The Pillars of the Earth (Season 1)

The Pillars of the Earth (2010) is a historical drama miniseries you can watch online on iFILM. England's 12th century — the crown in dispute after a shipwreck killed the heir, barons choosing sides between King Stephen and Empress Maud, and the Church steering the chaos for its own ends. Through all of it, a determined monk named Philip is trying to build a cathedral in the town of Kingsbridge. That ambition pulls him into every power struggle the era has to offer. The series stars Rufus Sewell, Ian McShane, Eddie Redmayne, Hayley Atwell, and Donald Sutherland.

Directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan and adapted from Ken Follett's 1989 novel, which sold north of 26 million copies. Eight episodes trace several decades of intertwined lives: builders, nobles, clergymen, and outcasts whose fates orbit the cathedral's slow rise. The production does not soften the period's violence or its politics.

Matthew Macfadyen plays a conflicted nobleman drawn into the Kingsbridge circle. For viewers who prefer history told through human-scale stories rather than battlefield panoramas, this is one of the denser and more rewarding entries in the genre. Stream all episodes of The Pillars of the Earth (2010) online on iFILM.