favorite historical tv shows

[sea_changed]

There was discussion about making a post where people could share their favorite historical TV shows, so I thought I would go ahead and do that: I'd love to hear people's favorites, and I'm always looking for recs.

A few of my own favorites, to start us off--I'm undoubtedly forgetting many, but here are a few off the top of my head that I love:

Black Sails - Early 18th century pirates. The first season starts out somewhat trashy, but the show quickly matures into a fascinating and beautifully-done meditation on the stories we tell--about history, about others, about ourselves--and what stories get preserved and remembered and what stories are forgotten or destroyed. Excellent LGBT rep. Four seasons.

The Hour - 1950s BBC news reporters. The cast here is stellar--Ben Whishaw, Romola Garai, Dominic West--and the production and writing utterly stunning. This isn't an era or a subject I would be naturally drawn to, but everything about this show is just so extraordinarily well done. Two very short (six-episode) seasons.

Deadwood - 1870s gold-mining town in South Dakota. The one, the only. A cult show for a reason--you either love it or you, well, don't--this show is incredibly well-acted and written like nothing you're likely to hear on television before or since. Three seasons.

North and South - Victorian England. The most goddamn romantic thing you'll ever see in your life. Based on the Elizabeth Gaskell novel, this follows a woman from the south of England and a man from the north, and deals with social and class issues in the mid-Victorian era while telling a nuanced and compelling love story. Also contains the best refusal of a marriage proposal scene ever. Miniseries.

ETA: I knew I was forgetting something important--the HBO John Adams miniseries. It's absolutely wonderful--the acting is incredible (almost everyone's perfect, but their Jefferson is especially perfect), the production is stellar, and it's for the most part quite remarkably historically accurate. A definite recommendation.

Comments

[silailo]

I was eyeing North and South on Netflix a while back. I should give it a try!

Despite being a huge fan of westerns, I've never even seen Deadwood but I probably should. You've convinced me. ;)

[sea_changed]

I highly encourage watching of North and South. And same with Deadwood—it’s definitely a Western, but it also takes a lot of twists and turns around and through the genre. It can also be a hard show to rec, though you’ll likely know pretty early on whether it’s for you.

[greerwatson]

I loved Deadwood. I totally agree about the acting: it's fabulous. It's definitely tough to watch at times, though. Very gritty take on realism.

[scripsi]

Deadwood is amazing! Not particularly easy to watch, but so good!

[thisbluespirit]

Oh, thanks for doing a post! I've been busy Yuletiding the last few days...

And I'll have to think about mine as the list will be long, but North & South is one of my favourites, too, & I really enjoyed The Hour!

[sea_changed]

Definitely! I was worried that I wouldn't remember to include everything, but at some point I just threw up my hands and thought, well, I'll get at least a few of the highlights listed.

[rydra_wong]

Here for the Black Sails love!

[sea_changed]

Always. I feel like it's kind of a joke how much Black Sails fans prosthelytize for the show, but honestly, it's just so good. (And I love your Madi icon.)

[isis]

Some historical TV I've enjoyed recently (for some value of recently):

TURN - based on the true story of the Culper Ring, the rebel spies in the American Revolutionary War. (4 seasons, complete)

Marco Polo - really more about Kublai Khan, strays from the historical a few times, a lot of gratuitous sex and nudity but also stunning scenery. (2 seasons, then canceled)

The Last Kingdom - based on Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories, around a (fictional) character, a Saxon raised by Danes, who ends up fighting for Alfred the Great. Also strays from the historical a bit, but it's a wonderfully gritty show with great characters. (3 seasons so far)

Which of course reminds me of Sharpe, also based on Cornwell's books, with the fictional title character fighting for the Duke of Wellington in the Napoleonic wars; I saw these quite some time ago, but really loved them. (16 films, more movies than episodes)

[sea_changed]

Sharpe sounds really interesting, I'll have to check it out. It seems like Turn should be something I love, but I struggled through most of the first season; I've been informed it'll be worth it to continue, though, so I'm hoping to return to it soon.

[fucktheg0ds]

Someone else who likes Marco Polo! What a fantastic and underrated show, with AMAZING aesthetics. The cliffhanger ending is such a shame.

[dickinsons]

I love Black Sails so much! I've also seen North and South and I loved it. Deadwood sounds so interesting, I definitely need to watch it.

I'd say Downton Abbey, but... For me it got worse in the later seasons, by that point I liked reading the fanfiction better than watching the show. Still, I still remember it fondly and it had some great characters. I also loved the first seasons of Vikings, but I stopped watching shortly before they killed off my favourite character (I'm petty I guess).

[sea_changed]

Black Sails people unite! It's been my main fandom for maybe a year and a half now, I can't let it go.

