List Rules Vote up the best shows set in the Medieval Era (from the 5th to the 15th century).
The Medieval era spans a whopping thousand years, from the 5th to the 15th century. Appropriately also called the Middle Ages, it's a giant span of time between the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. Television shows set in the Middle Ages have lots of themes to play with, including Vikings, knights, magic, and dragons.
Medieval TV shows seem to have a fondness for King Arthur's court, multiple Robin Hood adaptations and the appearance of Merlin as a main or side character. Although some shows set in the Middle Ages play the idea of knights and Vikings for laughs or fun, most series seem to embrace what the Medieval era used to be called: The Dark Ages. Treachery, battles and lots of gloom, shows such as The Last Kingdom and Marco Polo examine the ferocity with which the world reclaimed territory after the fall of the Romans.
Which of these top TV shows set in the Middle Ages are the best? Check out the list below and vote up your favorite period dramas and series, while voting down the shows that aren't as great.
The Last Kingdom Alexander Dreymon, David Dawson, Tobias Santelmann
Premiered: 2015
The Last Kingdom (BBC America, 2015) is a British historical fiction television series based on Bernard Cornwell's The Saxon Stories series of novels. In 872 England, an unlikely hero (Alexander ...more
Vikings (History, 2013) is a historical drama television series created by Michael Hirst. A farmer (Travis Fimmel) rises to fame by successful raids into England, and eventually becomes a ...more
Merlin is a television miniseries which originally aired in 1998 on NBC that retells the legend of King Arthur from the perspective of the wizard Merlin. Sam Neill stars in the title role in a ...more
Merlin (BBC One, 2008) is a British fantasy-adventure drama television series based on the Arthurian legends. Merlin (Colin Morgan), a young and powerful wizard, sets out to fulfill his destiny: ...more
Marco Polo is an American drama series about Marco Polo's early years in the court of Kublai Khan, the Khagan of the Mongolian Empire and the founder of the Yuan dynasty, which lasted from ...more
The White Queen (BBC One, 2013) is a British historical drama television miniseries based on the novel series by Philippa Gregory. In 1460s England, three women - Elizabeth Woodville (Rebecca ...more
The Pillars of the Earth (Starz, 2010) is an eight-part TV miniseries based on the 1989 novel by Ken Follett. Set against a backdrop of war, religious strife and power struggles which tears ...more
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mamabre927 added The White Princess Jodie Comer, Rebecca Benson, Jacob Collins-Levy
Premiered: 2017
The White Princess (Starz, 2017) is a historical drama television miniseries developed by Jamie Payne and Alex Kalymnios, based on the 2013 novel by Philippa Gregory. After the marriage of Henry ...more
9
mamabre927 added The Spanish Princess Charlotte Hope, Stephanie Levi-John, Angus Imrie
Premiered: 2019
The Spanish Princess (Starz, 2019) is a historical drama television limited series developed by Emma Frost and Matthew Graham, based on the novels by Philippa Gregory. The beautiful Spanish ...more
10
Camelot Joseph Fiennes, Jamie Campbell Bower, Eva Green
Premiered: 2011
Camelot (Starz, 2011) is a historical-fantasy-drama television series developed by Chris Chibnall and Michael Hirst, based on the Arthurian legend. After the sudden death of King Uther, Arthur ...more
Robin Hood is a British television programme, produced by independent production company Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC One, with co-funding from the BBC America cable television channel in ...more
12
Norsemen Kåre Conradi, Nils Jørgen Kaalstad, Trond Fausa Aurvåg
Premiered: 2016
Norsemen (NRK, 2016), originally premiering in Norway as Vikingane, is a Norwegian comedy TV series. Set in 790s Norway, the story covers the life of Vikings in the town of Norheim and them ...more
World Without End is an eight-episode 2012 television miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Ken Follett. It is a sequel to the 2010 miniseries The Pillars of the Earth, also based on ...more
The Mists of Avalon is a 2001 miniseries based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Produced by American cable channel TNT, adapted by Gavin Scott, and directed by Uli ...more
DreamWorks Dragons is an American computer-animated television series based on the 2010 film How to Train Your Dragon. The series serves as a bridge between the first film and its 2014 sequel. A ...more
The Hollow Crown is a series of British television films featuring William Shakespeare's History Plays. The first cycle is an adaptation of Shakespeare's second historical tetralogy, the ...more
17
Cadfael Derek Jacobi, Sean Pertwee, Michael Culver
Premiered: 1994
Cadfael is the name given to the TV series adapted from The Cadfael Chronicles novels written by Ellis Peters. It was produced by the ITV Central between 1994 and 1998. The series was broadcast ...more
Redwall is an animated series made by Canada-based Nelvana, France-based Alphanim and UK-based BBC One and is based on the Redwall novels by Brian Jacques. The series currently spans three ...more
19
Galavant Joshua Sasse, Timothy Omundson, Vinnie Jones
Galavant is an American fairy tale-themed musical comedy television series that was created, written, and executive produced by Dan Fogelman with executive producers Alan Menken, Glenn Slater, ...more
The Bastard Executioner (FX, 2015) is an American historical fiction drama television series, created by Kurt Sutter. The show follows the exploits of Wilkin Brattle (Lee Jones) as the strife of ...more
Roar is a 1997 American fantasy action adventure television series that originally aired on the FOX network in July 1997. In the year 400 AD, a young Irish man, Conor, sets out to rid his land ...more
22
Kaamelott Alexandre Astier, Audrey Fleurot, Jacques Chambon
Premiered: 2005
Kaamelott is a French television series running originally 2005–2009. It combines medieval fantasy and comedy to present a new "realistic epic" version of the Arthurian legend. While ...more
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a British television series comprising 143 half-hour, black and white episodes broadcast weekly between 1955 and 1959 on ITV. It stars Richard Greene as the ...more
24
Labyrinth John Hurt, Tom Felton, Jessica Brown Findlay
Premiered: 2012
Labyrinth is a historical television miniseries based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Kate Mosse. The setting jumps between modern and medieval France and follows two women who are ...more
Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears is a Disney animated television series that first aired in the United States in the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. The series was the first animated ...more
