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historium2018-12-18 01:42 pm
sea_changed) wrote in historium2018-12-18 01:42 pm
Entry tags:
favorite historical tv shows
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.
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.
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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.
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