There’s something endlessly fascinating about watching history rewritten on screen. While period dramas pride themselves on authenticity, alternate history shows revel in asking “what if?” They take the rigid past and twist it, revealing strange, sometimes terrifying possibilities beneath the surface of what we think we know. These shows use imagination to expose uncomfortable truths about power, identity, and human nature.

So, from dystopian futures to satirical re-imaginings, these alternate history programs prove that bending reality can reveal more about who we are than sticking to the facts. In many ways, it shows how, on television, history isn’t just something to preserve — it’s something to play with.

7

‘SS-GB’ (2017)

Set in an alternate world in 1941, the United Kingdom is months into its occupation by Nazi Germany. British Detective Douglas Archer (Sam Riley) is now forced to work under his new SS bosses, where he’s investigating a seemingly routine murder. But the case proves to be a lot bigger than expected, as it unlocks a conspiracy that could determine the outcome of World War II.

Adapted from Len Deighton‘s acclaimed novel, SS-GB offers a gripping portrait of life under tyranny, where loyalty is fluid and survival often demands moral compromise. Its muted color palette, deliberate pacing, and noir sensibilities lend the show a haunted stillness — as if history were suffocating beneath fascist rule. It’s not flashy or bombastic. Instead, it’s quietly devastating. Among modern British dramas, few capture the horror of a world that came terrifyingly close to existing.

6

‘Our Flag Means Death’ (2022 – 2023)

Faced with a midlife crisis and unsatisfied with his cushy aristocratic life, Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) leaves his family to become a pirate, despite not having the aptitude for it. Now, as captain of the Revenge, Stede finds himself in charge of an entire crew while also crossing paths with other formidable pirates, such as Blackbeard (Taika Waititi).

A loose, irreverent take on the real-life “Gentleman Pirate,” Our Flag Means Death transforms the rough seas of history into a deeply funny and heartfelt meditation on identity and reinvention. Beneath its swashbuckling antics lies a genuinely moving exploration of masculinity, queerness, and chosen family — the kind of emotional depth that many traditional period dramas (somewhat) shy away from. What a shame this became one of those abruptly canceled shows.

5

‘11.22.63’ (2016)

Image via Hulu.

Jake Epping (James Franco), a high school English teacher, discovers a time portal in a local diner thanks to his long-time friend. He is then persuaded to travel to October 1960 to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. But Jake’s mission soon gets more complicated by the presence of Lee Harvey Oswald (Daniel Webber) and the fact that Jake is slowly falling in love with the past itself.

What begins as a nostalgic time-travel thriller gradually deepens into a meditation on obsession, morality, and unintended consequences. But unlike other shows on this list, 11.22.63 cleverly uses its premise to explore whether history should be changed, even if we could. It’s not your standard period piece that simply romanticizes the past. Instead, the show dissects it, showing how history resists being “fixed.” Yes, it may seem a bit convoluted, but what do you expect from a forgotten Stephen King adaptation?

4

‘Blackadder’ (1982 – 1983)

Image via BBC One

In this alternate version of 1485, the Battle of Bosworth Field was not won by Henry Tudor, but by Richard III. Unfortunately, after his victory in battle, Richard III is unintentionally killed, leaving his nephew to become King Richard IV (Brian Blessed). Years later, the King’s slimy, bumbling son, Prince Edmund (Rowan Atkinson), dons a costume and the alias of “The Black Adder,” determined to fulfill his destiny and seize the throne for himself.

The first season of Blackadder is a brilliant farce of medieval politics, but the show’s genius lies in how each subsequent series resets the timeline, dragging Edmund and his descendants through centuries of British history, from the Elizabethan court to World War I trenches. It’s satire disguised as silliness, exposing the arrogance and absurdity that remain constant throughout time. By mocking the powerful, Blackadder ends up being truer to history’s spirit than any stiff costume drama ever could. It’s yet another shining example of British sitcoms.

3

‘My Lady Jane’ (2024)

Image via Prime Video

Re-imagining 16th-century Tudor history with a fantasy twist, Lady Jane Grey (Emily Bader) is coerced by her mother into marrying notorious rake, Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel). But when a series of political schemes leads to the unexpected death of her cousin, King Edward (Jordan Peters), Jane finds herself crowned as Queen, forcing her to navigate the challenges of the royal court and the magical world that surrounds them.

Equal parts fantasy, satire, and feminist wish-fulfillment, My Lady Jane gleefully tears up the Tudor rule-book. Specifically, it replaces the familiar misery of history and royal dramas with irreverence and joy, turning a cautionary tale into one of empowerment. It’s not just history rewritten; it’s history reclaimed — a reminder that sometimes, the best way to honor the past is to imagine a better one (especially if it has a buzzy enemies-to-lovers tale). This is a single-season cancellation that still hurts today.

2

‘The Man in the High Castle’ (2015 – 2019)

Image Via Prime Video

In this parallel universe, in 1962, the Axis powers of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan rule the world, following their victory in World War II. But when a young woman discovers a mysterious film that depicts a different reality, she soon realizes that she may just hold the key to toppling the totalitarian regimes.

Based on Philip K. Dick‘s novel, The Man in the High Castle presents a world of uniforms, propaganda, and creeping dread, where history has been rewritten to erase freedom itself. While it flirts with pulp aesthetics and sci-fi surrealism, the series feels disturbingly plausible. Its meticulous production design and moral ambiguity make it one of the most immersive alternate worlds ever created on television. By the time it dives into questions of parallel realities, the show isn’t just rewriting history — it’s questioning how history itself is made and who gets to write it.

1

‘For All Mankind’ (2019 – Present)

Image via Apple TV+

In an alternate timeline in 1969, the Soviet Union beats the USA by successfully landing men on the Moon. But rather than devastating American morale, the defeat catalyzes a new challenge in the space race they never expected, intensifying the rivalry already present in the Cold War environment.

Apple TV’s acclaimed show takes what could’ve been a bleak “what if” and turns it into a hopeful re-engineering of history. By centering on women, minorities, and queer pioneers who were sidelined in reality, For All Mankind transforms its sci-fi conceit into something emotionally grounded and profoundly human. It’s beautifully acted, thematically rich, and arguably one of the most visionary period pieces on television — just one set in a history that never actually happened.