The 50 Best Historical Dramas: ‘Dickinson,’ ‘Winning Time’ & More Titles for Everyone
TV Insider is counting down the 50 best historical dramas on TV, both past and present. In the latest roundup, we look at dramas for every kind of viewer ranging from Dickinson and Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty to The New Look among others.
Scroll down for a deeper look into TV’s must-see historical dramas, and stay tuned for more.
Hey there, historians! Join us in our countdown of the 50 Best Historical Dramas, from both television and film. Be sure to check out TV Insider’s April 2024 issue, currently on newsstands.
For Bookworms... Dickinson (Apple TV+)
Hailee Steinfeld is Emily Dickinson in this coming-of-age story about one of America’s greatest poets — whose renown only came after her death. While the show takes liberties with its storytelling (using modern language and music), it beautifully spotlights the constraints of gender and society that women endured.
For Cowboy Lovers... Bat Masterson (Tubi, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV)
He’s roaming frontiers! He’s protecting the innocent! He’s Bat Masterson (Gene Barry), the West’s most colorful hero and a man whose time as a gambler, journalist, Army scout, and lawman made him a legend. Follow his adventures in this 1958–61 NBC series as he charms women and brings justice to the wrongly accused.
For Brainiacs... Freud (Netflix)
This 2020 Austrian-German crime series reimagines the life of young Sigmund Freud (Robert Finster) in a Sherlock Holmes way, as he investigates murders and conspiracies in 1880s Vienna. It might not be the most truthful story of the founder of psychoanalysis, but it’s certainly fun — especially if you enjoy a good thriller!
For Sports Fanatics... Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (Max)
It’s Showtime! Led by brash point guard Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and crusty captain Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes), the L.A. Lakers pioneer a fast-paced, high-flying brand of basketball while owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) transforms an NBA franchise from drab to glam.
For Shopaholics... The New Look (Apple TV+)
The runway awaits! Depicting designer Christian Dior’s (Ben Mendelsohn) rise to fashion fame, his rivalry with Coco Chanel (Juliette Binoche), and his terrifying years in Nazi-occupied Paris, this new series tells the untold story behind the icons we wear and know so well today.
For Armchair Detectives... Cambridge Spies (Tubi, The Roku Channel)
In 1934, four Cambridge University students were recruited to spy for the Soviet Union: This 2003 series dramatizes their betrayal of their country. Samuel West, Tom Hollander, and Rupert Penry-Jones star with Toby Stephens.
