Historical/Period Drama TV Shows
by EllesC | created - 07 Apr 2016 | updated - 25 Dec 2016 | PublicHistorical Drama Shows -- includes shows set in a historical time period. Edit: Will soon be listed according to time period/year.
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1. Wolf Hall (2015)
TV-14 | 360 min | Biography, Drama, History
After the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey, his secretary, Thomas Cromwell, finds himself amongst the treachery and intrigue of King Henry VIII's court and soon becomes a close advisor to the King, a role fraught with danger.
Stars: Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis, Claire Foy, Thomas Brodie-Sangster
Votes: 12,912
2. The Borgias (2011–2013)
TV-MA | 50 min | Crime, Drama, History
In the fifteenth century, Pope Alexander VI tries to control all power in Italy with the help of his several sons, through murder, intrigue, war, and marriage alliances.
Stars: Jeremy Irons, François Arnaud, Holliday Grainger, Peter Sullivan
Votes: 53,569
pre-Renaissance era Italy
3. Borgia (2011–2014)
TV-MA | 52 min | Biography, Drama, History
Story of the rise and the fall of the Renaissance dynasty.
Stars: Mark Ryder, Isolda Dychauk, Diarmuid Noyes, John Doman
Votes: 7,134
pre-Renaissance era Italy
4. The Pillars of the Earth (2010)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
Set against a backdrop of war, religious strife and power struggles which tears lives and families apart.
Stars: Ian McShane, Matthew Macfadyen, Eddie Redmayne, Hayley Atwell
Votes: 32,871
5. World Without End (2012)
TV-MA | 374 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
The English town of Kingsbridge works to survive as the King leads the nation into the Hundred Years' War with France while Europe deals with the outbreak of the Black Death.
Stars: Ben Chaplin, Charlotte Riley, Nora Waldstätten, Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Votes: 9,085
6. Reign (2013–2017)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama
Mary, Queen of Scots, faces political and sexual intrigue in the treacherous world of the French court.
Stars: Adelaide Kane, Megan Follows, Celina Sinden, Torrance Coombs
Votes: 53,872
7. Rome (2005–2007)
TV-MA | 1,193 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A down-to-earth account of the lives of both illustrious and ordinary Romans set in the last days of the Roman Republic.
Stars: Kevin McKidd, Ray Stevenson, Polly Walker, Kerry Condon
Votes: 183,351
8. The Tudors (2007–2010)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance
A dramatic series about the reign and marriages of King Henry VIII.
Stars: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill, Anthony Brophy, James Frain
Votes: 80,322
9. War & Peace (2016)
TV-14 | 380 min | Drama, History, Romance
As the Russian conflict with Napoleon reaches its peak, five aristocratic families face the possibility of their lives being changed forever.
Stars: Paul Dano, James Norton, Lily James, Adrian Edmondson
Votes: 26,184
10. The Hollow Crown (2012–2016)
TV-14 | 150 min | Drama, History, War
A mini-series of adaptations of Shakespeare's history plays: Richard II, Henry IV: Parts 1 and 2, and Henry V.
Stars: Anton Lesser, Simon Russell Beale, Tom Georgeson, John Mackay
Votes: 7,217
11. The White Queen (2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance
Three different, yet equally relentless women vie for the throne in 15th-century England.
Stars: Aneurin Barnard, Rebecca Ferguson, Amanda Hale, Faye Marsay
Votes: 30,962
12. Outlander (2014– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Claire Beauchamp Randall, a nurse in World War II, mysteriously goes back in time to Scotland in 1743. There, she meets a dashing Highland warrior and gets drawn into an epic rebellion.
Stars: Caitríona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton, Richard Rankin
Votes: 176,971
13. Black Sails (2014–2017)
TV-MA | 56 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Follows Captain Flint and his pirates twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel "Treasure Island."
Stars: Jessica Parker Kennedy, Toby Stephens, Hannah New, Zach McGowan
Votes: 111,724
14. Carnivàle (2003–2005)
TV-MA | 55 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
During the Great Depression, an Oklahoma farm boy and a charismatic minister learn that they are key players in a proxy war being fought between Heaven and Hell.
Stars: Michael J. Anderson, Adrienne Barbeau, Clancy Brown, Debra Christofferson
Votes: 46,618
15. Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands (2016)
44 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Heroic legend Beowulf gallops through the epic and mythical Shieldlands, to his childhood home of Herot, hoping to set right past wrongs.
Stars: Kieran Bew, Joanne Whalley, Ed Speleers, Laura Donnelly
Votes: 3,555
16. Medici (2016–2019)
TV-14 | 1,314 min | Biography, Drama, History
A political family drama set in Florence in the early fifteenth century. Cosimo de Medici finds himself at the helm of his banking dynasty when his father, Giovanni, dies suddenly.
