59 articles
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is a 2023 six-episode Netflix prequel created by Shonda Rhimes, dramatizing young Charlotte's marriage to King George III and the 'Great Experiment' that reshaped Bridgerton's society.
Reign (TV series)
Reign (2013–2017) is a CW historical romantic drama created by Laurie McCarthy and Stephanie SenGupta, loosely following Mary, Queen of Scots at the French court, starring Adelaide Kane; four seasons, 78 episodes, deliberately historically inaccurate with modern costumes and pop soundtrack.
Ripper Street
Ripper Street is a 2012-2016 BBC and Amazon Victorian crime drama set in Whitechapel, 1889, after the Jack the Ripper murders, following H Division detectives Reid, Drake, and Jackson across five series and 37 episodes.
Scarlet Heart (步步惊心)
Scarlet Heart (步步惊心, Bu Bu Jing Xin) is a 2011 Hunan TV Chinese costume drama adapted from Tong Hua's 2005 time-travel novel, starring Liu Shishi and Wu Qilong in the Kangxi succession struggle, later remade in Korea as Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo.
Shōgun (1980 miniseries)
Shōgun (将軍), NBC's 1980 five-night miniseries adapted from James Clavell's novel, starring Richard Chamberlain, Toshiro Mifune, and Yoko Shimada; filmed entirely in Japan, it drew record audiences, won three Emmys, and differs from the 2024 FX remake in subtitles and viewpoint.
Shōgun (2024 TV series)
Shōgun (将軍) is FX's 2024 ten-episode adaptation of James Clavell's 1975 novel, created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, starring Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, and Anna Sawai; set in 1600 Japan, it won a record 18 Emmys and a second season is in production.
Sons of Liberty (miniseries)
Sons of Liberty is a 2015 three-night, six-hour History channel miniseries directed by Kari Skogland, dramatizing Sam Adams, John Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock, Franklin, and Warren from 1765 to 1776; historical fiction, not documentary.
Still Star-Crossed
Still Star-Crossed: ABC period drama (May 29-July 29, 2017, seven episodes) from Shondaland, created by Heather Mitchell, based on Melinda Taub's 2013 novel, continuing Romeo and Juliet after the lovers' deaths; canceled after one season on a cliffhanger.
Taj: Divided by Blood
Taj: Divided by Blood is a ZEE5 Hindi historical drama series (2023, 2 seasons, 18 episodes) directed by Ron Scalpello, starring Naseeruddin Shah as Akbar, dramatizing the Mughal war of succession among Salim, Murad, and Daniyal.
The Book of Negroes (miniseries)
The Book of Negroes is a 2015 six-part CBC/BET miniseries adapting Lawrence Hill's 2007 novel, directed by Clement Virgo, starring Aunjanue Ellis as Aminata Diallo; it won eleven Canadian Screen Awards and dramatizes the 1783 Black Loyalist evacuation.
The Borgias (2011 TV series)
The Borgias (2011 TV series): Showtime historical drama created by Neil Jordan, 2011–2013, 29 episodes, starring Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia; Amblin co-production, 16 Emmy nominations, cancelled after three seasons.
The Empress (TV series)
The Empress (Die Kaiserin) is a German Netflix historical drama (2022–2026) starring Devrim Lingnau and Philip Froissant as Elisabeth of Austria and Franz Joseph, ending with a third season on 12 November 2026.
The Essex Serpent (TV series)
The Essex Serpent (2022) is a six-part Apple TV+ period drama adapted by Anna Symon and directed by Clio Barnard from Sarah Perry's 2016 novel, starring Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston; released weekly from 13 May 2022, it won the 2023 BAFTA for Costume Design.
The Gilded Age (TV series)
The Gilded Age (TV series): HBO historical drama by Julian Fellowes, premiering January 24, 2022, set in 1880s New York high society; four seasons, season 4 premiering November 1, 2026.
The Good Lord Bird (miniseries)
Seven-episode 2020 Showtime historical drama miniseries adapted from James McBride's 2013 National Book Award-winning novel, starring Ethan Hawke as abolitionist John Brown, narrated by fictional enslaved boy Henry "Onion" Shackleford, and winner of a Peabody Award.
