Movies and TV series about period dramas

The 60 best titles about period dramas, ranked by the iRank Score — our composite of IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and TMDb. Every page includes cast, where to watch and similar recommendations.

Schindler's List
iRank93
1993 · Steven Spielberg
MovieDramaHistoryWar
The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.
Seven Samurai
iRank92
1954 · Akira Kurosawa
MovieActionDrama
A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend
Ran
iRank89
1985 · Akira Kurosawa
MovieActionDramaHistory
Shakespeare's King Lear is reimagined as a singular historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan where an aging warlord divides his kingdom between his three sons.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
iRank88
2019 · Céline Sciamma
MovieDramaRomance
On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.
12 Years a Slave
iRank88
2013 · Steve McQueen
MovieDramaHistory
In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindnesses Solomon struggles not on
Anne with an E
iRank87
2017 · Tina Grewal
SeriesDramaFamily
A coming-of-age story about an outsider who, against all odds and numerous challenges, fights for love and acceptance and for her place in the world. The series centers on a young orphaned girl in the
Raise the Red Lantern
iRank86
1991 · Zhang Yimou
MovieDrama
In 1920s China, 19-year-old Songlian becomes a concubine of a powerful lord and is forced to compete with his three wives for the privileges gained.
Peaky Blinders
iRank85
2013
SeriesCrimeDrama
A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.
Little Women
iRank85
2019 · Greta Gerwig
MovieDramaRomance
Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
iRank85
2014 · Wes Anderson
MovieComedyDrama
The Grand Budapest Hotel tells of a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars and his friendship with a young employee who becomes his trusted protégé. The story involves the the
Scarlet Heart: Ryeo
iRank85
2016
SeriesDramaSci-Fi & FantasyWar-politics
A story of a 25-year-old Go Hajin who is transported back in time to the Goryeo Dynasty. She then wakes up in the body of Lady Hae Soo and finds herself amongst the ruling princes of the Wang Family.
The King's Speech
iRank85
2010 · Tom Hooper
MovieDramaHistory
The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dr
Dunkirk
iRank85
2017 · Christopher Nolan
MovieActionDramaWar
The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk between M
Ben-Hur
iRank84
1959 · William Wyler
MovieAdventureDramaHistory
In ancient Judea, a Jewish aristocrat opposing Roman occupation of his homeland reunites with his childhood friend, now a Roman commander — setting in motion a saga of betrayal, adventure, tragedy, re
RRR
iRank84
2022 · S. S. Rajamouli
MovieActionAdventureDrama
A fictional history of two legendary revolutionaries' journey away from home before they began fighting for their country in the 1920s.
Sense and Sensibility
iRank83
1995 · Ang Lee
MovieDramaRomance
The Dashwood sisters, sensible Elinor and passionate Marianne, learn that their prospects of marriage seem doomed by their family's sudden loss of fortune. After Henry Dashwood dies unexpectedly, his
The Elephant Man
iRank83
1980 · David Lynch
MovieDramaHistory
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man being mistreated by his "owner" as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of great intelligence and sensitivity
1917
iRank83
2019 · Sam Mendes
MovieDramaHistoryWar
At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers.
Killers of the Flower Moon
iRank83
2023 · Martin Scorsese
MovieCrimeDramaHistory
When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one—until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.
Pride and Prejudice
iRank82
1995 · Delia Fine
SeriesDrama
Set in England in the early 19th century, Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Mr and Mrs Bennet's five unmarried daughters after the rich and eligible Mr Bingley and his status-conscious friend, Mr
Agatha Christie's Poirot
iRank82
1989 · Nick Elliott
SeriesCrimeDramaMystery
From England to Egypt, accompanied by his elegant and trustworthy sidekicks, the intelligent yet eccentrically-refined Belgian detective Hercule Poirot pits his wits against a collection of first clas
Pride & Prejudice
iRank82
2005 · Joe Wright
MovieDramaRomance
A story of love and life among the landed English gentry during the Georgian era. Mr. Bennet is a gentleman living in Hertfordshire with his overbearing wife and five daughters, but if he dies their h
Downton Abbey
iRank81
2010 · Nigel Marchant
SeriesDrama
A chronicle of the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era—with great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarch
Mad Men
iRank81
2007 · Janet Leahy
SeriesDrama
Set in 1960-1970 New York, this sexy, stylized and provocative drama follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising.
