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Historical Events that are Worthy of Epic TV Shows


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So, Game of Thrones has redefined what TV can do, and do profitably. Folks seem to enjoy historic epics, even if they are based on a loose fictionalization and fanaticization of history while still retaining elements of history.

So what stories are broad enough in scale to do the same, but still keep an eye towards telling a somewhat accurate Hollywood version of events?

1. For it's raw number of storylines, the Mexican Revolution. You could pretty much stick to established history here and weave a pretty awesome story with conflicting and shifting emotions about who is right and who is wrong. Plus it's something hollywood hasn't really attempted before as far as I am aware beyond And Pancho Villa Starring as Himself. Hollywood is also in an area chocked full of hispanic people who routinely get ignored for content like this.

2. Pirates. I'm guilty of watching the Netflix show right now, but this stuff just seems ripe for a proper historical drama.

3. The Comstock Lode. This one is a bit more of a stretch, but the history of the Comstock Lode is pretty interesting, and it would provide a great backdrop to a sweeping epic series. Comstock Lode is also one of my favorite Louis Lamour novels. Regardless, it gives you a nice western backdrop to produce a series with the business dealings in the silver mines. Deadwood did this to an extent, but it was more focused on characters and the fortunes of the Comstock where much more significant. And who doesn't love a well done western series that isn't just about shooting up the bad guys? 

Edited by NotActuallyALonghorn
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8 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

I would like somebody to do a proper series on the Sackett family.  Go back to Barnabas.   Sam Elliott was perfect as Tell Sackett.  
/end derail

This right here. I read my first LL book while in the 6th grade. At one point I had read all of his books but then they started to find other writings and I lost track.

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I'd like to see a History Channel series kind of like "The Men Who Built America" about The Renaissance (art, architecture, philosophy, etc).  Or model it after "Turn", which was a pretty damn good series that remained modestly historically correct and was pretty damn entertaining.  

 

- Perhaps a show based on the the late 1800's early 1900's Mexican and European immigration waves.  You take a historical backdrop and weave storylines into it of specific families from different places and how they moved to and engrained themselves into America over time.  

-Louisiana Purchase

-The Westward expansion of Islam into Northern Africa and the Gold Coast/Ivory Coast and it's interactions with African tribal religions, Christians, etc.  Just think it would make for an interesting historical introspective.  

 

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23 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

 

- Perhaps a show based on the the late 1800's early 1900's Mexican and European immigration waves.  You take a historical backdrop and weave storylines into it of specific families from different places and how they moved to and engrained themselves into America over time.  

 

Don't ask me what it was called, but I do remember reading a book in elementary school about a family immigrating to Texas from Germany in the 1800s and always thought it was make a great series - the general topic seemed fascinating for a series. 

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2 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Don't ask me what it was called, but I do remember reading a book in elementary school about a family immigrating to Texas from Germany in the 1800s and always thought it was make a great series - the general topic seemed fascinating for a series. 

My idea for it would be each season is focused on a new 'family' (they don't have to even be real, actual families as there is an enormous amount of family stories that could be gathered to create a representation of it.  

Say the first season is about a family kind of like the one you mention.  Maybe at the beginning of that season, they meet a Mexican immigrant casually, and that German immigrant has a flashback which rolls into that season's story.  The next season is the Mexican immigrant's story with a flashback.  

 

Or you have an Irish and Italian immigrant on a ship out of London.  They see each other on the boat several times during the trip over and being herded through the Ellis Island Immigration Center, and you have a season flashing back and forth of the two different families and their plight.  

 

Just would make an interesting story about how this country grew, and grew so quickly, and so differently in the various geographic regions.  

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Salem Witch Trials (not the Hollywood version, but a more true to accurate telling).

I think some sort of multi-part mini series a la North and South (the 1980s version with Patrick Swayze) about NYC from founding to Industrial Revolution, perhaps following the Astors (to maybe JJA IV's death on the Titanic) would be interesting.  The Astors would be the rich family that would need to be rooted in history, but you could include fictional characters of other socioeconomic standings to bring all the drama and excitement. 

I would really like to see some sort of mini-series about Hercules Mulligan and his activities during the Revolutionary War.

