 46000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: biblical, suspense, intense, exciting, serious, captivating, realistic, christian film, epic, action adventure
Similar in 75%
Spartacus (2010)
Plot Summary:
Spartacus is an American television series inspired by the historical figure of Spartacus, a Thracian gladiator who from 73 to 71 BCE led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic departing from Capua.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 253000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: epic, sexy, sexual, exciting, stylized, heroic, realistic, historical drama, mythical, erotic