Oh, Downton Abbey. I also have mixed feelings about it--I do have a fondness for it, but there are so many things about it I dislike as well, from the way they frame Thomas to what they did to Tom to, really, the whole set-up of the show itself. Which makes me sound like I hate it, and yet, I do find it so addictive and enjoyable (and pretty, which is always more of a factor than it should be).

I watched the first season of Vikings and remember enjoying it (such threesome potential!), but I fell off the bandwagon after that.

[fucktheg0ds]

Some historical shows I love or have watched recently. The first two should be on Netflix, not sure about the other two.

Marco Polo, as mentioned above.

Spartacus: This is the show my username comes from! Four seasons (or three full seasons + a prequel mini-series), don't let the first season put you off. Ancient Rome, with gladiators and rebellion. Great costumes, bi and gay representation, POC, some great story lines. Graphic violence and sex, lots of nudity. Every trigger warning you can think of applies. Oh, and Lucy Lawless and John Hannah are in it.

Harlots: About sex workers in 18th century London. Two seasons are out, with a third in production. LGB and POC rep. It's very very very good.

Vanity Fair: Regency England, one season. I watched this recently and it was interesting. The main character has so many negative traits but you can't help liking her.

[sea_changed]

I can't wait to watch Harlots, it's at the top of my list and everything I've heard about it makes it sound wonderful.

And Vanity Fair! It looks so pretty, but I haven't heard much about the specific production. It's definitely on the list, though.

[lettered]

Oh, is this a new Vanity Fair? I'm a huge fan of the 1998 BBC Vanity Fair, but have watched several different versions and am always up for a new one. I love the book.

[sparrowfart]

I've got a friend who's been harassing me to watch Black Sails already. I really need to get myself together and sit down and watch!

Definitely gonna toss The Hour and Deadwood onto the to-watch list now too

[sea_changed]

Excellent—I highly endorse the watching of all of them. I should note that season one of Black Sails is widely agreed upon to be not particularly interesting, but necessary—season two is when it truly gets good.

[lettered]

I love North and South and Deadwood.

I also love Black Sails S2 really, really hard, and like parts of S3, but had trouble staying with it. I was so INTO the idea of Silver's slow arc from self-absorbed ne'er-do-well into epic hero, and they seemed to really jump from one to the other somewhere. Like, I still like him (and Flint, Madi, Jack, Anne, and Max) but I've watched it twice and stopped in the same place both times because I just wished it took more time with it. Oh well.

The Hour sounds great; I'll watch anything with Garai.

[sea_changed]

Those are really interesting Black Sails thoughts--for me, while I'm interested in Silver, he's definitely one of my back-burner characters in terms of emotional priorities, so his arc's continuity is of less import to me. So what I tend to love about s3 and s4 is Madi (Madi!!) and Flint and the whole build-up to their alliance. That said, I've only watched the last two seasons once through, because I stop rewatching every time just before Miranda dies. I have my priorities, and I stick to them to a sometimes-ridiculous degree.

Garai is so utterly lovely; I still have never watched her Emma, which I eagerly look forward to doing someday. The Hour is really wonderful all around, and you just can't go wrong with that cast.

[foreverdawning]

I tried getting into Black Sails earlier, but I forgot about it and didn't have the time. I'm going to try it out again since it's getting such high praises.

My favorites are Poldark which, everyone has a love-hate relationship with.

But there was Juana Ines which is a Netflix original and it was amazing. It's in Spanish, but the whole (mostly true!) story is *muah* perfect.

[fucktheg0ds]

I've seen Juana Ines! That was a cool show.

[thisbluespirit]

I love a lot of historical TV shows! Unfortunately, they're mainly also historical themselves, being from the 70s/80s.

In modern times, I also love North & South (and many other classic lit adaptations), The Hour, Ripper Street, and for candyfloss value (they're both very pretty) Victoria and Downton Abbey.

I also enjoyed HBO's Rome when I finally watched it a couple of years ago.

Otherwise I really do love the old-style BBC stuff that's theatrical and unafraid of being historically accurate or ambiguous and ironic and am hugely fond of:

Enemy at the Door (ITV 1978-80 serial on the occupation of the Channel Islands in WWII)

Duchess of Duke Street (1970s BBC drama with Gemma Jones running an Edwardian hotel)

The House of Eliott (1990s BBC drama about two sisters setting up a fashion house that was on when I was a teen and I still love)

Poldark (1970s version, as I fell grudgingly but badly in love with Robin Ellis and Angharad Rees; I watch the new one but have extremely mixed feelings about some of its decisions, although it wins on the Best Aunt Agatha front at least)

The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth R (landmark BBC Tudor dramas; Eliz R features Glenda Jackson being amazing)

and also The Shadow of the Tower which was technically the BBC prequel to the above, about Henry VII, but is far cheaper, weirder and random, and so is of course my favourite.