Other folks I think would make fascinating television series/movies:

The Dumas family (Pere's father, Pere and Fils)

Coco Chanel, the 1920s and 30's,  and her activities during WWII - There are already a number of movies, but her WWII time is pretty much ignored 

Marchesa Casati (She would walk her pet cheetahs on diamond encrusted leashes wearing nothing but a fur coat in Venice and Paris)

Battle at Versailles (1973) - Its a US vs. France fashion face-off

Alexander McQueen (there has been a rumored movie stuck in development hell - his story is really, really interesting and should be told)

Widow Cliquot (i.e. Veuve Cliquot).  She was an absolute force.  Her story would be fasinating.

A mini-series about Eleanor of Acquitane.  From her childhood to her revolts, and deaths.  She was an amazing woman.  Would be fastinating given her life.

 

 

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25 minutes ago, Cheeseweasel said:

Thomas Costain's book series brought to film. IN!!!

i've not read his, only read dan jones's.  have you read that one?  wonder how they compare.  the dan jones one was really easy reading.  

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Tom Hanks did Saving Private Ryan and followed it with the Band of Brothers series.

Then he did Apollo 13 and followed it with the From the Earth to the Moon series.

With the 250th anniversary of 1776 coming up,  I would like him to do a movie about the Declaration and then a series about the Revolutionary Period.

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if someone could pull off an adaptation of tuchman's guns of august in a 6-8 episode chernobyl like series, that would probably be pretty awesome.

a short miniseries about how ferrucio lamborghini decided to make cars after enzo ferrari snubbed him could be entertaining.

the story of the meeting between francisco pizarro and the incas in 1532, and the kidnap/slaughter that ensued.  kind of the ultimate version of the red wedding.

a well done retelling of the beatles from 1968 - 1970 that was well acted and had blake lively playing patty boyd and being naked all the time could be worth a watch.

a lead up to the battle of tours-poitiers from the perspective of charles martel.

battle of hastings/norman conquest.  arguably one of the most important moments in human history. 

terrence malick directs a 8 hour recounting of darwin's travels.

an actual solid miniseries on the lead up to october 1929.

muhammed leads the hejira from mecca to medina, and the next ten years with the creation of the quaran.

miniseries covering from napoleon's escape from elba all the way to his exile to st. helena.

inside the kremlin from 1989 to 1991.

the long march.

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22 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

i've not read his, only read dan jones's.  have you read that one?  wonder how they compare.  the dan jones one was really easy reading.  

I haven't read Dan Jones' but Costain's is the Bible for Plantagenet history. Fantastic reading and I would highly recommend it. 

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12 minutes ago, sidis said:

if someone could pull off an adaptation of tuchman's guns of august in a 6-8 episode chernobyl like series, that would probably be pretty awesome.

a short miniseries about how ferrucio lamborghini decided to make cars after enzo ferrari snubbed him could be entertaining.

the story of the meeting between francisco pizarro and the incas in 1532, and the kidnap/slaughter that ensued.  kind of the ultimate version of the red wedding.

a well done retelling of the beatles from 1968 - 1970 that was well acted and had blake lively playing patty boyd and being naked all the time could be worth a watch.

a lead up to the battle of tours-poitiers from the perspective of charles martel.

battle of hastings/norman conquest.  arguably one of the most important moments in human history. 

terrence malick directs a 8 hour recounting of darwin's travels.

an actual solid miniseries on the lead up to october 1929.

muhammed leads the hejira from mecca to medina, and the next ten years with the creation of the quaran.

miniseries covering from napoleon's escape from elba all the way to his exile to st. helena.

inside the kremlin from 1989 to 1991.

the long march.

I'd watch all that shit

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5 hours ago, mininghorn88 said:

This right here. I read my first LL book while in the 6th grade. At one point I had read all of his books but then they started to find other writings and I lost track.

He had 7-8 other books planned for the Sacketts - the one based on Echo Sackett was the first of a planned batch where he was going to flesh out various periods with the Sacketts that he hadn't really touched - the Revolution, War of 1812, Tell's Civil War service, Tell and Orrin's dad's experience as a mountain man, etc.  He planned to basically tell the family's history from the 1600s up through 1900 or so.

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3 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

I think some sort of multi-part mini series a la North and South (the 1980s version with Patrick Swayze) about NYC from founding to Industrial Revolution, perhaps following the Astors (to maybe JJA IV's death on the Titanic) would be interesting.  The Astors would be the rich family that would need to be rooted in history, but you could include fictional characters of other socioeconomic standings to bring all the drama and excitement. 

