100 best melodrama series

List of the best TV series in the melodrama genre, selected by visitors to our site: Game of Thrones, The Vampire Diaries, Castle, Spartacus, True Blood, Once Upon a Time, Gossip Girl, The Tudors, Pretty Little Liars, Bones, Misfits, Smallville, Rome, Downton Abbey, Vikings, North & South, Spartacus, Desperate Housewives, The O.C., How I Met Your Mother
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Markimdb: 9.2
Genreaction, fantasy, melodrama, drama, adventure
CountryUSA, United Kingdom
Duration00:55

Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night's Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond.

Markimdb: 7.7
Genrehorror, thriller, fantasy, melodrama, drama, short, detective
CountryUSA
Duration00:43

The story of two vampire brothers obsessed with the same girl, who bears a striking resemblance to the beautiful but ruthless vampire they knew and loved in 1864.

Markimdb: 8.1
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama, crime, detective
CountryUSA
Duration00:43

After a serial killer imitates the plots of his novels, successful mystery novelist Richard "Rick" Castle receives permission from the Mayor of New York City to tag along with an NYPD homicide investigation team for research purposes.

Markimdb: 8.5
Genreaction, melodrama, drama, adventure, biography, history
CountryUSA
Duration00:52

Spartacus is an American television series inspired by the historical figure of Spartacus, a Thracian gladiator who from 73 to 71 BCE led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic departing from Capua.

Markimdb: 7.8
Genrethriller, fantasy, melodrama, drama, detective
CountryUSA
Duration00:53

True Blood is an American television drama series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in northwestern Louisiana. The series centers on the adventures of Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress with an otherworldly quality.

Markimdb: 7.7
Genrefantasy, melodrama, adventure
CountryUSA
Duration00:43

There is a town in Maine where every story book character you've ever known is trapped between two worlds, victims of a powerful curse. Only one knows the truth and only one can break the spell. Emma Swan is a 28-year-old bail bonds collector who has been supporting herself since she was abandoned as a baby. Things change for her when her son Henry, whom she abandoned years ago, finds her and asks for her help explaining that she is from a different world where she is Snow White's missing daughter.

Markimdb: 7.4
Genremelodrama, drama
CountryUSA
Duration00:43

Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, originally ran on The CW for six seasons from September 19, 2007 to December 17, 2012. Narrated by the omniscient blogger "Gossip Girl," voiced by Kristen Bell, the series revolves around the lives of privileged young adults on Manhattan's Upper East Side in New York City.

Markimdb: 8.1
Genremelodrama, drama, military, history
CountryRepublic of Ireland, Canada, USA, United Kingdom
Duration00:53

The Tudors is a history-based drama series following the young, vibrant King Henry VIII, a competitive and lustful monarch who navigates the intrigues of the English court and the human heart with equal vigor and justifiable suspicion.

Markimdb: 7.4
Genrethriller, melodrama, drama, detective
CountryUSA
Duration00:43

Based on the Pretty Little Liars series of young adult novels by Sara Shepard, the series follows the lives of four girls — Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily — whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their queen bee, Alison. One year later, they begin receiving messages from someone using the name "A" who threatens to expose their secrets — including long-hidden ones they thought only Alison knew.

Markimdb: 7.8
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama, crime, detective
CountryUSA
Duration00:43

Dr. Temperance Brennan and her colleagues at the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Lab assist Special Agent Seeley Booth with murder investigations when the remains are so badly decomposed, burned or destroyed that the standard identification methods are useless.

Markimdb: 8.2
Genrefantastic, comedy, melodrama, drama
CountryUnited Kingdom
Duration00:43

When five young outsiders on Community Service get caught in a strange storm, they discover that they have developed superpowers.

Markimdb: 7.5
Genrefantastic, melodrama, drama, adventure
CountryUSA, Canada
Duration00:43

    Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. It is based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series follows the adventures of Clark Kent, who resides in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman. The first four seasons focus on Clark and his friends' high school years. After season five, the show ventured into more adult settings, eventually focusing on his career at the Daily Planet, as well as introducing other DC comic book superheroes and villains.

    Markimdb: 8.7
    Genreaction, melodrama, drama, military, history
    CountryUnited Kingdom, USA
    Duration00:55

    A down-to-earth account of the lives of both illustrious and ordinary Romans set in the last days of the Roman Republic.