The Brutalist
iRank81
2024 · Brady Corbet
MovieDrama
When an innovative modern architect flees post-war Europe, he is given the opportunity to rebuild his legacy. Set during the dawn of the modern United States (in Pennsylvania), his wife joins him, and
All Quiet on the Western Front
iRank81
2022 · Edward Berger
MovieDramaWar
Paul Baumer and his friends Albert and Muller, egged on by romantic dreams of heroism, voluntarily enlist in the German army. Full of excitement and patriotic fervour, the boys enthusiastically march
Bridgerton
iRank81
2020 · Jess Brownell
SeriesDrama
Wealth, lust, and betrayal set in the backdrop of Regency era England, seen through the eyes of the powerful Bridgerton family.
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
iRank80
2019 · Quentin Tarantino
MovieComedyDramaThriller
Los Angeles, 1969. TV star Rick Dalton, a struggling actor specializing in westerns, and stuntman Cliff Booth, his best friend, try to survive in a constantly changing movie industry. Dalton is the ne
Boardwalk Empire
iRank80
2010 · Howard Korder
SeriesCrimeDrama
Atlantic City at the dawn of Prohibition is a place where the rules don't apply. And the man who runs things -- legally and otherwise -- is the town's treasurer, Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, who is equal p
Gladiator
iRank80
2000 · Ridley Scott
MovieActionAdventureDrama
After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiat
Little House on the Prairie
iRank79
1974
SeriesDramaFamilyWestern
When the big woods of Wisconsin becomes a difficult spot for hunting, Charles Ingalls reluctantly decides to move his family, pioneering west. Their life on the farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the
The Americans
iRank79
2013 · Mary Rae Thewlis
SeriesCrimeDrama
Set during the Cold War period in the 1980s, The Americans is the story of Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two Soviet KGB officers posing as an American married couple in the suburbs of Washington D.C.
Halt and Catch Fire
iRank79
2014 · Christopher C. Rogers
SeriesDrama
During the rise of the PC era in the early 1980s, an unlikely trio - a visionary, an engineer and a prodigy - take personal and professional risks in the race to build a computer that will change the
The Last of the Mohicans
iRank79
1992 · Michael Mann
MovieActionHistoryRomance
In war-torn colonial America, in the midst of a bloody battle between British, the French and Native American allies, the aristocratic daughter of a British Colonel and her party are captured by a gro
Wonder Woman
iRank79
2017 · Patty Jenkins
MovieActionAdventureFantasy
An Amazon princess comes to the world of Man in the grips of the First World War to confront the forces of evil and bring an end to human conflict.
Taboo
iRank79
2017 · Dean Baker
SeriesDramaMystery
Adventurer James Keziah Delaney returns to London from Africa in 1814 along with fourteen stolen diamonds to seek vengeance after the death of his father.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
iRank79
2003 · Peter Weir
MovieAdventureDramaWar
After an abrupt and violent encounter with a French warship inflicts severe damage upon his ship, a captain of the British Royal Navy begins a chase over two oceans to capture or destroy the enemy, th
The Aviator
iRank78
2004 · Martin Scorsese
MovieDrama
A biopic depicting the life of filmmaker and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes from 1927 to 1947, during which time he became a successful film producer and an aviation magnate, while simultaneously grow
The Thin Red Line
iRank77
1998 · Terrence Malick
MovieDramaHistoryWar
The story of a group of men, an Army Rifle company called C-for-Charlie, who change, suffer, and ultimately make essential discoveries about themselves during the fierce World War II battle of Guadalc
The Talented Mr. Ripley
iRank77
1999 · Anthony Minghella
MovieCrimeDramaThriller
Tom Ripley is a calculating young man who believes it's better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody. Opportunity knocks in the form of a wealthy U.S. shipbuilder who hires Tom to travel to Italy t
From Up on Poppy Hill
iRank77
2011 · Goro Miyazaki
MovieAnimationDrama
Yokohama, 1963. Japan is picking itself up from the devastation of World War II and preparing to host the 1964 Olympics—and the mood is one of both optimism and conflict as the young generation strugg
Trading Places
iRank77
1983 · John Landis
MovieComedy
A snobbish investor and a wily street con-artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.
