10 Best Historical TV Shows, According To IMDb

What does the history genre ask of us? Should we confront the past on its own terms? Or should we confront our deceptively distant relationship to it?

Of course, the answer depends on the series and the viewer. Critics have their own perspective, and in our recent ranking of the best history documentaries, we praised those films which deepened our understanding of the past as it relates to our present (our #1 pick revealing how personal that relationship can be). Meanwhile, when we ranked the best alternate history shows of all time, we singled out the stories that managed to reveal new truths about the present by making a small change to the past.

Among IMDb and its users, who happen to be some of the internet's most active cinephiles, the history genre is best represented by a wider range of series than you might expect. From painstakingly accurate dramatizations and literal docuseries to mythological dramas and anime, these are the best historical TV shows, according to IMDb.

IMDb Rating: 8.5/10 | Number of Votes: 641K | Official Top 250 Ranking: Unranked

Michael Hirst was no stranger to the history genre when he created "Vikings." The filmmaker had written two films based on the life of Queen Elizabeth I and the 16th-century historical drama "The Tudors" for Showtime. But a violent, action-heavy Early Middle Ages epic that combined Norse mythology with elements of mainstream fantasy? That was uncharted territory for Hirst and the History Channel, so much so that the filmmaker expected the network to cancel him after a single season.

And yet, at a time when several series of this kind failed to stand next to "Game of Thrones," Hirst's "Vikings" thrived. The series ran for six seasons and was allowed to end on its own terms in 2020. It was quickly followed by a spin-off series, "Vikings: Valhalla," that ran for three seasons on Netflix. /Film described it as essential viewing in 2022, praising Hirst's singular ability to translate the narrative framework of a complex, contemporary moral tragedy into a lushly captured quasi-mythological setting.

On average, IMDb users show a clear preference toward the middle seasons of "Vikings." If one were to use its overall series score loosely as something akin to a median number, Seasons 2 and 3 edge above it with episodic averages of 8.6. Seasons 5 and 6 dip significantly lower into the high-7s territory, which reflects the broad assessment among critics and fans — "Vikings" began and ended in an unextraordinary fashion that belies some great storytelling in between. The highest-rated episode of the series overall on IMDb is Season 4, Episode 15, "All His Angels," which is unsurprising for anyone who has seen the series and is aware of IMDb users' general bias toward twist-reliant episodes.

IMDb Rating: 8.6/10 | Number of Votes: 129K | Official Top 250 Ranking: No. 143

"Deadwood" is quietly one of the most critically acclaimed series of the 2000s. Its fanbase isn't (and has never been) quite as broad as its contemporaries on HBO, like "The Sopranos" or "The Wire," and it could hardly be described as culturally ubiquitous at any time. The Emmys acknowledged it with modest nominations: Ian McShane earned one nomination for playing the cunning Al Swearengen, and Timothy Olyphant was overlooked entirely in the role as Seth Bullock, the upstanding lawman who anchors the drama. The third season was dismissed by the same institution, while viewers slowly drifted away. It was then cancelled, leaving the story largely unresolved.

Compared to "Yellowstone" and the rest of Taylor Sheridan's modern western dramas, "Deadwood" was basically ignored. The fact that the series is nonetheless so passionately embraced by IMDb users two decades after its cancellation is striking to say the least. All three seasons of "Deadwood" have consistent episodic ratings in the mid-to-high 8s, which points toward its steadfast quality throughout its all-too-brief run. 

Then again, the fact that few episodes breach the 9.0 barrier reveals another side of this story. IMDb users, as mentioned in the slide above, tend to favor episodes with massive, shocking twists, the kind that used to turn TV shows into popular topics of conversation at the office water cooler (basically the 2000s version of going viral). While a significant portion of "Deadwood" IMDb raters came to the site long after its cancellation (perhaps inspired by its decent 2019 sequel film), their relative "lack" of extraordinary enthusiasm about any particular episode could point toward why the series has yet to find the wide audience its genre, craft, and pedigree would normally command.

IMDb Rating: 8.6/10 | Number of Votes: 281K | Official Top 250 Ranking: No. 145

Unlike "Deadwood," "The Crown" had little trouble achieving widespread cultural visibility. Creator Peter Morgan had already established himself as a respected artistic voice in the historical genre, as he had written the screenplays for "The Queen" and "Frost/Nixon," both of which were nominated for Academy Awards. "The Crown" was loosely inspired by "The Queen" and its follow-up stage-drama, "The Audience."

While all three of those projects were lauded, however, their popularity might as well be nonexistent compared to "The Crown." Morgan approached familiar material in a novel way for Netflix series. In the first two seasons, it followed Queen Elizabeth as a young woman (played by Claire Foy), and the production quality went above and beyond what was merely necessary to stage the period drama, transporting the audience through decades with immaculate sets, costumes, and historical locations. The shift in format, from feature-length film to six seasons of television, allowed audiences to immerse themselves even more in the narrative and the history. 