    Markimdb: 7.5
    Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama, detective
    CountryUSA
    Duration00:43

    Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama-mystery series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired Sundays at 9 P.M. Eastern/8 P.M. Central, on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012. Executive producer Cherry served as showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season included Bob Daily, George W. Perkins, John Pardee, Joey Murphy, David Grossman, and Larry Shaw. The main setting of the show was Wisteria Lane, a street in the fictional American town of 'Fairview' in the fictional 'Eagle State'. The show followed the lives of a group of women as seen through the eyes of a dead neighbor who committed suicide in the very first episode. The storyline covers thirteen years of the women's lives over eight seasons, set between the years 2004–2008, and later 2013–2017. They worked through domestic struggles and family life, while facing the secrets, crimes and mysteries hidden behind the doors of their — at the surface — beautiful and seemingly perfect suburban neighborhood. The show featured an ensemble cast, headed by Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer, Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo, Marcia Cross as Bree Van de Kamp, and Eva Longoria as Gabrielle Solis. Brenda Strong narrated the show as the deceased Mary Alice Young, appearing sporadically in flashbacks or dream sequences.

    Markimdb: 8.7
    Genremelodrama, drama
    CountryUnited Kingdom, USA
    Duration00:54

    A chronicle of the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era—with great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy.

    Markimdb: 8.5
    Genreaction, melodrama, drama, adventure, military, history
    CountryRepublic of Ireland, Canada
    Duration00:45

    Vikings follows the adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok, the greatest hero of his age. The series tells the sagas of Ragnar's band of Viking brothers and his family, as he rises to become King of the Viking tribes. As well as being a fearless warrior, Ragnar embodies the Norse traditions of devotion to the gods. Legend has it that he was a direct descendant of Odin, the god of war and warriors.

    Markimdb: 8.6
    Genremelodrama, drama
    CountryUnited Kingdom
    Duration00:57

    Margaret Hale is a southerner from a country vicarage newly settled in the industrial northern town of Milton. In the shock of her move, she misjudges charismatic cotton mill-owner John Thornton, whose strength of purpose and passion are a match for her own pride and willfulness. When the workers of Milton call a strike, Margaret takes their side, and the two are brought into deeper conflict. As events spiral out of control, Margaret - to her surprise - begins to fall in love with Thornton...

    Markimdb: 7.5
    Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama, short
    CountryUSA
    Duration00:42

    The series centers on Ryan Atwood, a troubled youth from a broken home who is adopted by the wealthy and philanthropic Sandy and Kirsten Cohen. Ryan and his surrogate brother Seth, a socially awkward yet quick-witted teenager, deal with life as outsiders in the high-class world of Newport Beach. Ryan and Seth spend much time navigating their relationships with girl-next-door Marissa Cooper, Seth's childhood crush Summer Roberts, and the fast-talking loner Taylor Townsend. Story lines deal with the culture clash between the idealistic Cohen family and the shallow, materialistic, and closed-minded community in which they reside. The series includes elements of postmodernism, and functions as a mixture of melodrama and comedy.

    Markimdb: 8.5
    Genreaction, melodrama, drama, adventure, biography, history
    CountryUSA
    Duration05:35

    Spartacus is an American television series inspired by the historical figure of Spartacus, a Thracian gladiator who from 73 to 71 BCE led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic departing from Capua.

    Markimdb: 8.3
    Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama, short
    CountryUSA
    Duration00:22

    How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014. The series follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his group of friends in Manhattan. As a framing device, Ted, in the year 2030, recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting their mother.

    Markimdb: 7.7
    Genremelodrama, drama, sport
    CountryUSA
    Duration00:43

    Set in the fictional small town of Tree Hill, North Carolina, this teen-driven drama tells the story of two half brothers, who share a last name and nothing else. Brooding, blue-collar Lucas is a talented street-side basketball player, but his skills are appreciated only by his friends at the river court. Popular, affluent Nathan basks in the hero-worship of the town, as the star of his high school team. And both boys are the son of former college ball player, Dan Scott, whose long ago choice to abandon Lucas and his mother Karen, will haunt him long into his life with wife Deb, and their son Nathan. Until now, Dan has managed to keep his two sons far from each other. But the past and present collide sharply when Tree Hill's basketball coach recruits Lucas for his team, much to the chagrin of Nathan and Daddy Dan. And the siblings natural rivalry only intensifies when they set their sights on the same girl, Peyton Sawyer. The residue of the past lingers far into the future for the residents of Tree Hill, even as a new generation is rising. Tree Hill follows the lives and loves of these two brothers, their friends and their family as they navigate high school, marriage, and finally... adulthood.

