6 Historical Series with 100% Rotten Tomatoes Score on Prime in November 2023
These series provide great insight into the historical events covered.
Whether it's an unbiased documentary series, an edgy dramatization of someone's biography, or pure fiction set in historical context, history shows continue to be some of the most critically acclaimed and popular examples of modern television.
If you want the best of the best, you can turn to streaming services, and Amazon Prime Video stands out: among the vast number of excellent historical series, there are several that critics have scored a perfect 100%.
6. Reconstruction: America After the Civil War ( 2019, miniseries)
Created by renowned critic, historian, and filmmaker Henry Louis Gates Jr., this four-part documentary series chronicles a challenging yet hopeful period in American history, the Reconstruction Era (1865-1877).
The devastating Civil War was followed by a period of recovery and social change that, though short-lived, influenced the modern democratic structure. The series focuses on the stories of African Americans who earned the right to be educated, to vote, and to be full members of American society.
5. Madiba (2017, miniseries)
Madiba is the Thembu clan name of the Xhosa people and is equivalent to the title 'Father of the Nation'. It is the nickname given by the people of South Africa to Nelson Mandela, the man who liberated the country from the dreaded apartheid.
This miniseries is a dramatization of Mandela's life, portrayed by the legendary Laurence Fishburne, and also tells the story of his family's many contributions to the cause.
4. My Grandparents' War (2019, 2 seasons)
To coincide with the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II in 2019, British network Channel 4 has released My Grandparents' War. The documentary series focuses on British celebrities' accounts of their grandparents' lives and actions during the war.
The series features big names such as Kit Harington, Helena Bonham Carter, Keira Knightley and others. Critics have praised the series for its value as an archival resource as well as a moving and inspiring collection of true stories.
3. The Roosevelts: An Intimate History (2014, miniseries)
Created by acclaimed documentary filmmaking duo Ken Burns and Geoffrey Ward, the series, as the title suggests, follows the lives of three members of arguably the most powerful family in American history. The Roosevelts focuses on the insightful behind-the-scenes story of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt, as well as the latter's wife and longest serving First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt.
The docuseries was narrated by Peter Coyote, and the Roosevelts were voiced by Paul Giamatti, Edward Herrmann and Meryl Streep.
2. The Book of Negroes (2015, miniseries)
The Book of Negroes, the series based on the novel by Lawrence Hill, chronicles the horrific events of American colonial history. This heartbreaking story follows a West African woman, Aminata (Aunjanue Ellis). She was enslaved by the colonists, but managed to escape and join the Black Loyalists, who fled from their American slave owners to the British army during the American War of Independence and collaborated with the British abolitionists.
In the course of events, the British transport her and thousands of other escaped slaves to Nova Scotia for resettlement, but even there they face racist clashes. Nevertheless, Aminata manages to return to her homeland in West Africa, to the new colony of Freetown (Sierra Leone).
1. I, Claudius (1976, 1 season)
Although the list consists mostly of documentaries, one of the highest rated shows on Prime is the classic British series, I, Claudius, starring the legendary Derek Jacobi. The series dramatizes the life of a man who was never taken seriously in the political circles of the Roman Empire, yet with no experience became one of its most successful rulers, leading Rome to prosperity.