10 Best War Shows To Watch if You Think History Is Boring, Ranked
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It's no secret that history just isn't for everyone. Much of it is complicated; much of it is about governments, politics, and things that can bore a lot of people. One only has to look around any high school history class to see that there's probably at least one person with their head on their desk, snoozing the period away. Hey, it happens to the best of us.
If you're someone who doesn't like history, or who finds it dreadfully dull, there are some TV shows out there that might just change your mind. The main reason is that these are TV shows based on wars, which are always the most exciting parts of history, even if they are tragic. These are the best war TV shows for people who think history is boring.
10 'Generation Kill' (2008)
Generation Kill was a really bold move, as it's about the US Invasion of Iraq, an ongoing, hot-button issue at the time of its release. This miniseries is based on a memoir by embedded journalist Evan Wright, though the show is mostly about an American infantry unit. Generation Kill follows the American soldiers as they engage in combat with Iraqi insurgents and witness unspeakable horror.
When this show came out, the Iraq War was being sanitized by media outlets, refusing to show the true horror. This show ensured the visceral sights were brought straight home, and it was ultimately successful. The best part is that the characters in this show are all real people, with one of them even playing themselves, so you know it's historically accurate. The show is action-packed, and perhaps most importantly, it doesn't feel like history because the events are so recent. Make no mistake, though: the war is sure to go down in history.
9 'Chief of War' (2025–Present)
When people find history boring, it's usually because they've only been told one version of events. Most history classes in many countries only really teach about the history of that particular country, a lot of which is extremely boring. Chief of War, however, is an exercise in how much of human history gets overlooked or swept to the sidelines. The show is a passion project by Jason Momoa, owing to his Hawaiian roots.
Chief of War is set at the end of the 18th century, before Hawaii had joined the United States. Instead, the archipelago was fractured into four distinct kingdoms, which were frequently at war with each other. The story here follows Ka'iana (Momoa), a warrior chief from Maui who begins a bloody conquest to unite the other kingdoms under King Kamehameha I (Kaina Makua). This is a vibrant, passionate war TV show that shows a really rich part of Hawaiian history. When a creator truly cares about their project, the audience really feels it, which is definitely the case with Chief of War. Ultimately, it's such a great show for people who find history boring because it's a true but frequently forgotten story that's actually exciting.
8 'Catch-22' (2019)
Catch-22 is a dark comedy miniseries based on a novel of the same name. Set during World War II, it follows a USAAF bombardier who keeps getting sent on increasingly riskier missions, causing him to search for a quick way out. The problem is, due to military bureaucracy, he is unable to quit his job. The basic idea is that no one can get themselves discharged on the grounds of insanity, or because they're afraid for their life. If they're not worried for their safety, they can continue doing missions. If they are worried for their safety, then clearly, they're of rational and sound mind, meaning they must still continue doing missions.
This ridiculous clause is just one of the many bits of gallows humor the show presents. There's not a whole heck of a lot of action in it, and the series is mostly grim irony and absurd loopholes, which gradually get more exasperating. It's actually a pretty good representation of former and current military politics, yet that's not the point of the show. Catch-22 is so good for people who find history dull because it finds the humor in the harsh reality, so it's more funny than tiring.
7 'Rome' (2005–2007)
HBO's Rome is a series that is, believe it or not, set in Ancient Rome. It is set specifically during the days of the Roman Republic, in the 1st century BCE. The season sets its sights on Caesar's Civil War, a proxy conflict orchestrated by Julius Caesar in Egypt, which eventually brought about the fall of Ancient Egypt itself.
Not only does this show feature gruesome violence and action-packed battle scenes, but it's also about romance, drama, and political intrigue. There's a little bit of everything in this amazing series, which is why it's a shame it never took off as well as it could've. If you're not particularly keen on history, this is a show you should still check out, because it's only really about the most interesting parts of the conflict.
6 'The Last Kingdom' (2015–2021)
The Last Kingdom was created in response to the groundbreaking fantasy series Game of Thrones. Although this series is far from a fantasy. It shares a lot of the same tropes, including familial feuds, political intrigue, gruesome Medieval combat, and unflinching realism, except it takes a more grounded, historical setting. The show is actually based on a novel, meaning the events that happen in the show are pure fiction. However, they do reflect a very real time in history.