    Markimdb: 8.3
    Genremelodrama, drama
    CountryUnited Kingdom, USA
    Duration03:50

    Jane Eyre is a 2006 television adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel of the same name. The story, which has been the subject of numerous television and film adaptations is based on the life of the eponymous orphan. This four-part BBC television drama serial adaptation was broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One. The mini-series garnered a critical acclaim and a number of prestigious nominations for its two stars and is considered to be the finest of all adaptations by a very large following of enthusiastic fans.

    Markimdb: 7.4
    Genrefantastic, melodrama, drama, detective
    CountryCanada, USA
    Duration00:43

    A suburban family that takes in a mysterious teen naive to the world around him. As Kyle begins to show signs of brilliance, solving the mystery of his origin and potential abilities becomes the family's mission.

    Markimdb: 7.9
    Genremelodrama, drama, crime, history
    CountryUSA, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Canada
    Duration00:55

    Set in 15th century Italy at the height of the Renaissance, The Borgias chronicles the corrupt rise of patriarch Rodrigo Borgia to the papacy, where he proceeds to commit every sin in the book to amass and retain power, influence and enormous wealth for himself and his family.

    Markimdb: 7.6
    Genreaction, thriller, fantasy, melodrama, drama
    CountryUSA
    Duration00:43

    Scott McCall, a high school student living in the town of Beacon Hills has his life drastically changed when he's bitten by a werewolf, becoming one himself. He must henceforth learn to balance his problematic new identity with his day-to-day teenage life. The following characters are instrumental to his struggle: Stiles, his best friend; Allison, his love interest who comes from a family of werewolf hunters; and Derek, a mysterious werewolf with a dark past. Throughout the series, he strives to keep his loved ones safe while maintaining normal relationships with them.

    Markimdb: 8.1
    Genrecomedy, melodrama, documentary, short, biography
    CountryUSA
    Duration00:22

    The Big Bang Theory is centered on five characters living in Pasadena, California: roommates Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper; Penny, a waitress and aspiring actress who lives across the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon's equally geeky and socially awkward friends and co-workers, mechanical engineer Howard Wolowitz and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali. The geekiness and intellect of the four guys is contrasted for comic effect with Penny's social skills and common sense.

    Markimdb: 7.5
    Genremelodrama, drama
    CountryUSA
    Duration00:43

    Follows the personal and professional lives of a group of doctors at Seattle’s Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

    Markimdb: 6.6
    Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
    CountryUSA
    Duration00:43

    Smart but wholesome Betty embraces her unique appearance and independent attitude in the cutthroat world of New York fashion. With the help of her proud yet far-from-glamorous family from Queens, Betty will continue to have big dreams and deal with any obstacle in her own unique style.

    Markimdb: 7.9
    Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama, musical
    CountrySouth Korea
    Duration01:04

    A working class girl winds up at an exclusive prep school. Unassuming high school girl Jan Di stands up to -- and eventually falls for -- a spoiled rich kid who belongs to the school's most powerfu clique.

    Markimdb: 5.5
    Genremelodrama, drama, detective
    CountryUSA
    Duration00:30

    This tantalizing new series chronicles the sexual awakening of the beautiful but unfulfilled Ashley, when she discovers the popular erotic novel "SLAVE" by Nolan Keats. However, her fascination with the mysterious Mr. Keats leads her into a sexy but dangerous love triangle, where not everyone is who they appear to be and where fantasies are no longer just words in a book. Part romantic drama, part mystery, this tale of seduction, obsession and sexual power from acclaimed writer/director Jacky St. James will leave you breathless and begging for more. What's your safeword?

    Markimdb: 7
    Genrecomedy, melodrama
    CountryUSA
    Duration00:22

    Jules Cobb is a mom in her forties facing the often humorous challenges, pitfalls and rewards of life's next chapter. Along for the journey is her son, her ex-husband, her husband/neighbor and her friends who together make up her dysfunctional, but supportive and caring extended family... even if they have a funny way of showing it sometimes.

