Best tv shows like Sparrow
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
This drama is set during the revolutionary time in Shanghai, based on a novel of the same name of Hai Fei. During the republican revolution, Chen Shen is a secret agent under Special Operations Executive Director Bi Zhongliang, among the agents called “sparrow” (similar to the program “zero” in Japan).
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 55
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: China
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: sentimental, captivating, factual
Best tv shows and movies like Sparrow (2016):
Similar in 78%
Love & Life & Lie (2017)
Plot Summary:
Liu Xin Tong is a positive girl, living in a poor household. There was nothing out of the ordinary until she got into an accident that moved her and her mother into a rich businessman's house. There, she meets Li Yao Nan, her fated love along with two siblings that play important roles in her new life. She is met with multiple obstacles that she must overcome to ultimately keep her lover and friends, in addition to finding out the real truth about her birth.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 11
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: China
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: romantic, captivating, entertaining
Similar in 90%
The Strait Story (2005)
Plot Summary:
The year is 1943 and Taiwan is under Japanese colonization. After finishing his studies in Japan, famous Taiwanese sculptor and painter Ching-Cheng Huang receives an offer to teach in Beiping Art School. He decides to visit friends and family back home before leaving for China. He boards the passenger liner "Takachiho Maru" in Kobe, Japan, with his girlfriend, a pianist. Tragically, the luxurious liner is torpedoed by an American submarine and sinks off the coast of Keelung, Taiwan. Decades later, Shou-shou, a fine art restorer with a crippling illness, finds one of Huang's paintings in an exhibition. As she restores the painting, Shou-shou learns about the artist, the stories behind his work and his death at sea. She recreates the story of the painting "Woman in Black", and romantically imagines the ways the artist painted his girlfriend. The more she studies, the more she was inspired by Huang's value of art and of life. Restoring Huang's painting thus becomes Shou-shou's way of.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 10
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Taiwan
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, touching, captivating
Similar in 78%
Morozov (2020)
Plot Summary:
Nikolay Morozov has been both a revolutionary and a terrorist in his long life. Sentenced to a lifetime of hard labour, he spent 30 years in a tsarist prison. His hair had long turned grey by the time the Second World War broke out, but when he realised his country needed him he volunteered for the army. Nikolay was 87 at the time.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 12
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Russia
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: touching, heartbreaking, captivating, sad
Similar in 87%
Snowdrop (2021)
Plot Summary:
In 1987, when tear gas exploded like firecrackers, a bloody man jumped into a female college dormitory and a female student treats him thinking he's an activist student fighting for the generation. Based on the handwritten notes of a man who escaped from a political prison camp in North Korea.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller, War
Country: South Korea
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: romantic, psychological, touching, emotional, talky
Similar in 80%
Battle of Changsha (2014)
Plot Summary:
In 1938 October, the Japanese captured Wuhan Changsha, on the verge of death or destruction. City tea Xiang Hu family, under the support of grandson Xue Junshan, leave no stone unturned for Hu Jia's pet a pair of twins Xiangxiang and Xiaoman arrangement retreat. Xue Junshan first Xiangxiang introduced to studying abroad to return to defend Gu Qingming Changsha, but forceful nature of Xiangxiang and arrogant Gu Qingming met and potential with the fire, Xue Junshan had to elect people. In Xue efforts Xiangxiang finally got engaged, the engagement day, Chiang Kai Shek blaster fire Changsha, due to improper command, Changsha Fire lead to great disaster, the bustling old town were destroyed, many dreams a chance to run the people were burnt alive, including my fiance a. Is in such a scorched earth, around the heroes and heroines gathered in Changsha, and Hunan people's together hard to block the enemy's heel, Hu family also in this catastrophe interpretation of the scenes story of joys and sorrows.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 239
Genere: History, Romance, War
Country: China
Duration:
Plot tags: tear jerker, tearjerker
Similar in 84%
Lurk (2009)
Plot Summary:
Lurk is a 2009 Chinese television series based on a spy novel. The series is directed by Jiang Wei.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 574
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: China
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 81%
We'll Meet Again (1982)
Plot Summary:
It's 1943 and the American Air Force has come to Market Weatherby, a small East Anglian town. The war weary British and the brash American GIs sometimes clash, but friendships are also forged.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 188
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 79%
Autumn Cicada (2020)
Plot Summary:
