Top 50 History Movies and TV Shows
1. 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: 456,565
2. The Crown (2016– )
TV-MA | 58 min | Biography, Drama, History
Follows the political rivalries and romance of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped the second half of the twentieth century.
Stars: Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, Imelda Staunton, Matt Smith
Votes: 168,294
3. The Last Kingdom (2015– )
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, Millie Brady
Votes: 93,704
4. Benedetta (2021)
127 min | Biography, Drama, History
A 17th-century nun in Italy suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She is assisted by a companion, and the relationship between the two women develops into a romantic love affair.
Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Virginie Efira, Charlotte Rampling, Daphne Patakia, Lambert Wilson
Votes: 444
5. The Chosen (2017– )
TV-PG | 54 min | Drama, History
A charismatic fisherman drowning in debt. A troubled woman wrestling with real demons. A young tax collector ostracized by society. A religious leader questioning his faith tradition.
Stars: Shahar Isaac, Jonathan Roumie, Elizabeth Tabish, Nick Shakoour
Votes: 17,705
6. Darkest Hour (2017)
PG-13 | 125 min | Biography, Drama, History
In May 1940, the fate of World War II hangs on Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Adolf Hitler, or fight on knowing that it could mean the end of the British Empire.
Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Gary Oldman, Lily James, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Mendelsohn
Votes: 179,021 | Gross: $56.47M
7. How to Become a Tyrant (2021– )
Documentary, Biography, History
Ruling with an iron fist requires an aspiring dictator to know the playbook for absolute power, as history's despots prove in this sardonic docuseries.
Stars: Peter Dinklage, Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Andrew Sullivan, Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Votes: 1,830
8. Chernobyl (2019)
TV-MA | 330 min | Drama, History, Thriller
In April 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics becomes one of the world's worst man-made catastrophes.
Stars: Jessie Buckley, Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Adam Nagaitis
Votes: 590,935
9. America: The Motion Picture (2021)
TV-MA | 98 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A chainsaw-wielding George Washington teams with beer-loving bro Sam Adams to take down the Brits in a tongue-in-cheek riff on the American Revolution.
Director: Matt Thompson | Stars: Channing Tatum, Jason Mantzoukas, Olivia Munn, Bobby Moynihan
Votes: 3,920
10. Band of Brothers (2001)
TV-MA | 594 min | Action, Drama, History
The story of Easy Company of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division, and their mission in World War II Europe, from Operation Overlord, through V-J Day.
Stars: Scott Grimes, Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Shane Taylor
Votes: 391,345
11. Killers of the Flower Moon
Crime, Drama, History | Filming
Members of the Osage tribe in the United States are murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s sparking a major F.B.I. investigation involving J. Edgar Hoover.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Barry Corbin
12. Tombstone (1993)
R | 130 min | Action, Biography, Drama
A successful lawman's plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating.
Directors: George P. Cosmatos, Kevin Jarre | Stars: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton
Votes: 132,134 | Gross: $56.51M
13. Midway (2019)
PG-13 | 138 min | Action, Drama, History
The story of the Battle of Midway, told by the leaders and the sailors who fought it.
Director: Roland Emmerich | Stars: Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Luke Evans
Votes: 72,846
14. Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
R | 126 min | Biography, Drama, History
Offered a plea deal by the FBI, William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton.
Director: Shaka King | Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback
Votes: 54,014
15. Hamilton (2020)
PG-13 | 160 min | Biography, Drama, History
The real life of one of America's foremost founding fathers and first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Captured live on Broadway from the Richard Rodgers Theater with the original Broadway cast.
Director: Thomas Kail | Stars: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Phillipa Soo, Leslie Odom Jr., Renée Elise Goldsberry
Votes: 68,668
16. Spartacus (2010–2013)
TV-MA | 55 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
The life of Spartacus, the gladiator who lead a rebellion against the Romans. From his time as an ally of the Romans, to his betrayal and becoming a gladiator, to the rebellion he leads and its ultimate outcome.
Stars: Andy Whitfield, Lucy Lawless, Manu Bennett, Daniel Feuerriegel
Votes: 227,799
17. Call the Midwife (2012– )
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, History
Chronicles the lives of a group of midwives living in East London in the late-1950s to late-1960s.
