15 Best Historical Series of the Last 10 Years with Near-Perfect Tomatometer

When you're looking for a good TV show, historical series offer a mix of drama, action, and lessons from the past, and the best part is, in the last decade, some series have been so good they almost got perfect scores on review sites like Rotten Tomatoes.

15. Transatlantic (2023 – Present, 1 Season)

Genre: History/Drama

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%

Amidst the chaos of the 1940 evacuation of Marseille, American journalist Varian Fry and surrealist artist Marcel Duchamp orchestrate a daring plan to help prominent intellectuals and artists escape Nazi-occupied France, challenging morality, politics, and the very essence of courage and fear.

14. Stonehouse (2023 – Present, 1 Season)

Genre: Drama/History

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%

The astonishing life of British politician John Stonehouse is dramatized, focusing on his rise to power, his infamous faked death in 1974 to escape financial ruin and marital issues, and the subsequent scandal that shocked a nation and unraveled his life and career.

13. The Long Song on Masterpiece (2018, 1 Season)

Genre: Drama/History

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%

Set on a sugar plantation in Jamaica during the final days of slavery, the story follows July, a resilient and spirited enslaved woman, as she navigates personal and societal upheavals, witnessing the transition from enslavement to supposed freedom under British rule.

12. Vikings: Valhalla (2022 – Present, 2 Seasons)

Genre: History/Drama

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%

A century after the original series, this saga continues with the adventures of Leif Eriksson, Freydis, Harald Hardrada, and the Norman King William the Conqueror as they embark on epic quests that intersect with history, exploring new lands and battling for survival in a changing Europe.

11. Chernobyl (2019, 1 Season)

Genre: History/Drama

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%

This harrowing series recounts the catastrophic 1986 nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl power plant, delving into the explosion's aftermath, the heroic efforts of the first responders, and the subsequent investigation to uncover the truths behind the tragedy.

10. Underground (2016 – Present, 2 Seasons)

Genre: Mystery & Thriller/History/Drama

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%

Set in the Antebellum South, this gripping narrative follows a group of plantation slaves who band together for a daring 600-mile escape to freedom along the Underground Railroad, facing relentless pursuit and moral dilemmas, driven by the pursuit of liberty and justice.

9. The Great (2020 – 2023, 3 Seasons)

Genre: History/Comedy/Drama

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%

A satirical and anachronistic retelling of Catherine the Great's rise to power, beginning as an outsider and evolving into the longest-reigning female ruler in Russia's history; her tumultuous relationship with Emperor Peter III and her progressive vision for the country's future.

8. Pachinko (2022 – Present, 1 Season)

Genre: History/Drama

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%

Spanning four generations, this epic story follows a Korean family that migrates to Japan amidst the hardships and discrimination of the 20th century, exploring their struggles, triumphs, and enduring hope, centered around the indomitable Sunja.

7. Wolf Hall (2015, 1 Season)

Genre: History/Drama

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%

Focused on the meteoric rise of Thomas Cromwell in the Tudor court, from his humble beginnings to becoming Henry VIII's closest advisor, navigating the treacherous waters of politics, power, and persuasion amidst the king's desire for an heir and his marriage to Anne Boleyn.

6. The Good Lord Bird (2020, 1 Season)

Genre: Drama/History

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%

Told from the perspective of a fictional enslaved boy who becomes a member of John Brown's motley family of abolitionist soldiers, this series dramatizes the events leading up to the Harpers Ferry raid, blending historical facts with imaginative storytelling.

5. Alias Grace (2017, 1 Season)

Genre: History/Drama/Crime

Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%

Based on true events, this series chronicles the life of Grace Marks, a young Irish immigrant and servant in Upper Canada who, along with stable hand James McDermott, was convicted of the brutal murders of their employer and his housekeeper in 1843, weaving a complex narrative of memory, perception, and the quest for truth.

4. The Porter (2022 – Present, 1 Season)

Genre: Drama/History

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

Set in the early 1920s, this series highlights the journey of train porters in Montreal and Chicago as they strive for equality and justice, forming the world's first Black union, amidst the backdrop of the jazz age, prohibition, and the Great Migration.

3. Home Fires (2015 – 2016, 2 Seasons)

Genre: Drama/History/War

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

In rural Cheshire, England, during World War II, the women of the Great Paxford Women's Institute confront the war's impact on their community, battling personal and collective challenges while demonstrating resilience and ingenuity amidst changing times.

2. The Book of Negroes (2015, 1 Season)

Genre: History/Drama

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

Aminata Diallo's journey from her abduction from her village in West Africa to her enslavement in South Carolina and eventual freedom in England, chronicling her incredible life across three continents and her role in the British abolitionist movement.

1. Madiba (2017, 1 Season)

Genre: History/Drama

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

This series tells the story of Nelson Mandela's life journey from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa, focusing on his struggle against apartheid, years in prison, and the negotiations that led to the dismantling of the apartheid regime.