# War and Peace (2016)

> A six-episode BBC miniseries adapting Tolstoy's novel, weaving a young countess's and a count's romance through Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/56779

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, history, war
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Paul Dano, Lily James, James Norton, Gillian Anderson, Olivia Ross, Jessie Buckley, Aneurin Barnard, Greta Scacchi
- TMDB rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3910804/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: sweeping, romantic, melancholic, intimate, stately

## What critics say

Viewers broadly admire this BBC adaptation of Tolstoy's novel for its lavish costumes, strong casting and faithful, emotionally rich storytelling.

## Synopsis

War and Peace (2016) is a British television miniseries created for BBC One, a six-episode period drama adapted from Leo Tolstoy's novel. Its central pairing follows young Countess Natasha Rostova (Lily James) and the awkward Count Pierre Bezukhov (Paul Dano) as their lives entwine with the war that Napoleon's invading army brings to Russia in 1812. Alongside them, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (James Norton) marches toward the front, while Gillian Anderson's Anna Pavlovna Scherer hosts the salons where gossip and ambition circulate. The engine of the series is the push and pull of marriage prospects, family fortunes and inherited pride, all set against the grinding logistics of a nation at war. Each episode moves through ballrooms, country estates and battlefield camps, so the romance and the conflict constantly shape one another. The tone is sweeping yet intimate, melancholic and romantic, with a strong sense of longing and loss. Its scale is that of a single continuous story told in six hours, rather than a case-of-the-week format. Fans of Downton Abbey, Anna Karenina and Sharpe will find resonance in its lush costumes and its blend of personal drama with historical upheaval.

## Shows like War and Peace

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- [Catherine the Great (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/66403)
- [Belgravia (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/72935)
- [Bleak House (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/2362)
- [King & Conqueror (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/157052)
- [The White Princess (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/61432)
- [North & South (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/12717)
- [Vanity Fair (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/69534)

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