The story of the show sets in the war period of modern China and mainly focuses on a spy of CPC called Ye Chong who was using the spy code Cicada of Autumn.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 26
Genere: Drama, History, Mystery, Thriller, War
Country: China
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 89%
Rookie Agent Rouge (2016)
Plot Summary:
Can a young woman prove her loyalty to her country and her family? Lan Yan Zhi is a privileged banker’s daughter in Shanghai and a student activist who mistakenly comes into possession of a letter from the Japanese Army in 1937. She gets misunderstood for a spy by her crush, Zhou Yu Hao, an upstanding officer in the Chinese Army. To prove her innocence, Yan Zhi agrees to infiltrate the home of her best friend, Feng Man Na, and help Yu Hao track down a mysterious “Mister Traitor.” But what will Yan Zhi do when the search leads to a member of her own family?.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 56
Genere: Action, History
Country: China
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, exciting, unusual plot structure, suspenseful, contemplative, costume drama
Similar in 76%
Attack on Leningrad (2007)
Plot Summary:
When in 1941 Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, their troops quickly besieged Leningrad. Foreign journalists are evacuated but one of them, Kate Davies, is presumed dead and misses the plane. Alone in the city she is helped by Nina Tsvetnova a young and idealist police officer and together they will fight for their own survival and the survival of the people in the besieged Leningrad.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 74
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Russia
Duration: 52 min
Plot tags: sentimental, rough, touching, suspense, suspenseful
Similar in 84%
From Here to Eternity (1980)
Plot Summary:
From Here to Eternity was short-lived dramatic television series that aired in 1980. It was a spinoff of the successful 1979 miniseries of the same title. The series featured most of the cast members from the original miniseries, including William Devane and Kim Basinger. Barbara Hershey replaced Natalie Wood for the role of Karen Holmes.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 121
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 82%
Awakening of Insects (2019)
Plot Summary:
Set during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai in 1941, the drama follows Chen Shan who was forced to be a Japanese spy to save his younger sister who was held in captive; and his journey to become a patriotic fighter.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 15
Genere: Drama, History, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, War
Country: China
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 82%
Once Upon a Time in Qingdao (2014)
Plot Summary:
The series follows the lives of three brothers as they struggle through the turbulent political period before the war. They become part of the first-generation immigrant entrepreneurial path in Qingdao. The story began in 1904 when the Jinan Railway opened and ends with the outbreak of war in 1937.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 8
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: China
Duration:
Plot tags: captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 83%
The Crossing (2014)
Plot Summary:
During the Chinese Revolution in 1949, three couples flee from China to an island of Taiwan.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: China, USA, Hong Kong
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, psychological, tense, suspense, intense, factual, social
Similar in 80%
A Town Like Alice (1981)
Plot Summary:
Set against the brutal chaos of World War II, a love story begins that will take two lovers through a living nightmare of captivity, across three continents and two decades. From the steamy jungles of Malaya to the dusty and desolate outback of Australia Based on Nevil Shute' international bestselling novel A TOWN LIKE ALICE follows the lives of Jean Paget and Joe Harman. Meeting in Malaya--she an attractive young English captive and he a cheerful Australian POW tortured for a simple act of kindness. Separated first by their captors then by the distance of passing years, the two are finally reunited in the rugged outback of Australia-to face a challenge every bit as demanding as their wartime trials.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: Australia
Duration: 301 min
Plot tags: vintage, period drama
Similar in 80%
The Disguiser (2015)
Plot Summary:
Set in the Japanese occupation era, the rich yet naive young master Ming Tai is trained to become an agent, and is later sent to become an underground spy for the Communists. Together with his brother and double agent Ming Lou, they try and bring down Wang Wei's Kuomintang Secret Service Headquarters.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 448
Genere: Action, Drama, History, Thriller
Country: China
Duration: 40 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, psychological, tense, suspense
Similar in 89%
Purple Butterfly (2003)
Plot Summary:
Ding Hui is a member of Purple Butterfly, a powerful resistance group in Japanese occupied Shanghai. An unexpected encounter reunites her with Itami, an ex-lover... and officer with a secret police unit tasked with dismantling Purple Butterfly.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: China, France
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, serious, realistic, bleak, captivating, suspenseful, tense, atmospheric, non-linear
Similar in 83%
The Message (2009)
Plot Summary:
