# Sharpe (1993)

> A rough-edged rifleman rises from the ranks through the Napoleonic Wars in a series of adventurous campaign tales.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/208

## Facts

- Seasons: 7
- Episodes: 18
- Episode runtime: 90 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: war, action, drama
- Network: ITV1
- Cast: Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Jason Salkey, Pete Postlethwaite, John Tams, Assumpta Serna, Philip Whitchurch, Alexis Denisof
- TMDB rating: 8.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12749392/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: brutal
- Tone: swashbuckling, rowdy, gritty, adventurous

## What critics say

Critics and viewers broadly regard Sharpe as a rousing, well-crafted British historical adventure carried by Sean Bean's lead performance, though the later revival seasons are seen as less consistent than the originals.

## Synopsis

Sharpe (1993-2008) is a British ITV period war drama adapted from Bernard Cornwell's novels, following a fictional rifleman, Richard Sharpe, played by Sean Bean. Sharpe is a former ranker who fights through the Napoleonic Wars alongside his loyal sergeant Patrick Harper and the men of his rifle company. His ambitions and sense of honour keep colliding with aristocratic officers and class snobbery, while the scheming, grotesque Obadiah Hakeswill plots against him. Each episode is a self-contained feature-length campaign adventure built from battlefield clashes, sieges, and tense personal rivalries, and the show spans several seasons across the 1990s and a later revival in the 2000s. Set in the Iberian Peninsula and beyond, the series has a rowdy, swashbuckling register, with gritty action and warm camaraderie. Fans of Hornblower, Band of Brothers and Poldark will find resonance in its blend of military adventure and period drama.

## Shows like Sharpe

- [Vanity Fair (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/69534)
- [David Copperfield (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/16533)
- [War and Peace (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/56779)
- [The Musketeers (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/51680)
- [Poldark (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55268)
- [Rome (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/1784)
- [Ultimate Force (2002)](https://ember.film/tv/322)
- [Lady Chatterley (1993)](https://ember.film/tv/33780)
- [War and Peace (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/32641)
- [King & Conqueror (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/157052)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt