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Genres

Drama Comedy Animation Action Crime Adventure Romance Reality-TV More genres →

Decades

2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1950s 1940s 1930s 1920s 1900s

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Genres

Drama Comedy Animation Action Crime Adventure Romance Reality-TV More genres →

Decades

2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1950s 1940s 1930s 1920s 1900s

Tags Search My ratings Sign in

Best History TV Series

Top 500 most popular History series, ranked by votes

Filter & sort

Genres

Genres as assigned by IMDb. Selecting several means a show must match all of them.

Action 190 Adult 0 Adventure 171 Animation 110 Biography 641 Comedy 238 Crime 227 Documentary 1894 Drama 1875 Family 83 Fantasy 101 Game-Show 13 History 4922 Horror 24 Music 55 Musical 7 Mystery 121 News 23 Reality-TV 50 Romance 342 Sci-Fi 21 Short 16 Sport 38 Talk-Show 34 Thriller 49 War 536 Western 14

Decades

By first-air year. Several selections widen the range; a specific year narrows within its decade.

2020s 1402 2010s 1686 2000s 843 1990s 399 1980s 319 1970s 193 1960s 59 1950s 18 1940s 1 1930s 0 1920s 0 1900s 0

Specific year

2026 69 2025 167 2024 217 2023 218 2022 233 2021 256 2020 242 2019 195 2018 216 2017 213 2016 189 2015 186 2014 159 2013 147 2012 143 2011 125 2010 113 2009 126 2008 103 2007 108 2006 89 2005 85 2004 75 2003 79 2002 58 2001 59 2000 61 1999 58 1998 58 1997 55 1996 39 1995 29 1994 33 1993 36 1992 27 1991 39 1990 25 1989 32 1988 30 1987 29 1986 25 1985 39 1984 37 1983 35 1982 30 1981 33 1980 29 1979 20 1978 35 1977 28 1976 19 1975 18 1974 17 1973 19 1972 15 1971 14 1970 8 1969 12 1968 10 1967 8 1966 4 1965 6 1964 6 1963 4 1962 4 1961 1 1960 4 1959 2 1958 4 1957 5 1956 1 1955 2 1953 1 1952 2 1951 1 1949 1

Tags

Rating patterns, computed from IMDb episode-rating trajectories. Deliberately strict: only shows with an unmistakable pattern carry one, so expect small numbers.

Rating patterns

Fumbled the Finale 1 Stuck the Landing 1 Grew the Beard 0 Rock Solid 2 Past Its Prime 0 Roller Coaster 0

Taste tags, judged by our AI taste model. They cover the 5,000 most-rated shows.

Tone & mood

Bleak 24 Gritty 33 Dark tone 64 Feel-good 2 Cozy 1 Wholesome 3 Melancholic 19 Tense 47 Unsettling 7 Whimsical 1 Campy 4 Cynical 8 Hopeful 2 Sentimental 14 Nostalgic 14 Bittersweet 22 Chaotic energy 2 Deadpan cool 3

Pacing & structure

Slow burn 9 Fast-paced 2 Episodic 18 Serialized 37 Procedural 1 Mystery box 3 Anthology 6 Cliffhanger-driven 2 Sprawling saga 16 Tight limited run 109 Puzzle plot 0 Vignette style 0

Humor style

Dry humor 4 Absurdist 8 Satirical 10 Cringe comedy 0 Slapstick 1 Witty banter 5 Dark comedy 5 Warm humor 0 Raunchy 2 Parody 5 Ironic & meta 1

Themes & subject matter

Criminal underworld 7 Detective mystery 15 True crime 28 Heists & cons 3 Legal 4 Medical 7 Political intrigue 76 Espionage 15 War & military 60 Family saga 34 Coming of age 5 Workplace 2 School & campus 0 Love story 48 Friendship 5 Found family 2 Survival 15 Post-apocalyptic 0 Dystopia 0 Supernatural 2 Space & sci-fi 0 Near-future tech 0 Time travel 3 High fantasy 0 Urban fantasy 1 Monster horror 1 Psychological horror 0 Addiction & vice 3 Mental health 0 Faith & religion 19 Sports 4 Music scene 6 Food & cooking 2 Nature & science 6 Real history 212 Royalty & aristocracy 53 Small town 2 Big city life 0 Rural & frontier 7 Suburban underbelly 0 Class divide 14 Immigrant experience 4 Queer stories 3 Female perspective 40 Social commentary 26 Philosophical 8 Existential dread 1 Revenge 4 Redemption 2 Secrets & lies 50

