World Without End poster

World Without End

★ 6.9 10K votes 2012–2012 1 season · 8 episodes Ended Showcase
Period pieceSet meaningfully in a past era.This show: 10/10Event miniseriesPrestige limited television built as an event.This show: 8/10Real historyReal historical events and figures woven into the story.This show: 7/10Love storyA love story as the engine of the show, not a side plot.This show: 7/10
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Starring
Ben ChaplinCharlotte RileyNora WaldstättenOliver Jackson-CohenRupert EvansTom Weston-Jones
Starring
Ben ChaplinCharlotte RileyNora WaldstättenOliver Jackson-CohenRupert EvansTom Weston-Jones
Ratings per Episode
246810
Votes per Episode
075150225300

World Without End Episode Ratings Heatmap

AvgE1E2E3E4E5E6E7E8
S17.06.76.96.96.97.27.07.17.3

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About

"Medieval soap opera with plague and politics"

Set in a fictional medieval English town a century after Ken Follett's 'Pillars of the Earth,' this miniseries follows four childhood friends whose lives splinter into rivalry, romance, and ambition as war, plague, and church politics reshape their world. It's a sweeping costume drama that trades subtlety for scale, moving briskly through decades of intrigue, betrayal, and survival. The tone is soapy but sincere, carried by strong period detail and committed performances rather than historical nuance. Expect melodrama dressed in convincing grime and candlelight, built for binge-watching rather than close analysis.

Watch it for

the lavish period detail and tangled personal rivalries that unfold across decades.

Maybe skip if

you want historical accuracy over melodrama and tidy pacing.

Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.

All Seasons

▼
Season 12012
7.02K88h
EpTitleRatingYoursVotesRuntime
▶1Medieval Life and Death: Part 16.7
29860 min
▶2Medieval Life and Death: Part 26.9
25860 min
▶3A Crown Tested: Part 16.9
23860 min
▶4A Crown Tested: Part 26.9
23460 min
▶5Plague and Passion: Part 17.2
23760 min
▶6Rook7.0
23160 min
▶7Queen7.1
22460 min
▶8Checkmate7.3
22860 min

Full Cast & Crew

Cast

Ben Chaplin Sir Thomas Langley
Charlotte Riley Caris
Nora Waldstätten Gwenda
Oliver Jackson-Cohen Ralph
Rupert Evans Godwyn
Tom Weston-Jones Merthin
Cynthia Nixon Petranilla
Tom Cullen Wulfric
Blake Ritson Edward III
Diana Kent Rose

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