Black Sails
iRank76
2014 · Michael Bay
SeriesAction & AdventureDrama
The pirate adventures of Captain Flint and his men twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic “Treasure Island.” Flint, the most brilliant and most feared pirate captain of his day, takes
The Alienist
iRank75
2018 · Ben Rosenblatt
SeriesCrimeDramaMystery
New York, 1896. Police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt brings together criminal psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, newspaper illustrator John Moore and secretary Sara Howard to investigate several murd
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
iRank74
2008 · David Fincher
MovieDramaFantasyRomance
Born under unusual circumstances, Benjamin Button springs into being as an elderly man in a New Orleans nursing home and ages in reverse. Twelve years after his birth, he meets Daisy, a child who flit
Downton Abbey
iRank74
2019 · Michael Engler
MovieDramaHistoryRomance
The beloved Crawleys and their intrepid staff prepare for the most important moment of their lives. A royal visit from the King and Queen of England will unleash scandal, romance and intrigue that wil
Enola Holmes
iRank74
2020 · Harry Bradbeer
MovieAdventureCrimeMystery
While searching for her missing mother, intrepid teen Enola Holmes uses her sleuthing skills to outsmart big brother Sherlock and help a runaway lord.
The Count of Monte Cristo
iRank73
2002 · Kevin Reynolds
MovieActionAdventureDrama
Edmond Dantés's life and plans to marry the beautiful Mercedes are shattered when his best friend, Fernand, deceives him. After spending 13 miserable years in prison, Dantés escapes with the help of a
Hail, Caesar!
iRank71
2016 · Joel Coen
MovieComedyMystery
When a Hollywood star mysteriously disappears in the middle of filming, the studio sends their fixer to get him back.
The Bikeriders
iRank70
2024 · Jeff Nichols
MovieCrimeDrama
After a chance encounter, headstrong Kathy is drawn to Benny, member of Midwestern motorcycle club the Vandals. As the club transforms into a dangerous underworld of violence, Benny must choose betwee
Remember the Titans
iRank70
2000 · Boaz Yakin
MovieDrama
After leading his football team to 15 winning seasons, coach Bill Yoast is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone – tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. The two men
The Last Samurai
iRank70
2003 · Edward Zwick
MovieActionDramaWar
Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to
Curse of the Golden Flower
iRank69
2006 · Zhang Yimou
MovieActionDramaFantasy
During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as his wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, i
The Fog
iRank68
1980 · John Carpenter
MovieHorror
Strange things begin to occur as a tiny California coastal town prepares to commemorate its centenary. Inanimate objects spring eerily to life; Rev. Malone stumbles upon a dark secret about the town's
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
iRank65
2026 · Tom Harper
MovieCrimeDrama
After his estranged son gets embroiled in a Nazi plot, self-exiled gangster Tommy Shelby must return to Birmingham to save his family — and his nation.
Marie Antoinette
iRank63
2006 · Sofia Coppola
MovieDramaHistory
A retelling of the story of France’s iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette - from her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at fifteen to her reign as queen at nineteen and ultimately the fall of
"Wuthering Heights"
iRank60
2026 · Emerald Fennell
MovieDramaRomance
Tragedy strikes when Heathcliff falls in love with Catherine Earnshaw, a woman from a wealthy family in 18th-century England.
Memoirs of a Geisha
iRank60
2005 · Rob Marshall
MovieDramaHistoryRomance
In the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.
Michael
iRank59
2026 · Antoine Fuqua
MovieDramaMusic
The story of Michael Jackson, one of the most influential artists the world has ever known, and his life beyond the music. His journey from the discovery of his extraordinary talent as the lead of the
The Other Boleyn Girl
iRank57
2008 · Justin Chadwick
MovieDramaHistoryRomance
A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, driven by their family's