    Markimdb: 7
    Genrecomedy, melodrama
    CountryUSA
    Duration00:22

    A hedonistic jingle writer's free-wheeling life comes to an abrupt halt when his brother and 10-year-old nephew move into his beach-front house.

    Markimdb: 6.7
    Genremelodrama, drama, military, biography, history
    CountryTurkey
    Duration01:40

    Muhteşem Yüzyıl is a prime time historical Turkish television series. It was originally broadcast on Show TV and then transferred to Star TV. It is based on the life of Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and his wife Hürrem Sultan, a slave girl who became a Sultan.

    Markimdb: 7.7
    Genreaction, fantasy, melodrama, drama, detective
    CountryCanada
    Duration00:43

    Lost Girl focuses on the gorgeous and charismatic Bo, a supernatural being called a succubus who feeds on the energy of humans, sometimes with fatal results. Refusing to embrace her supernatural clan and its rigid hierarchy, Bo is a renegade who takes up the fight for the underdog while searching for the truth about her own mysterious origins.

    Markimdb: 7.7
    Genrecomedy, melodrama, music
    CountrySouth Korea
    Duration16:00

    You're Beautiful is a 2009 South Korean romantic comedy television drama series, starring Park Shin-hye, Jang Keun-suk, Lee Hong-ki of F.T. Island and Jung Yong-hwa of CN Blue. It is about a fictional boy band A.N.Jell and the relationship between its members when a female, posing as her twin brother, joins the group. It aired on Seoul Broadcasting System from October 7 to November 26, 2009 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 16 episodes. The series has been posted on SBS's YouTube channel. A Japanese remake of this drama was released in Japan in July 2011 as Ikemen desu ne, and included a cameo appearance by Jang in Episode 8 as his Japanese counterpart, Gunsoku. A Taiwanese remake, Fabulous Boys, was broadcast in 2013, which includes a cameo appearance by Park Shin-hye.

    Markimdb: 7.9
    Genremelodrama, drama, biography, history
    CountryUnited Kingdom, USA
    Duration03:43

    Elizabeth I is a two-part 2005 British historical drama television miniseries directed by Tom Hooper, written by Nigel Williams, and starring Helen Mirren as Elizabeth I of England. The miniseries covers approximately the last 24 years of her nearly 45-year reign. Part 1 focuses on the final years of her relationship with the Earl of Leicester, played by Jeremy Irons. Part 2 focuses on her subsequent relationship with the Earl of Essex, played by Hugh Dancy. The series originally was broadcast in the United Kingdom in two two-hour segments on Channel 4. It later aired on HBO in the United States, CBC and TMN in Canada, ATV in Hong Kong, ABC in Australia, and TVNZ Television One in New Zealand. The series went on to win Emmy, Peabody, and Golden Globe Awards. The same year, Helen Mirren starred as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, with which she dominated the award season.

    Markimdb: 7.1
    Genrefantastic, action, fantasy, melodrama, drama, adventure
    CountryUSA, Canada
    Duration01:20

    Fallen is a 2006 ABC Family mini-series starring Paul Wesley as Aaron Corbett, an high school student who begins exhibiting strange abilities on his 18th birthday.

    Markimdb: 6.4
    Genremelodrama, drama
    CountryUnited Kingdom, France, Canada
    Duration04:08

    Updated adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos' classic 18th Century tale of seduction, betrayal and revenge set in the modern 1960s world of Parisian high society. The beautiful Madame de Merteuil seeks vengeance against her ex-lover Gercourt when he becomes engaged to her young goddaughter, Cécile.

    Markimdb: 8.1
    Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
    CountryUnited Kingdom
    Duration04:00

    Nothing delights Emma more than meddling in the love lives of others. But when she takes protege Harriet Smith under her wing, her plans can only end in disaster...

    Markimdb: 8.4
    Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
    CountryUSA
    Duration00:22

    The Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan is a wonderfully large and blended family. They give us an honest and often hilarious look into the sometimes warm, sometimes twisted, embrace of the modern family.

    Markimdb: 8.3
    Genremelodrama, drama, history
    CountryUnited Kingdom
    Duration01:44

    Britain is in the grip of a chilling recession... falling wages, rising prices, civil unrest - only the bankers are smiling. It's 1783 and Ross Poldark returns from the American War of Independence to his beloved Cornwall to find his world in ruins: his father dead, the family mine long since closed, his house wrecked and his sweetheart pledged to marry his cousin. But Ross finds that hope and love can be found when you are least expecting it in the wild but beautiful Cornish landscape.

