Best movies & TV Shows like Big History

A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like Big History Starring Bryan Cranston, and more. If you liked Big History then you may also like: Samson and Delilah, Catherine the Great, The Nineties, The White Princess, Man, Moment, Machine and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.

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Explores many facets of epic moments in history from the past 13.7 billion years, from a Big History perspective.

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Samson and Delilah

Mara and Manoa are both upstanding and religious Israelites living under the harsh and unjust rule of the Philistines. One day, a mysterious stranger appears to Mara and promises her that she will bear a son whom she is to call Samson.

Catherine the Great

This four-part historical drama follows the end of Catherine the Great's reign and her affair with Russian military leader Grigory Potemkin that helped shape the future of Russian politics.

The Nineties

Hit rewind and explore the most iconic moments and influential people of The Nineties, the decade that gave us the Internet, DVDs, and other cultural and political milestones.

The White Princess

The story of Elizabeth of York, the White Queen's daughter, and her marriage to the Lancaster victor, Henry VII. Based on the Philippa Gregory book of the same name.

Man, Moment, Machine

Man, Moment, Machine was a television series which aired on The History Channel and was hosted by Hunter Ellis. It documented an important event in history and went into detail about, as the title suggests, the man and his background, the machine and how it was made, and the outcome.

I, Claudius

Acclaimed blackly comic historical drama series. Set amidst a web of power, corruption and lies, it chronicles the reigns of the Roman emperors - Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and finally Claudius.

Masada

A Roman general leads the epic 1st-century siege of Masada, the mountain fortress where more than 900 Jews made a heroic stand against 5,000 Roman soldiers.

How Art Made The World

Nigel Spivey reveals how the images which surround us today come from the ancient world. It's an epic journey spanning five continents and a hundred thousand years of history.

A History of Ancient Britain

Neil Oliver tells the epic story of how Britain and its people came to be over thousands of years of ancient history—the beginnings of our world forged in ice, stone, and bronze

Titanic

A heart-wrenching journey through Titanic's last moments, featuring both fictional and historical characters, ranging from steerage passengers and crew to upper class guests and staff.

Epic Rap Battles of History

Pitting notable historical and pop culture figures, real and fictional, against one another in a rap battle format.

Divine Women

Bettany Hughes sets out on an epic journey across continents and back in time to trace the hidden and often controversial history of women in religion

Mankind: The Story of All of Us

Mankind The Story of All of Us is an epic 12-hour television event about the greatest adventure of all time—the history of the human race. It takes 10 billion years for the ideal planet to form and 3 billion more for the right conditions to emerge before it finally happens: mankind begins. From there unfolds a fast-paced story told here through key turning points—stepping stones in our journey from hunter-gatherer to global citizen. It’s a tale of connections—why some ideas take hold and spread around the globe, and how the lives of people in one part of the world are shaped by events in another.

Life of Crime

Set against the backdrop of iconic moments in British history, Hayley Atwell stars as an impulsive rookie cop who becomes obsessed with tracking down the killer of a teenage girl.

The Ottomans: Europe's Muslim Emperors

It was the world's last Islamic empire - a super-power of a million square miles. From its capital in Istanbul it matched the glories of Ancient Rome. And after six centuries in power it collapsed less than a hundred years ago. Rageh Omaar, who has reported from across this former empire, sets out to discover why the Ottomans have vanished from our understanding of the history of Europe. Why so few realise the importance of Ottoman history in today's Middle East. And why you have to know the Ottoman story to understand the roots of many of today's trouble spots from Palestine, Iraq and Israel to Libya, Syria, Egypt, Bosnia and Kosovo.

Bunkers Brutalism and Bloodymindedness

Two-part documentary in which Jonathan Meades makes the case for 20th-century concrete Brutalist architecture in an homage to a style that he sees a brave, bold and bloodyminded. Tracing its precursors to the once-hated Victorian edifices described as Modern Gothic and before that to the unapologetic baroque visions created by John Vanbrugh, as well as the martial architecture of World War II, Meades celebrates the emergence of the Brutalist spirit in his usual provocative and incisive style. Never pulling his punches, Meades praises a moment in architecture he considers sublime and decries its detractors.

CIA Declassified

From Chile to Afghanistan, it’s a world within a world and CIA Declassified peels back the layers of secrecy to uncover what really happened in some of the most reported moments from history.

The Passing Bells

At the outbreak of World War I, two teenage boys - one German and one British - defy their parents to sign up. An epic historical drama spanning the five years of the First World War, as seen through the eyes of two ordinary young soldiers.

WWI: The First Modern War

When ancient war tactics became overwhelmed by powerful new weapons like tanks, air attacks, weapons of mass destruction and submarines, a pivotal game-changing moment in history occurred. History is delving into the background of each weapon explaining the how and why they were developed, the strategy, and their ultimate effectiveness.

Maps: Power, Plunder and Possession

Map expert Professor Jerry Brotton uncovers how maps aren't simply about getting from A to B, but are revealing snapshots of defining moments in history and tools of political power and persuasion.

War and Peace

A story that revolves around five aristocratic families, set during the reign of Alexander I, and centered on the love triangle between Natasha Rostova, Pierre Bezukhov, and Andrei Bolkonsky.

American Epic

Travel the country in search of unknown 1920s artists, when the music of ordinary Americans was recorded for the first time, transforming music forever, in a three-part film narrated by Robert Redford, featuring Jack White, Nas, Taj Mahal and others.