Oh, and The Onedin Line, which I watched half of on TV lately (BBC 1970s Shipping line shenanigans, it's great because it's set in Liverpool but filmed somewhere quiet in Devon which also doubles up for everywhere else in the world, but it has a brilliant marriage-of-convenience couple at the centre of the first 2 series).

And more, like WWII dramas, Wish me Luck, Tenko and Manhunt and probably others. Also the BBC Shakespeare.

[sea_changed]

This is such an interesting list, thanks for putting it together—I’ll definitely have to check some of these out. I’ll admit I tend towards newer dramas, so it’s good to be reminded of earlier ones (and watching/reading interpretations of the past from eras that are now the past themselves is always interesting.)

[scripsi]

I’m sure I will forget some, but in no particular order:

Deadwood I’m not a big fan of Westerns, and I find violence hard to stomach, but I love this series anyway. The sets and costumes are stellar, and so is the writing and the acting. It’s one of those shows I return to again and again.

Versailles Intigies in Louis XIV court in the 17th century. I loved the first season, really liked the second, and sadly found the third season dismal. The sets are gorgeous, and so are the costumes. Lots of good acting too.

Jane Eyre The early 1980s adaption with Timothy Dalton and Zelah Clarke. Probably the most faithful adaptation of the book and Dalton and Clarke has lovely chemistry. Nice costumes too, but as usual, when it comes to Jane Eyre it’s set in the 1840s when the book actually takes place 20 years earlier.

The Borgias Gorgeous, gorgeous costumes and Jeremy Irons chews scenery with gusto. My main complaint with this series is that it is one season too short.

Jeeves & Wooster I had read Woodhouse before this early 90s adaption, but Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry are so perfect I now see them when I re-read. And I want to live in Bertie’s flat.

Sherlock Holmes The ultimate, for me, version, with Jeremy Brett as the famous detective.

[sea_changed]

Thanks for this list! And I appreciate that you pointed out the inaccuracies of literally every Jane Eyre adaptation, that bugs me as well. I haven’t yet seen the 1980s film version, though it sounds like I should—my personal favorite adaptation is the early 2000s musical, but I do like the Ruth Wilson/Toby Stephens miniseries as well.

[duskpeterson]

Hurrah! I'm glad this thread was started, since I was late getting onto my laptop.

Here's my contributions (which overlap with some suggestions above, because I wrote this a couple of days ago):

"China Beach" (1988-1991). American drama about the Vietnam War, with lots of women in the cast: nurses, Red Cross workers, entertainers, journalists, career soldiers, you name it. Heartbreaking, humorous, romantic, filled with tons of period music, and quite innovative for its time, with some episodes that had nontraditional storytelling.

"Brideshead Revisited" (1981). Stars Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews; set between the 1920 and the 1940s. A classic about a student at the University of Oxford, his love for another student, and the latter student's dysfunctional family. Catholicism plays an important role in the series; warnings for subtle homophobia. What I love about this adaptation of the Evelyn Waugh novel was that it gave the lie to the old canard that you have to rip a book apart in order to turn it into a show/film. The script kept nearly everything in the novel, including the narrative.

"Flambards" (1979). An excellent adaptation of a young adult novel by K. M. Peyton about an Edwardian girl who ends up living with her tyrannical uncle, her unscrupulous, horse-mad cousin, and her other, airplane-mad cousin. She finds herself drawn to both cousins; then a servant complicates matters. The series extends into World War I. If you watch the series, you'll also want to read Peyton's fourth novel in the series, which was published after the TV series aired, and which proceeds to thumb its nose at the ending of the TV series. (Even though the TV series's ending is the same as Peyton's ending to the third novel.)

"The Waltons" (1972-1981). Inspired by a true story, this is a somewhat romanticized portrayal of the life of a poor family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression. To my mind, the best episodes are in the first season, in which Richard Thomas gives a stunning performance as the oldest boy, who aspires to be a writer. The series lasted long enough for some of the child actors to grow up and portray parents.

"All Creatures Great and Small" (1978-1990). Based on the autobiography of a Yorkshire veterinarian, starting in the 1930s. Christopher Timothy is James Herriot, Robert Hardy is the head of the vet surgery, and Peter Davison (i.e. the Fifth Doctor) is the head's younger brother. This was the show that made Peter Davison's reputation.

"I, Claudius" (1976). Adaptation of the novel by Robert Graves, set in Ancient Rome. Lots of deaths and conspiracies, but with performances that make it worth it to sit through all the trauma. Doctor Who fans: Look out for John Hurt (the War Doctor) in his younger days. He plays Caligula.

"Outlander" (currently on Starz and on DVD). Time travel series in which a World War II nurse ends up in sticky situations in eighteenth-century Scotland and America. An oddly satisfying mixture of period drama, science fiction, romance, adventure, and domestic drama. I've only seen a portion of the first season, but it was amazingly faithful to the novel series by Diana Gabaldon, which I love.