The show is set during the Viking Invasions of the British Isles, in roughly the 9th century. The Vikings were quite successful, felling numerous small kingdoms across England, until only one stood to resist them, hence the title of the show. The show had some rocky production issues, but it managed to land on its feet and produce five seasons, plus a feature-length special episode. It's a phenomenal work of historical fiction, one that shares tropes with fantasy TV trends, making it easy to settle into if you don't really like history.
Collider Exclusive · Action Franchise Quiz What Action Series Would You Thrive In? Wick · Fast · Mission · Die Hard
Four franchises. Four completely different ideas of what a hero is: the assassin with a code, the family that never leaves anyone behind, the man who does his own stunts, and the guy who simply refuses to die. Only one of them runs on your particular brand of trouble. Eight questions will tell you which one you would survive.
🐕Wick
🏁Fast
🧨Mission
🎄Die Hard
01
How does a room know you've walked into it? Every action hero arrives differently. Some of them arrive before they arrive.
02
It turns physical. What does your fighting actually look like? Choreography is character. Yours says something about you.
03
Who is standing beside you when it starts? Some franchises are built on a team. Others are built on one person walking in alone.
04
It has gone badly wrong. What keeps you upright? Act two exists to find out what you're actually made of.
05
There's a vehicle. What are you driving, and how? No action franchise has ever survived without a car chase. This one is yours.
06
How do you feel about the people giving the orders? There is always an institution. There is rarely a good one.
07
Underneath all of it, what are you actually doing this for? The stunts are the reason people come. This is the reason they stay.
08
When the credits roll, what do people say about you? Every franchise is really an argument about what makes someone worth watching.
Casting Has Been Completed Your Franchise Is…
Four action series. One of them is built around exactly the way you handle pressure, people, and a room that has just gone very quiet. Here is where you would survive the trilogy, and probably headline it.
John Wick
You are precision with a grudge. You don't posture, you don't escalate, and you don't warn anybody twice. That is exactly why the people who know you are so careful never to be the reason you start.
- The Wick films run on discipline: an underworld with actual etiquette, a hero who honours every rule of it, and a world that unravels the instant someone breaks one against him.
- You share that quality. You are extraordinarily reasonable right up to the line, and then completely immovable past it.
- Focus, commitment and sheer will. You'd be the one carrying grief through three sequels and turning it into technique rather than noise.
- People wouldn't call you dangerous. They'd say your name quietly and let that do the work.
Fast & Furious
You understand the thing the whole franchise is secretly about: the cars are spectacular, but the crew is the point. You collect people, you keep them, and you'd drive through a building for any one of them.
- This series went from street racing to orbit without ever changing its actual subject, because loyalty scales and plot doesn't have to.
- You have the same instinct. You build a family out of whoever turns up, and then you defend it past the point of reason.
- You'd thrive here because the franchise rewards exactly your strengths: warmth, nerve, an absolute refusal to leave anyone behind, and a relaxed relationship with physics.
- The mission can wait. The barbecue cannot.
Mission: Impossible
You over-prepare and then take the dangerous part yourself anyway. It looks like control, but it's really responsibility. You have never worked out how to ask somebody else to carry the risk.
- This is the franchise of the plan that collapses on schedule: the team, the mask, the rooftop, and the one person sprinting flat out because sprinting is all that's left.
- You share that refusal to accept an outcome. Told the odds, you treat them as an administrative error.
- You'd thrive here because these films reward competence and loyalty in equal measure. The mission matters, but nobody on the team gets left on the wrong side of a door.
- Some people delegate the cliff. You have never once been that person.
Die Hard
You are not the most trained person in the building, the best equipped, or the one anybody would have picked. You are simply the one still standing at the end, which turns out to be the only qualification that matters.
- Die Hard invented the modern action hero by making him mortal: outgunned, out-planned, bleeding, and extremely funny about it.
- You share that stubbornness. Adversity doesn't make you noble, it makes you sarcastic, and then it makes you unstoppable.