Stars: Daniel Sharman, Alessandra Mastronardi, Synnove Karlsen, Sebastian De Souza
Votes: 21,835
17. Vikings (2013–2020)
TV-MA | 44 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Vikings transports us to the brutal and mysterious world of Ragnar Lothbrok, a Viking warrior and farmer who yearns to explore--and raid--the distant shores across the ocean.
Stars: Katheryn Winnick, Gustaf Skarsgård, Alexander Ludwig, Georgia Hirst
Votes: 573,797
18. The Last Kingdom (2015–2022)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Drama, History
As Alfred the Great defends his kingdom from Norse invaders, Uhtred--born a Saxon but raised by Vikings--seeks to claim his ancestral birthright.
Stars: Alexander Dreymon, Eliza Butterworth, Arnas Fedaravicius, Mark Rowley
Votes: 162,975
19. Marco Polo (2014–2016)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In a world replete with greed, betrayal, sexual intrigue and rivalry, "Marco Polo" is based on the famed explorer's adventures in Kublai Khan's court in 13th century Mongolia.
Stars: Lorenzo Richelmy, Benedict Wong, Joan Chen, Remy Hii
Votes: 77,687
20. Bonnie & Clyde (2013)
TV-14 | 174 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, an infamous American robbery team, were responsible for a 21-month crime spree from 1932. They robbed gas stations, restaurants, and small-town banks, chiefly operating in Texas, Oklahoma, and other states
Stars: Emile Hirsch, Holliday Grainger, Sarah Hyland, Elizabeth Reaser
Votes: 5,840
21. Da Vinci's Demons (2013–2015)
TV-MA | 60 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
Follows Leonardo Da Vinci during his early days in Florence, as a young artist, inventor and dreamer, trying to change the future.
Stars: Tom Riley, Gregg Chilingirian, Eros Vlahos, Laura Haddock
Votes: 78,926
22. Dickensian (2015–2016)
TV-PG | 60 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
Drama set within the fictional realms of Charles Dickens critically acclaimed novels, bringing together some of his most iconic characters as their lives intertwine in 19th century London.
Stars: Tuppence Middleton, Sophie Rundle, Alexandra Moen, Joseph Quinn
Votes: 3,983
23. Downton Abbey (2010–2015)
TV-PG | 3,110 min | Drama, Romance
A chronicle of the lives of the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early twentieth century.
Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Brendan Coyle
Votes: 222,154
24. Pride and Prejudice (1995)
TV-PG | 327 min | Drama, Romance
While the arrival of wealthy gentlemen sends her marriage-minded mother into a frenzy, willful and opinionated Elizabeth Bennet matches wits with haughty Mr. Darcy.
Stars: Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Susannah Harker, Julia Sawalha
Votes: 91,313
25. Sense & Sensibility (2008)
TV-14 | 174 min | Drama, Romance
The sisters Eleanor and Marianne Dashwood try to find love and security in the 1800's. These two sisters coudn't be more different. Where Eleanor is calm and always acts proper Marianne is passionate and usally forgets herself.
Stars: Dominic Cooper, Charity Wakefield, Hattie Morahan, Janet McTeer
Votes: 12,837
26. Great Expectations (2011– )
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama
The orphan Pip becomes a gentleman when his life is transformed by a mystery benefactor.
Stars: Douglas Booth, Jack Roth, Ray Winstone, David Suchet
Votes: 8,186
27. Birdsong (2012)
Not Rated | 165 min | Drama, Romance, War
As an English soldier fights in the horrific trenches of northern France, he is haunted by the memories of his forbidden love affair with a French woman.
Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Clémence Poésy, Matthew Goode, Rory Keenan
Votes: 5,984
28. Lady Chatterley's Lover (2015 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 89 min | Drama, Romance
In 1913 Connie Reid marries wealthy Nottingham colliery owner Sir Clifford Chatterley but he returns from the Great War disabled and in a wheelchair. Connie is loyal but begins to feel ... See full summary »
Director: Jed Mercurio | Stars: Holliday Grainger, Richard Madden, James Norton, Jodie Comer
Votes: 3,938
29. Banished (2015)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History
British convicts have been sent to Australia as punishment for their crimes. As they try to live their new lives, they have to live with the new rules. The soldiers also have to adjust.
Stars: Orla Brady, Ewen Bremner, MyAnna Buring, Ryan Corr
Votes: 4,124
30. Titanic: Blood and Steel (2012)
55 min | Drama
The construction of the R.M.S. Titanic at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast against the background of union riots, political and religious conflicts, and a romance between a young ambitious engineer and an Italian immigrant.