1942, Nanjing (Nanking). Following a series of assassination attempts on officials of the Japanese-controlled puppet government, the Japanese spy chief gathers a group of suspects in a mansion house for questioning. A tense game of "cat and mouse" ensues as the Chinese code-breaker attempts to send out a crucial message while protecting his/her own identity.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller, War
Country: China
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: suspense, captivating, realistic, tense, psychological, controversial, serious, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 87%
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 88%
Spies of Warsaw (2013)
Plot Summary:
A military attaché at the French embassy is drawn into a world of abduction, betrayal and intrigue in the diplomatic salons and back alleys of Warsaw.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance, War
Country: UK, France, Poland, USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: tense, romantic, captivating, suspense, political, period drama
Similar in 82%
The Halcyon (2017)
Plot Summary:
The story of a bustling and glamorous five star hotel at the centre of London society and a world at war.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: costume drama, realistic, disturbing, psychological, thought provoking, captivating, anime, historical drama, period drama, interesting
Similar in 75%
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 78%
Time of Honor (2008)
Plot Summary:
Days of honor is a Polish World War II television drama series, broadcast on TVP2 since September 7, 2008.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 783
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: Poland
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: captivating, suspense, exciting
Similar in 79%
The Winds of War (1983)
Plot Summary:
In the late 1930s, world politics begin to head in a dangerous direction. In Europe, Germany expands and rearms and proceeds to annex several border countries into the Reich. Meanwhile, Italy attempts to establish a Facist Colonial Empire under Mussolini while the Empire of Japan stands ready for a major war with China. Enter the Henry family, headed by career naval officer Victor "Pug" Henry. "Winds of War" thus follows the exploits of Pug and his children, all of which are set against the backdrop of world events leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: USA
Duration: 883 min
Plot tags: epic, sentimental, sincere, thought provoking, serious, captivating, realistic, contemplative, family saga, vintage
Similar in 83%
Dresden (2006)
Plot Summary:
At a Dresden hospital in 1945, nurse Anna Mauth (Felicitas Woll) cares for badly injured British pilot Robert Newman (John Light), whom Anna believes to be a German deserter. As Allied forces close in, Anna grows close to Robert despite her engagement to Dr. Alexander Wenninger (Benjamin Sadler). The gripping historical romance won a 2006 German Television Award.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: Germany
Duration: 176 min
Plot tags: tense, touching, serious, captivating, political thriller, period piece, realistic, tragic
Similar in 75%
War and Remembrance (1988)
Plot Summary:
War and Remembrance is an American miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Herman Wouk. It is the sequel to highly successful The Winds of War.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 1620 min
Plot tags: historical drama, exciting, serious, captivating, realistic, saga, epic, vintage
Similar in 83%
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.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Action, Drama, Romance, War
Country: South Korea
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: dorama, sentimental, captivating, sad, factual, romantic, gothic, epic, period piece
Similar in 86%
Back to 1942 (2012)
Plot Summary:
In 1942, Henan Province was devastated by the most tragic famine in modern Chinese history, resulting in the deaths of at least three million men, women and children. Although the primary cause of the famine was a severe drought, it was exacerbated by locusts, windstorms, earthquakes, epidemic disease and the corruption of the ruling Kuomintang government.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: China
Duration: 145 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, captivating, bleak, realistic, intense
Similar in 88%
The Flowers of War (2011)
Plot Summary:
A Westerner finds refuge with a group of women in a church during Japan's rape of Nanking in 1937. Posing as a priest, he attempts to lead the women to safety.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 55000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: China
Duration: 146 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, realistic, harsh, visually stunning, brutal, sentimental, rough, bleak, serious
Similar in 79%
Piece of Cake (1988)
Plot Summary:
The lives and loves of the men of RAF Hornet Squadron who are transferred to France at the outbreak of World Wat II in September 1939. For the most part the men are competent fliers but there is little action in the first several months. The men wile away their time with some engaging in dangerous stunts while others woo some of the local lasses. The phony war comes to an end in April 1940 and the Battle of Britain begins. By September that year, few of them are left and despite their success, few see themselves as heroes. (6 episodes).
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 774
Genere: Drama, War
Country: UK
Duration: 312 min
Plot tags: costume drama, exciting, serious, captivating, realistic, period drama