    Markimdb: 7.7
    Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
    CountryUSA
    Duration00:43

    New Yorker Zoe Hart has it all figured out - after graduating top of her class from medical school, she'll follow in her father's footsteps and become a cardio-thoracic surgeon. But when her dreams fall apart, Zoe decides to work at a small practice in Bluebell, Alabama.

    Markimdb: 7.4
    Genrecomedy, melodrama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration10:25

    When her newly-built home is razed to the ground by an earthquake, low-achieving, clumsy, and troublesome third-year high school student Kotoko Aihara is forced to share a roof with the school's—and possibly Japan's—smartest student, Naoki Irie. Kotoko is not actually a complete stranger to Irie-kun; unfortunately, a single love letter that she tried to give him in the past has already sealed her fate as far as he is concerned. Throw in some quirky friends and a meddlesome mother, and Kotoko might not even have a snowball's chance in hell of winning the older Irie boy's heart. Yet Kotoko remains optimistic that, because she now lives in his house, her unattainable crush on the genius since the beginning of high school has never been more within reach.

    Markimdb: 8
    Genrethriller, melodrama, drama, military, history
    CountryCanada, Germany, United Kingdom, Hungary
    Duration01:00

      A sweeping epic of good and evil, treachery and intrigue, violence and beauty, a sensuous, spirited story set against a backdrop of war, religious strife and power struggles in 12th Century England.

      Markimdb: 7.6
      Genremelodrama, drama
      CountryUnited Kingdom, USA
      Duration04:00

      The story of Tess Durbeyfield, a low-born country girl whose family find they have noble connections.

      Markimdb: 7.6
      Genreaction, melodrama, drama, military
      CountryUnited Kingdom
      Duration00:59

      The story of a love triangle between a conservative English aristocrat, his mean socialite wife and a young suffragette in the midst of World War I and a Europe on the brink of profound change.

      Markimdb: 8.2
      Genrecomedy, melodrama, cartoon, anime
      CountryJapan
      Duration00:25

      Ouran High School Host Club is a manga series by Bisco Hatori, serialized in Hakusensha's LaLa magazine between the September 2002 and November 2010 issues. The series follows Haruhi Fujioka, a scholarship student at Ouran High School, and the other members of the popular host club. The romantic comedy focuses on the relationships within and outside the Club and satirizes the clichés and stereotypes that endure in shōjo. There are also occasional moments where the characters break the fourth wall. The manga has been adapted into a series of audio dramas, an animated television series directed by Takuya Igarashi and produced by Bones, and a visual novel by Idea Factory.

      Markimdb: 8
      Genrefantasy, melodrama, drama, adventure, detective, biography, history
      CountryUSA
      Duration00:59

      The series follows the "untold" story of Leonardo Da Vinci: the genius during his early years in Renaissance Florence. As a 25-year old artist, inventor, swordsman, lover, dreamer and idealist, he struggles to live within the confines of his own reality and time as he begins to not only see the future, but invent it.

      Markimdb: 8.1
      Genremelodrama, drama, family, music
      CountryGermany, Australia
      Duration00:22

      At Sydney's National Dance Academy, a few talented youngsters are recruited for the excruciatingly tough course. It follows Tara Webster, a sheepfarmgirl who's ambition is to be the next best ballerina. Jewish long line of doctors' heir Samuel 'Sammy' and minor juvenile offender Christian are the outsiders but gradually fit in, making new kinds of friends. Star ballerina's daughter Kat also introduces them in the circle of last-year brother Ethan, who already aspires a career as choreographer. Also Abigail, a smart young girl who'll walk over dead bodies to reach the stars tries to sabotage everything and everyone.

      Markimdb: 8.4
      Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
      CountryUnited Kingdom
      Duration00:47

      Set in 1996 in Lincolnshire, the show tells the tragic and humorous story of a very troubled young girl Rae, who has just left a psychiatric hospital, where she has spent four months after attempting suicide, begins to reconnect with her best friend Chloe and her group, who are unaware of Rae's mental health and body image problems, believing she was in France for the past four months.




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