Stars: Kevin Zegers, Alessandra Mastronardi, Derek Jacobi, Billy Carter
Votes: 2,125
31. Saints & Strangers (2015)
192 min | Drama, History
Story of the Voyage of the Mayflower and the first year of The Pilgrims in America.
Stars: Vincent Kartheiser, Kalani Queypo, Tatanka Means, Keenan Arrison
Votes: 2,272
32. Peaky Blinders (2013–2022)
TV-MA | 2,109 min | Crime, Drama
A gangster family epic set in 1900s England, centering on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby.
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson, Sophie Rundle, Helen McCrory
Votes: 633,219
33. Manhattan (2014–2015)
TV-14 | 55 min | Drama, History, War
In 1943 Los Alamos, New Mexico, a team of government scientists is working on the top-secret Manhattan Project in a race to produce an atomic bomb before the Nazis. Meanwhile, their families adjust to life on the military base.
Stars: Rachel Brosnahan, Michael Chernus, Christopher Denham, Katja Herbers
Votes: 9,632
34. Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014)
TV-MA | 55 min | Crime, Drama
An Atlantic City politician plays both sides of the law by conspiring with gangsters during the Prohibition era.
Stars: Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham
Votes: 201,437
35. The Great Train Robbery (2013)
Not Rated | 90 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A two-part drama which portrays The Great Train Robbery of 8 August 1963, firstly from the point of view of the robbers and then from the point of view of the police who set out to identify and catch the robbers.
Stars: Robert Glenister, Jack Roth, Paul Anderson, Luke Evans
Votes: 4,893
36. 11.22.63 (2016)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Jake Epping, a teacher, gets a chance to travel back in time to avert the death of John F. Kennedy. However, history's aversion to alteration and his love for the era and a woman endanger him.
Stars: James Franco, Sarah Gadon, George MacKay, Chris Cooper
Votes: 97,532
37. Versailles (2015–2018)
TV-MA | 52 min | Biography, Drama, History
In 1667, 28-year-old all-powerful king of France, Louis XIV, decides to build the greatest palace in the world - Versailles. But drained budget, affairs and political intrigues complicate things.
Stars: George Blagden, Alexander Vlahos, Tygh Runyan, Stuart Bowman
Votes: 18,472
38. Napoléon (2002)
380 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
A masterful soldier, tactician, and statesmen, Napoleon Bonaparte, with courage and love for his country, rises from an unpaid general consumed with ambition to the most powerful man in Europe. But his life ends with a fall and exile.
Stars: Christian Clavier, Isabella Rossellini, Gérard Depardieu, John Malkovich
Votes: 4,924
39. Jane Eyre (2006)
TV-PG | 230 min | Drama, Romance
A young governess falls in love with her brooding and complex master. However, his dark past may destroy their relationship forever.
Stars: Ruth Wilson, Toby Stephens, Lorraine Ashbourne, Aidan McArdle
Votes: 22,195
40. Mercy Street (2016–2017)
TV-14 | 53 min | Drama, History
Follows the lives of two volunteer nurses on opposing sides of the Civil War - New England abolitionist Mary Phinney and Confederate supporter Emma Green.
Stars: McKinley Belcher III, Suzanne Bertish, Norbert Leo Butz, Gary Cole
Votes: 2,910
41. TURN: Washington's Spies (2014–2017)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, History, War
A Long Island farmer bands together a group of childhood friends to form an unlikely group of spies who turn the tide in America's fight for independence.
Stars: Jamie Bell, Heather Lind, Samuel Roukin, Daniel Henshall
Votes: 23,241
42. X Company (2015–2017)
44 min | Drama, War
Set in the exciting and dangerous world of the Second World War, it follows the stories of five highly skilled young recruits.
Stars: Evelyne Brochu, Jack Laskey, Warren Brown, Hugh Dillon
Votes: 3,343
43. Sons of Liberty (2015)
TV-14 | 270 min | Drama, History
The story of a group of very different men fighting in the American Colonies for freedom, and how they will shape the future for the United States of America. Based on true stories.
Stars: Ben Barnes, Marton Csokas, Henry Thomas, Ryan Eggold
Votes: 4,699
44. Tut (2015)
Not Rated | 88 min | Biography, Drama, History
A largely fictional mini-series based on a legendary teenage Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.
Stars: Ben Kingsley, Avan Jogia, Sibylla Deen, Alexander Siddig
Votes: 8,826
45. Hatfields & McCoys (2012)
TV-14 | 290 min | Drama, History, Romance