Characters & perspective

Antihero lead 9 Morally gray 23 Villain's POV 3 Ensemble cast 36 Central duo 4 Strong female lead 54 Child's perspective 1 Outsider lead 3 Genius lead 4 Working class 7 Elites & privilege 23 Unreliable narrator 2 Character study 31 Banter chemistry 1

Emotional payoff

Tearjerker 28 Adrenaline 4 Intellectual challenge 7 Comfort rewatch 2 Romantic yearning 19 Cathartic 0 Wonder & awe 6 Mounting dread 2 Warm glow 2 Gut punch 28

Craft & style

Dialogue-driven 9 Visually striking 29 Stylized direction 9 Naturalistic 14 Big-budget spectacle 10 Lo-fi charm 0 Atmospheric 33 Distinctive score 8 Experimental 0 Deep worldbuilding 1 Tight writing 5

Format & audience

Sitcom 3 Adult animation 0 Anime 3 Kids & family 2 Young adult 0 Soap & telenovela 10 Event miniseries 84 Reality competition 0 Lifestyle reality 0 Docuseries 67 Sketch & variety 4 Game & quiz show 2 Talk & panel 0 Period piece 227 Contemporary life 0 Long-runner 5 Built to binge 0

Viewing-culture clusters

British TV 42 Nordic noir 0 K-drama 15 Turkish drama 15 Indian TV 13

Intensity & content character

Graphic violence 18 Disturbing 18 Sexually explicit 4 Family-safe 8 Emotionally heavy 63 Easy watching 11

Sort

500 series (top 500 shown)

Call the Midwife

36K 135 2012–present

Period piece · Medical

Generation War

36K 3 2013–2013

War & military · Real history

Victoria

35K 25 2016–2019

Royalty & aristocracy

The White Queen

34K 10 2013–2013

Royalty & aristocracy

Babylon Berlin

34K 48 2017–2026

Period piece · Political intrigue

Perry Mason

31K 16 2020–2023

Atmospheric · Period piece

Hatfields & McCoys

31K 3 2012–2012

Revenge · Family saga

War & Peace

30K 8 2016–2016

Period piece · Real history

House of Guinness

30K 9 2025–present

Family saga · Period piece

Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar

29K 9 2024–present

Visually striking

'Allo 'Allo!

29K 85 1982–1992

Sitcom · British TV · Slapstick

Anne Boleyn

29K 3 2021–2021

Waco

29K 6 2018–2018

Faith & religion · Gut punch

The Railway Men: The Untold Story of Bhopal 1984

29K 4 2023–2023

Real history · Emotionally heavy

Jesus of Nazareth

28K 4 1977–1977

Faith & religion · Period piece

Boots

27K 8 2025–2025

Coming of age · Queer stories

Frontier

27K 18 2016–2018

Rural & frontier · Period piece

The Civil War

26K 9 1990–1990

Docuseries · Real history

The Apothecary Diaries

26K 49 2023–present

Genius lead · Anime

Turn: Washington's Spies

26K 40 2014–2017

Espionage · Real history

Hitler: The Rise of Evil

25K 2 2003–2003

Real history · Period piece

Trainwreck: Woodstock '99

25K 4 2022–2022

Docuseries · Chaotic energy

Medici

25K 24 2016–2019

Real history · Period piece

My Lady Jane

24K 8 2024–2024

Whimsical · Strong female lead

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Action Adult Adventure Animation Biography Comedy Crime Documentary Drama Family Fantasy Game-Show History Horror Music Musical Mystery News Reality-TV Romance Sci-Fi Short Sport Talk-Show Thriller War Western

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