Two adaptations of the Dorothy L. Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey series, one featuring Ian Charmichael (1972-1975) and the other featuring Edward Petheridge (1987). Both were terrific. The series (based on the novels by Dorothy L. Sayers, set in the 1920s and 1930s) featured an English aristocrat detective who can do a deceptively good imitation of being a rich idiot. Romance enters into the later novels, which Petheridge acted out.

"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" (currently running on Amazon). I'll probably end up writing a review of this series, set in 1950s New York City, once I've watched the second season. Till then: Jewish couples. Jewish families. Jewish comedians (male and female). And a leather-clad butch lesbian. What else could you ask for?

o--o--o

Four series produced by the late, great John Hawkesworth:

"Upstairs, Downstairs" (1971-1975). This was the "Downton Abbey" of its time. For four years, viewers on both sides of the Atlantic (including me and my parents) watched with bated breath the changing fortunes of an English family and its servants. The story spanned three decades, so the characters aged considerably.

"The Duchess of Duke Street" (1976-1977). Set in London between 1900 and 1925. A servant gets her life messed up by the rich. She then proceeds to become a businesswoman, in demand with the rich. Inspired by a true story. Doctor Who fans will be interested to see that a girl in the series is played by the actress (Lalla Ward) who also played Time Lady Ramona.

"Danger UXB" (1979). Stars Anthony Andrews. The adventures of a WWII squad whose job it is to defuse unexploded bombs in Britain. "Suspenseful" is an inadequate word for a series premise like this.

"Sherlock Holmes" (1984-1994). The version with Jeremy Brett. If you haven't seen it, and you're a fan of "Sherlock," you should know that Benedict Cumberbatch was inspired by Brett's performance. Nearly all of Conan Doyle's original stories were filmed.

o--o--o

Not to forget comedy:

"Peabody's Improbable History," part of the quirky cartoon satire called "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends" (1959-1964). A scientist dog, along with the boy he has adopted, goes back in time in every episode and . . . Um. As indescribable as a "Simpsons" episode.

o--o--o

* * * * *

Those asterisks are memorials for all the wonderful children's dramas, airing in Britain during the 1970s and 1980s, that got wiped out because nobody bothered to preserve them. I was privileged to see some of them as a teen visiting Britain during those years; I totally lost interest in American children's television after that.

Here's some clips from a couple of series I loved which did survive:

Midnight is a Place, based on Joan Aiken's 19th-century alternate history novel.

(Somewhat off-topic): Raven, a contemporary Arthurian drama.

o--o--o

And finally, a subscription online video service:

BritBox, where you can see a few of the above.

[sea_changed]

Thank you so much for this rec post—most of these I haven’t seen. Some have been on my list for a while, though, such as the Jeremy Brett Holmes and the Peter Wimsey adaptations—I love the books so much I have a slight fear that the adaptations won’t live up to the versions of the characters in my head, but I still do want to see them.

Unfortunately I watched I, Claudius when I was significantly too young for it and was slightly scarred, but I should probably try it again. And I’ve only seen the newer film version of Brideshead Revisited, which despite a stellar cast was really not very good. I have mixed feelings about the book, but I’ve heard from multiple places that the version you mentioned is good, so I’ll have to check it out.

[auroracloud]

I'm mostly using this thread to look up recommendations - for quite a while I didn't watch any TV shows, then I got super into Doctor Who, and er, there's a lot of Doctor Who. I'm not done yet. But it's showed me I do want to watch other TV shows as well, so I'm taking notes here. :-) But I am quite fond of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, a cheerful murder mystery series taking place in 1920s Australia, and making occasional references to events during WWI in Europe (where the heroine was during the war). I do find the time period fascinating, and also, Miss Fisher's wardrobes are to die for, and there are awesome female characters who support one another.

Also in the 1920s vein, I recently started watching a new Spanish series called La otra mirada, I think translated as The Other View, which takes place in 1920s Sevilla in Spain, in a prestigious private girls' school where a new young director wants to change things after taking over the school from her traditionalist mother, and a scandalous new teacher (she even wears trousers!) arriving and basically turning everything upside down, while also being implicated in political intrigue... I've only watched the first couple of episodes, but I'm utterly hooked - I'm really fascinated by boarding school settings, and 1920s Europe is such a delicious time for everything being in turmoil, and it's full of awesome female characters, and it looks utterly gorgeous, and I basically suspect I'm going to watch all of it during the next two or three weeks.

Way, way long back I used to be really into Hornblower. I've also generally enjoyed various BBC miniseries of classics, e.g. Jane Austen's works.

[sea_changed]

I've had Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries on my to-watch list for ages, it looks wonderful and right up my alley. The Spanish series sounds interesting as well--I'm terrible at watching non-English language series, so it's always good to get recs for them.