Immortal Egypt with Joann Fletcher

It spans over 5,000 years of history that have shaped the world. It is full of spectacular sites and epic stories and an evolving society of inventors, heroes, heroines, villains, artisans and pioneers. Professor Joann Fletcher reveals the highs and lows of the most beguiling civilisation in humanity’s rich history in this four-part series made for BBC2.

Wild Animal Reunions

Documentary series following a group of animal keepers and caregivers - including those who have managed to create deep and unique bonds with wild animals - as they go on an adventure to reunite with their long lost animal friends. It captures the moment when humans, and the animals they helped to raise, are reunited in the wild.

Six Wives with Lucy Worsley

In an ambitious and groundbreaking approach to drama and history featuring dramatic reconstruction, historian Lucy Worsley time travels back to the Tudor Court to witness some of the most dramatic moments in the lives of Henry VIII's six wives.

A Timewatch Guide

Series looking at how the BBC has revealed and interpreted monumental moments in our history. Using the BBC archive, the programmes examine changes in research covered in documentary television.

The Vietnam War

An immersive 360-degree narrative telling the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. Featuring testimony from nearly 80 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both the winning and losing sides.

American Beauty Star

12 competitors from all facets of the beauty industry are challenged to become the next American Beauty Star. Challenges include creating high-end magazine editorial looks and red carpet styles for a Hollywood premiere.

American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley

British historian Lucy Worsley reveals how some of the biggest moments in US history are actually fibs and stories concocted by pop culture, politics and national(istic) pride.

WWE Untold

WWE Superstars past and present reveal their compelling stories about the most important moments in WWE history.

Martin Clunes: My Travels and Other Animals

For ten years, Martin Clunes has been travelling the world, trying to make sense of it through a series of magical, and often moving encounters. In this new series, he's looking back at the best of those moments.

Equator from the Air

In a defining moment for the natural world, Gordon Buchanan makes an epic journey round the equator - taking to the skies with experts racing to protect both wildlife and people.

Greatest Events of World War II in Colour

Using highly advanced colourisation techniques, critical moments from World War II, from Stalingrad to The Battle of Britain, are shown in a whole new light.

Rise of Empires: Ottoman

Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II wages an epic campaign to take the Byzantine capital of Constantinople and shapes the course of history for centuries.

America: Our Defining Hours

A relevant, emotional tale of how the US, as a nation, seized moments of crisis to create a better tomorrow. The series draws upon 300+ years of US history, from the Mayflower, the American Civil War to September 11.

The Queen's Gambit

In a 1950s orphanage, a young girl reveals an astonishing talent for chess and begins an unlikely journey to stardom while grappling with addiction.

Photos That Changed The World

Special series looking at the defining moments of the last century, caught on camera. Hear the stories behind world-changing photos from photographers, eyewitnesses, reporters, historians and more.

By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem

Inspired by the music and subjects featured in the series “Godfather of Harlem,” this documentary series brings alive the dramatic true story of Harlem and its music during the 1960s, and connects that history to our present moment.

The First 48 Presents Critical Minutes

A look back at some of the most unforgettable moments in The First 48’s history. Each episode presents different cases previously featured on the show, all with a common theme.

Marvel Studios Legends

Revisit the epic heroes, villains and moments from across the MCU in preparation for the stories still to come. Each dynamic segment feeds directly into the upcoming series — setting the stage for future events. This series weaves together the many threads that constitute the unparalleled Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Trump Takes On the World

After one of the most shocking presidencies in history, Donald Trump’s top advisers and the leaders who clashed with him lift the lid on the critical moments of his foreign policy.

Family Dinner

Andrew Zimmern visits families across America to explore how the cultural, regional, and historical facets of who we are inform what and how we eat, and all the ways food brings people together.

Boundless

The First Circumvallation Around the World, tracking the 1519–22 voyage initiated by Ferdinand Magellan and culminated by Juan Sebastián Elcano.

Universe

Professor Brian Cox journeys across the vastness of time and space revealing epic moments of sheer drama that changed the universe forever.

One Perfect Shot

This docuseries celebrates some of the most iconic moments in filmmaking with each episode featuring one acclaimed director pulling back the curtain on their most iconic shots. Inspired by the popular Twitter account of the same name.

The Space Age: NASA's Story

This BBC series offers a fresh look at an amazing organization and mankind's quest to understand the universe. Blending stunningly restored footage with revealing, insightful and engaging interviews with the people who were there - the astronauts, family members and journalists - this is an epic story of the heroes, the triumphs and the tragedies of space exploration. Starting with NASA's beginnings in the Cold War, the series follows the iconic moments of space exploration from the race to get the first man in space to the first steps on the moon. And with triumph and achievement comes risk and disaster, as the series follows the white-knuckle suspense of Apollo 13 and the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. Intelligent, inspiring and accessible, The Space Age is a complete history of mankind's journey into space.

Faraway Downs

The story of an English aristocrat, Lady Sarah Ashley, who inherits a large cattle ranch in Australia after her husband dies. When Australian cattle barons plot to take her land, she joins forces with a cattle drover to protect her ranch.

Becoming Frida Kahlo

A look into Frida Kahlo's world, revealing an artist driven by politics, power, sex and identity, with her epic love affair with Diego Rivera at the heart of it all.

American Moments

AMERICAN MOMENTS introduces hot topics and focused issues through in-depth conversations with experts and authorities in various and diverse fields.

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