The Great (TV series)
The Great is a Hulu satirical comedy-drama (2020–2023) created by Tony McNamara, starring Elle Fanning as Catherine the Great and Nicholas Hoult as Peter III. Three ten-episode seasons, 'an occasionally true story', canceled August 2023, two Emmy wins for period costumes.
The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
The Lizzie Borden Chronicles is a 2015 Lifetime eight-episode limited series, sequel to Lizzie Borden Took an Ax, starring Christina Ricci as a fictionalized post-acquittal Lizzie Borden; Metacritic 52, Rotten Tomatoes 50%.
The Luminaries (miniseries)
The Luminaries (2020 miniseries), a six-part BBC-TVNZ adaptation of Eleanor Catton's Man Booker Prize-winning 832-page novel, set in 1860s New Zealand's gold rush, starring Eve Hewson, Eva Green, and Himesh Patel, directed by Claire McCarthy.
The Musketeers
The Musketeers (2014-2016) is a BBC One/BBC America period action drama created by Adrian Hodges, loosely adapting Dumas's 1844 novel: d'Artagnan, Athos, Aramis, and Porthos in 17th-century Paris, 30 episodes over three series.
The Paradise (TV series)
The Paradise is a BBC period drama (2012-2013, two eight-episode series) created by Bill Gallagher, loosely adapting Zola's 1883 novel Au Bonheur des Dames and set in England's first department store in the 1870s, starring Joanna Vanderham and Emun Elliott.
The Serpent Queen
The Serpent Queen is a Starz historical drama (2022-2024) created by Justin Haythe, based on Leonie Frieda's Catherine de Medici biography, starring Samantha Morton; two seasons, 16 episodes, cancelled October 2024 with a Minnie Driver Elizabeth I spinoff planned.
The Spanish Princess
The Spanish Princess is a Starz historical drama (2019-2020, 16 episodes) created by Emma Frost and Matthew Graham from Philippa Gregory's The Constant Princess and The King's Curse, starring Charlotte Hope as young Catherine of Aragon, sequel to The White Queen and The White Princess.
The Tudors
The Tudors (2007–2010) is a Showtime historical drama series created and solely written by Michael Hirst, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII; four seasons, 38 episodes, six Primetime Emmys, and noted historical liberties.
The Underground Railroad (miniseries)
The Underground Railroad is a 2021 American limited series directed by Barry Jenkins for Amazon Prime Video, adapted from Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, starring Thuso Mbedu and Joel Edgerton.
The Virgin Queen (TV serial)
The Virgin Queen (TV serial): 2005-2006 BBC1 four-part drama, also called Elizabeth: The Virgin Queen, written by Paula Milne, directed by Coky Giedroyc, starring Anne-Marie Duff as Elizabeth I with Tom Hardy as Robert Dudley, aired on PBS Masterpiece Theatre.
Turn: Washington's Spies
Turn: Washington's Spies is an AMC historical drama (2014–2017, four 10-episode seasons) created by Craig Silverstein from Alexander Rose's book about the Culper Ring, starring Jamie Bell as Abraham Woodhull; praised by audiences, criticized by historians for inaccuracy.
Victoria (British TV series)
Victoria (2016) is a British ITV historical drama created by Daisy Goodwin, produced by Mammoth Screen and Masterpiece, starring Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria. Three seasons (8, 9, 8 episodes), 2016-2019, cancelled after season 3.
Will (TV series)
Will is the 2017 TNT drama series, created by Craig Pearce, starring Laurie Davidson as young William Shakespeare in 1589 London; one 10-episode TV-MA season, 56% on Rotten Tomatoes, canceled after a single run.
Wolf Hall (TV series)
Wolf Hall is a BBC historical drama adapted by Peter Straughan and directed by Peter Kosminsky from Hilary Mantel's Cromwell novels, starring Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis; six parts aired on BBC Two in 2015, winning a Golden Globe and BAFTA, with a second season in 2024–2025.