The series arguably benefited from the prestige newly attributed to star-studded historical dramas (like "The People vs. O.J. Simpson," which aired the same year). In one of the most politically volatile years in American history, the historical drama became an outlet for these anxieties. Netflix is currently attempting to repeat similar success through the upcoming "Kennedy" series. That all being said, "The Crown" didn't end as strongly as it began — a fact reflected by less-enthusiastic IMDb scores for episodes in the fifth and sixth seasons. Many fans began to struggle with the show's loose and occasionally sensational approach to royal history. It peaked in ratings with the Season 3 episode "Aberfan," a showcase of Olivia Colman's performance in the inherited leading role.

IMDb Rating: 8.6/10 | Number of Votes: 245K | Official Top 250 Ranking: No. 161

Hiroyuki Sanada has long been one of the most important, yet underappreciated figures in international martial arts cinema. Yes, genre experts and careful viewers know all-too-well who he is, but general audiences associate him with supporting roles. mostly in "Japanese" stories told by Western filmmakers starring white or white-passing leading men ("The Last Samurai," "47 Ronin," "Bullet Train," "John Wick: Chapter 4," and "The Wolverine," just to name a few).

With "Shōgun," Sanada got the chance to star in and executive produce a series that was a massive leap forward in Japanese representation in American television. The latter role wasn't merely a title with a pay-bump, as it is for many TV stars. In addition to playing a warlord (based on the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate), Sanada wielded tremendous creative authority on set (alongside co-creators Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks), which he used to ensure the cultural integrity and authenticity of the series. The series even goes as far as subverting the Western POV trope that was prevalent in earlier films Sanada starred in – the story was and remained his through to the end.

"Shōgun" has been praised as one of the best dramas of the decade so far. Sanada won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actor. Each episode of the series ranks in the mid-to-high 8s on IMDb, save for the penultimate episode "Crimson Sky," which holds a 9.4 as of writing. That a prestige drama unitedthe popular, critical, and cultural consensus of the time is no small feat. No wonder FX decided to extend it beyond a limited series.

IMDb Rating: 8.7/10 | Number of Votes: 104K | Official Top 250 Ranking: No. 111

If you're already a fan of "Shōgun," there's a significant chance you'll love "Blue Eye Samurai." The Netflix animated series isn't nearly as popular among general audiences, as it has fewer than half as many reviews as the program above. Even so, it's understandable why IMDb users gave it a slight edge, because its violent animation and complex story make it one of the most unique historical series on this list.

Created by Amber Noizumi and "Logan" scribe Michael Green, "Blue Eye Samurai" takes place during the Tokugawa period of Japanese history. "PEN15" and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" star Maya Erskine voices Mizu, the titular samurai who inherited her cerulean stare from one of four foreigners who run exploitative, illicit operations within the country. She intends to find out which of them is her biological father — so that she can leave him dead in a puddle of his own blood. 

"Blue Eye Samurai" is so ruthless in its storytelling and graphic violence that even the showrunners had reservations. They had to offer content warnings to the animators brought on to execute the project, as they wanted to ensure that everyone involved was aware of what they were getting into. As they said in an exclusive interview with /Film, every instance of graphic content had to be justified by the needs of the story.

In late 2023, "Blue Eye Samurai" was reported as having an IMDb rating of 8.9, which would have it ranked as the 73rd highest-rated series on the site. It currently sits at 111. Interestingly, the series' highest-rated episode is the flashback "The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride," which sits at 9.5.

IMDb Rating: 8.8/10 | Number of Votes: 159K | Official Top 250 Ranking: No. 60

As one of the most popular filmmakers of the late 2010s, Ava DuVernay consistently used her platform to challenge viewers to reconsider their perspectives on race and justice. Three years after her in-depth indictment of the American criminal justice system and the prison industrial complex in the Academy Award-nominated documentary "13th," she tackled one of the most infamous stories of institutional failure in the country — the 1989 Central Park assault case.

"When They See Us" is a four-episode miniseries that exposes its audience to the true story of the men formerly known as the "Central Park Five." It chronicles how, as young teenagers, they were wrongfully convicted of a heinous crime by a fractured system that is still recognizable today. Racial bias, coercive investigative tactics, political maneuvering, and prosecutorial malpractice are all factors in DuVernay's retelling of the story. But where "When They See Us" truly shines is its long-overdue humanization of the now-exonerated victims of that system. It's worth noting that former prosecutor Linda Fairstein — who appears in the drama as a major "villain" (played by Felicity Huffman) — alleged that the series had defamed her. As part of a settlement with Netflix, each episode begins with a disclaimer regarding its loose historical accuracy.

"Moonlight" actor Jharrel Jerome — who plays the longest-incarcerated exoneree Korey Wise from his teenage years to adulthood — was widely praised as the series' breakout. "Part Four," a feature-length episode which centers Wise's experience, earned the actor an Emmy Award, and is currently the highest-rated episode of the series at 9.5. The average of all four episodes is, impressively, 9.0. In 2025, /Film ranked it as one of the five best limited series ever produced by Netflix.