Stars: Vanessa Redgrave, Laura Main, Jenny Agutter, Stephen McGann
Votes: 21,327
18. Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014)
TV-MA | 55 min | Crime, Drama, History
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: 175,831
19. Sophie: A Murder in West Cork (2021)
TV-14 | 164 min | Documentary, Crime, History
The documentary follows the investigation of Sophie Toscan Du Plantier, a French film and TV producer who was killed while at her isolated holiday cottage in West Cork, Ireland, in 1996.
Stars: Ian Bailey, Barry Roche, Eugene Gilligan, Bertrand Bouniol
Votes: 2,540
20. Eclipse (2021– )
Action, Drama, History
It's 1984 - a tender love story succumbs to the anti-Sikh riots. It's 2016 - IPS officer Amrita Singh uncovers a secret connecting that past to her present.
Stars: Zoya Hussain, Wamiqa Gabbi, Anshuman Pushkar, Pawan Malhotra
Votes: 4,387
21. Schindler's List (1993)
R | 195 min | Biography, Drama, History
In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall
Votes: 1,246,119 | Gross: $96.90M
22. Braveheart (1995)
R | 178 min | Biography, Drama, History
Scottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.
Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Angus Macfadyen
Votes: 978,485 | Gross: $75.60M
23. The Underground Railroad (2021– )
TV-MA | 593 min | Drama, History, War
A young woman named Cora makes an amazing discovery during her attempt to break free from slavery in the deep south.
Stars: Thuso Mbedu, Chase Dillon, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Pierre
Votes: 4,183
24. The Dig (2021)
PG-13 | 112 min | Biography, Drama, History
An archaeologist embarks on the historically important excavation of Sutton Hoo in 1938.
Director: Simon Stone | Stars: Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James, Johnny Flynn
Votes: 59,456
25. Domina (2021– )
Drama, History
The life and rise of Livia Drusilla, the powerful wife of the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar.
Stars: Liam Cunningham, Alex Lanipekun, Peter Campion, Kasia Smutniak
Votes: 1,868
26. Deadwood (2004–2006)
TV-MA | 55 min | Crime, Drama, History
A show set in the late 1800s, revolving around the characters of Deadwood, South Dakota; a town of deep corruption and crime.
Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker, Brad Dourif
Votes: 97,370
27. Somos. (2021)
TV-MA | 55 min | Crime, Drama, History
The lives of the people of Allende, a Mexican border town, are overtaken by a powerful cartel's operations, leading to tragedy. Inspired by true events.
Stars: Kerry Ardra, Everardo Arzate, Iliana Donatlán, Arelí González
Votes: 576
28. Dunkirk (2017)
PG-13 | 106 min | Action, Drama, History
Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Commonwealth and Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Fionn Whitehead, Barry Keoghan, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy
Votes: 581,860 | Gross: $188.37M
29. Warrior (2019– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
During the Tong Wars in the late 1800s, Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy from China, immigrates to San Francisco and becomes a hatchet man for the most powerful tong in Chinatown.
Stars: Andrew Koji, Olivia Cheng, Jason Tobin, Dianne Doan
Votes: 20,818
30. Apollo 13 (I) (1995)
PG | 140 min | Adventure, Drama, History
NASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise
Votes: 276,872 | Gross: $173.84M
31. Troy (2004)
R | 163 min | Drama, History
An adaptation of Homer's great epic, the film follows the assault on Troy by the united Greek forces and chronicles the fates of the men involved.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Julian Glover
Votes: 499,564 | Gross: $133.38M
32. The Outpost (2019)
R | 123 min | Action, Drama, History
A small team of U.S. soldiers battle against hundreds of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
Director: Rod Lurie | Stars: Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry Jones, Orlando Bloom, Jack Kesy
Votes: 25,838
33. Rome (2005–2007)
TV-MA | 52 min | Action, Drama, History
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: 158,749
34. El Cid (2020– )
TV-14 | 70 min | Action, Drama, History
The story of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, a Castilian nobleman and war hero in medieval Spain.