- You'd thrive here because these films reward improvisation and nerve over preparation, and you've never had the luxury of preparing anyway.
- You didn't want any of this. You just declined to be the person who let it happen.
5 'SAS: Rogue Heroes' (2022–Present)
SAS: Rogue Heroes is set during World War II and follows the formation of Britain's Special Air Service, most commonly known as the SAS. The SAS were one of the first true special operations units in the world, and they remain a leading Tier One spec ops unit, even today. The first season depicts the first stages of the unit's formation, following the operatives during the North African Theater. The second season then hops across the Mediterranean to focus on the war in Europe.
This is a high-octane, action-packed thriller from start to finish, which has seen near-perfect reviews from critics and fans alike. This is such a great pick for people who don't like history because it's not about large-scale battle sequences or military politics or strategic warfare. Instead, it's about black ops sabotage operations, using stealth and surprise as a weapon. It scores high on the cool factor and feels like a Hollywood action movie at times.
4 'Barbarians' (2020–2022)
Barbarians is an underrated German Netflix series set in the First Century CE. During this time, the Roman Empire was rapidly expanding into the region they called Germania. The region was home to numerous Germanic tribes, including the famous Teutons, who were none too pleased that the Romans were interfering on their land. Despite frequently warring with each other, the Germanic tribes united to fend off the Romans, who had superior numbers and unparalleled discipline.
However, the Germanic people put up one heck of a fight. They used guerrilla tactics to their advantage, culminating in the infamous Battle of Teutoburg Forest, where the Romans were routed and defeated so badly that "Teutoburg" is still used as a metaphor for an insurmountable obstacle. The show is filled with action, ancient warfare, and visually stunning cinematography, enriching a story that often goes untold nowadays.
3 'M*A*S*H' (1972–1983)
M*A*S*H is one of the most impactful war TV shows of all time, lasting 11 seasons and creating a long-lasting legacy that persists to this day. The show is actually not a drama, as many of the other shows on this list are. Instead, it is a military medical sitcom, taking place during the Korean War, which was fought from 1950 to 1953. This conflict, also known as "The Forgotten War" or "The Ugly War" due to the harsh conditions, was huge, yet it remains overlooked when compared to other conflicts.
Instead of taking place on the front lines, M*A*S*H is set at an American military hospital, following the lives of medical staff and officers as the war effort continues in the background. The show has some absurdist moments, but it still features tragedy to emphasize the horrors of war. The main reason this show is great for history haters is that it's a sitcom that's easy to get into, and that doesn't require a whole lot of historical context to understand.
2 'Shōgun' (2024–Present)
Shōgun was a major hit for Hulu and FX. This historical drama is based on James Clavell's critically acclaimed novel. The show was originally penned as a miniseries, but after remarkable success, it was renewed for a second season. The series is set during the beginning of the Edo Period, at the turn of the 17th century. The Edo Period was a time in Japanese history more commonly known as "Feudal Japan" due to how many civil wars and rebellions there were.
The backdrop might be real, but everyone and everything else in this show is pure fabrication. Clavell did base some of his characters on real people, but their names, personalities, appearances, and actions have all been changed. The show is full of action, political drama, and has a cast of lovable characters, to boot. Despite the fact that both the show and the novel were praised for being great reflections of the time period, the series doesn't feel overly historical.
1 'Band of Brothers' (2001)
Band of Brothers is pretty heavy-handed when it comes to historical content. The show is about Easy Company, a division of American paratroopers who battled their way across the Western Front in World War II. The show begins with a training session, before plunging straight into the wee hours of the morning on June 6, 1944 — D-Day. The show then transitions into some of the other famous battles on the front, including the Battle for Carentan and the Battle of the Bulge.
As discussed, the show dives deep into history. The opening credits contain interviews and testimonies from veterans who served as American paratroopers, detailing their real-life experiences. Most of the characters in the show, however, are fictional. It's a great pick for those who think history is boring because the war show is action-packed and serves as a thrilling drama, even without the action. Plus, it only highlights the most interesting parts of the Western Front, skipping over the more minor engagements.
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