IMDb Rating: 8.8/10 | Number of Votes: 137K | Official Top 250 Ranking: No. 71

Even when looking at the historical genre, IMDb users make sure anime is represented. Fans of the medium must make up a significant portion of the site's users, given how prominent anime series are in most rankings.

Set at the height of the Viking Age, "Vinland Saga" follows the vengeful quest of Thorfinn (Yūto Uemura), a young, aspiring warrior who witnesses the murder of his father at the hands of a ruthless mercenary named Askeladd (Naoya Uchida). The brilliance of the show is twofold, coming down primarily to its structure and character arcs. Thorfinn's revenge is not treated as an inherently righteous mission — on the contrary, it consistently interrogates the moral cost of pursuing his father's killer, asking the audience to question what becomes of someone when they define their entire identity around violence. It's a remarkably complex story that is more thematically challenging than most historical dramas. Its Season 1 finale is ranked as one of the greatest single episodes of television of all time on IMDb, as it ushers in an extraordinary tonal shift that deepens the series' structural argument surrounding violence and justice.

While "End of the Prologue" holds a bewildering 9.9 rating, the series as a whole is consistent according to its episodic IMDb ratings. Both seasons hold an average rating of 8.8, with the Season 2 finale ranked as the second-best episode with a rating of 9.7.

IMDb Rating: 9.0/10 | Number of Votes: 180K | Official Top 250 Ranking: No. 19

Of all the entries on this list, this is the one we're most skeptical of, for two major reasons. Before we get into them, we'll acknowledge the obvious: "The Last Dance" is undeniably one of the greatest achievements in sports storytelling of all time. ESPN and Netflix partnered to retell the legendary story of Michael Jordan's final season with the all-star roster of the '97-98 Chicago Bulls. Director Jason Hehir was given the keys to a vault of footage from the season, tasked with turning 10,000 hours of tape into a 10-episode miniseries. It was released in 2020, during the most restrictive era of COVID lockdowns, and quickly became ESPN's most-watched documentary of all time.

Which brings us to our first major caveat with regard to IMDb's rankings: Unlike the site, we're not sure a docuseries should be categorized as a historical TV show, even despite the fact that it's technically more historically literal than shows like "Vinland Saga." The other flag we have to raise is Jordan's personal involvement in the series. In addition to being the central subject of "The Last Dance," Jordan served as an executive producer through his production company Jump 23. This fact has led many critics and basketball fans to take the series' mythologizing with a massive grain of salt, especially since several of Jordan's former Bulls teammates have come out publicly to refute it.

IMDb Rating: 9.3/10 | Number of Votes: 1M | Official Top 250 Ranking: No. 5

Craig Mazin has to have one of the weirdest career trajectories of any writer-producer working on TV today. Long before he co-adapted the hit HBO horror series "The Last of Us" from a popular video game, he was primarily known as Todd Phillips' writing partner on the second two "Hangover" films and the scribe of bad parody flicks like "Superhero Movie." Between his comedy beginnings and his current success, he created and wrote "Chernobyl," a historical disaster miniseries that stands out as one of the more disturbing shows in the genre.

The Emmy Award-winning HBO program explores the unimaginable tragedy of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, tracking it from the initial reactor explosion through the desperate (and frequently corrupt) containment and decontamination efforts by the Soviet government. Mazin went to great lengths to maintain the scientific integrity and clarity of the true story, which actually serves to make the whole ordeal all the more devastating. "Chernobyl" is, ultimately, a horror tragedy about institutional failure and scientific malpractice, where dread stems from the creeping understanding of how deadly the situation will become with every passing minute.

On IMDb, the average rating per episode is 9.5. The series finale, which makes acute use of the "knowledge as horror" narrative mechanic, is unsurprisingly the series' highest-rated episode. It was briefly the highest-rated show on IMDb with a rating of 9.7, beating both seasons of "Planet Earth," "Breaking Bad," and the very next series on this list.

IMDb Rating: 9.4/10 | Number of Votes: 593K | Official Top 250 Ranking: No. 4

Since its release in 2001, "Band of Brothers" has remained the gold standard of the history and war genres. Co-created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg in the afterglow of "Saving Private Ryan," the World War II miniseries dramatized the journey of the real "Easy Company" from their bonding at training through the most brutal moments of combat.

With two of Hollywood's most legendary names attached, it could've had no trouble attracting one of the most star-studded casts in television history — instead, they brought on relatively unknown actors who nonetheless lent real gravity and authenticity to their characters. Damien Lewis, who has one of the larger roles in the ensemble, had yet to star in "Homeland" or "Billions." Meanwhile, future movie stars like Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Simon Pegg, and Andrew Scott all appear in minor, pre-fame roles. The biggest contemporary name was David Schwimmer, who had a thankless guest-starring turn as a minor villain. The decision to prioritize grounded, gritty drama and immersion over blockbuster spectacle extends beyond casting through every aspect of the series, and is why the show is regarded as a more mature, responsible war drama than most of its peers. It's hard to overstate its influence on the genre.

"Band of Brothers" peaked at 9.5 on IMDb, dipping slightly sometime after 2019. As of writing, it is the highest-rated miniseries on the site.