Stars: Jaime Lorente, Alicia Sanz, Elia Galera, Lucía Guerrero
Votes: 2,272
35. The Big Short (2015)
R | 130 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
In 2006-2007 a group of investors bet against the US mortgage market. In their research they discover how flawed and corrupt the market is.
Director: Adam McKay | Stars: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt
Votes: 381,034 | Gross: $70.26M
36. Outlaw King (2018)
R | 121 min | Action, Biography, Drama
A true David vs. Goliath story of how the 14th century Scottish 'Outlaw King' Robert the Bruce used cunning and bravery to defeat the much larger and better equipped occupying English army.
Director: David Mackenzie | Stars: Chris Pine, Stephen Dillane, Rebecca Robin, Billy Howle
Votes: 63,578
37. The Revenant (2015)
R | 156 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, Domhnall Gleeson
Votes: 729,028 | Gross: $183.64M
38. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
R | 139 min | Biography, Drama, History
World War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.
Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer
Votes: 457,170 | Gross: $67.21M
39. Gone with the Wind (1939)
Passed | 238 min | Drama, History, Romance
A manipulative woman and a roguish man conduct a turbulent romance during the American Civil War and Reconstruction periods.
Directors: Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood | Stars: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O'Neil
Votes: 296,378 | Gross: $198.68M
40. The Best of Enemies (2019)
PG-13 | 133 min | Biography, Drama, History
Civil rights activist Ann Atwater faces off against C.P. Ellis, Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan, in 1971 Durham, North Carolina over the issue of school integration.
Director: Robin Bissell | Stars: Taraji P. Henson, Sam Rockwell, Babou Ceesay, Anne Heche
Votes: 12,837 | Gross: $10.21M
41. Poldark (2015–2019)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance
Ross Poldark returns home after American Revolutionary War and rebuilds his life with a new business venture, making new enemies and finding a new love where he least expects it.
Stars: Aidan Turner, Eleanor Tomlinson, Jack Farthing, Beatie Edney
Votes: 27,392
42. 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: 70,222
43. The King (I) (2019)
R | 140 min | Biography, Drama, History
Hal, wayward prince and heir to the English throne, is crowned King Henry V after his tyrannical father dies. Now the young king must navigate palace politics, the war his father left behind, and the emotional strings of his past life.
Director: David Michôd | Stars: Tom Glynn-Carney, Gábor Czap, Tom Fisher, Edward Ashley
Votes: 96,916
44. The Impossible (2012)
PG-13 | 114 min | Drama, History, Thriller
The story of a tourist family in Thailand caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Director: J.A. Bayona | Stars: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Oaklee Pendergast
Votes: 207,996 | Gross: $19.02M
45. 13 Hours (2016)
R | 144 min | Action, Drama, History
During an attack on a U.S. compound in Libya, a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.
Director: Michael Bay | Stars: John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, James Badge Dale, David Denman
Votes: 125,764 | Gross: $52.85M
46. Silver Skates (2020)
TV-MA | 130 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
The 20th century is just around the corner. In winter, St. Petersburg transforms into a fairy tale-like wonderland where frozen rivers and canals serve as the iced-over roads and bustle ... See full summary »
Director: Michael Lockshin | Stars: Fedor Fedotov, Sonya Priss, Yuriy Borisov, Kirill Zaytsev
Votes: 2,739
47. It's a Sin (2021)
TV-MA | 239 min | Comedy, Drama, History
A chronicle of four friends during a decade in which everything changed, including the rise of AIDS.
Stars: Olly Alexander, Nathaniel Curtis, Shaun Dooley, Omari Douglas
Votes: 22,386
48. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
R | 129 min | Drama, History, Thriller
The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.
Director: Aaron Sorkin | Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Alex Sharp, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong
Votes: 151,607
49. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
R | 157 min | Drama, History, Thriller
A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6 in May 2011.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt, Mark Strong
Votes: 280,209 | Gross: $95.72M
50. Greyhound (2020)
PG-13 | 91 min | Action, Drama, History
Several months after the U.S. entry into World War II, an inexperienced U.S. Navy commander must lead an Allied convoy being stalked by a German submarine wolf pack.
Director: Aaron Schneider | Stars: Tom Hanks, Elisabeth Shue, Stephen Graham, Matt Helm
Votes: 79,311