There were some amazing mini-series during the 80s that were telling stories about large historical events, with fantastic casts.

North and South, Shogun, Winds of War (Robert Mitchum was born for that series), The Thornbirds, V, Lonesome Dove, War and Remembrance.

Haven't seen North and South since the 80s, but remember the scene in the woods where the wounded soldiers were burning up.

They may have played loose with historical events, and we've certain seen better production values, but they provided a nice blueprint for how to do historical series, and keep the viewers watching.

 

 

Edited by atomheartbevo
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The one 1970s/1980s mini-series that stands out to me, and that was decades ahead of its time, was Centennial, the most expensive TV show of the 70s.  Unfortunately, even though it was filmed with 35mm (I believe), I've only ever seen it released on DVD.  Saw it at a Walmart of all places a few weeks ago, but it is (or was) on Starz if you have a subscription.

Almost 24 hours, so while it's a "mini-series" according to some, it's basically an entire TV season from back then.

Started in the 1700s, went through the 1970s, cast was amazing.  Would love to see a historical drama with such a large/well-known cast.

  • William Atherton
  • Raymond Burr
  • Barbara Carrera (gorgeous as usual)
  • Richard Chamberlain
  • Robert Conrad (stole all of his scenes)
  • Richard Crenna
  • Timothy Dalton
  • Cliff De Young
  • Chad Everett
  • Sharon Gless
  • Andy Griffith
  • Merle Fuckin' Haggard
  • Mark Harmon
  • Gregory Harrison
  • David Janssen
  • Alex Karras (very underrated actor after leaving the NFL)
  • Brian Keth
  • Sally Kellerman
  • Morgan Paull
  • Donald Pleasance
  • Cristina Raines (also gorgeous)
  • Lynn Redgrave (gorgeous)
  • Pernell Roberts
  • Clint Walker
  • Dennis Weaver
  • Robert Vaughn
  • Anthony Zerbe
  • Stephanie Zimbalist (also gorgeous)
Spoiler

81L1A2fAr4L._RI_.jpg

 

Edited by atomheartbevo
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Would like to see somebody run with the Master and Commander books - there's like 20 of them.

Would like to see a modern take on Jamestown, now that a lot more is known, and more importantly, better production values.

Would love to see a solid series based around the War of 1812.  AMC and others have done some series focused on the Revolution, they need to move on to 1812.

Would love to see a solid series set in the 1830s and 1840s in and around Texas and Mexico, and the various major battles/wars.

Kind of want to see a modern take on Custer's Last Stand, as we have a pretty good picture these days on how everything went down, based on archaeology, historians pulling together all of the eyewitness accounts, etc.  

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1 hour ago, BornOrange said:

Tom Hanks did Saving Private Ryan and followed it with the Band of Brothers series.

Then he did Apollo 13 and followed it with the From the Earth to the Moon series.

With the 250th anniversary of 1776 coming up,  I would like him to do a movie about the Declaration and then a series about the Revolutionary Period.

Hanks, Spielberg, Howard are ramping up work on their series about the 8th Air Force over Germany, "Masters of Air", now that Apple threw $250 million their way.  Band of Brothers writer, etc. are behind it.

 

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The creation of the mormon church and the march to utah. I don't know how you would do it without things getting too absurd. 
Lewis and Clark 
Theres already a South Park episode for this.
So, Game of Thrones has redefined what TV can do, and do profitably. Folks seem to enjoy historic epics, even if they are based on a loose fictionalization and fanaticization of history while still retaining elements of history.
So what stories are broad enough in scale to do the same, but still keep an eye towards telling a somewhat accurate Hollywood version of events?
1. For it's raw number of storylines, the Mexican Revolution. You could pretty much stick to established history here and weave a pretty awesome story with conflicting and shifting emotions about who is right and who is wrong. Plus it's something hollywood hasn't really attempted before as far as I am aware beyond And Pancho Villa Starring as Himself. Hollywood is also in an area chocked full of hispanic people who routinely get ignored for content like this.
2. Pirates. I'm guilty of watching the Netflix show right now, but this stuff just seems ripe for a proper historical drama.
3. The Comstock Lode. This one is a bit more of a stretch, but the history of the Comstock Lode is pretty interesting, and it would provide a great backdrop to a sweeping epic series. Comstock Lode is also one of my favorite Louis Lamour novels. Regardless, it gives you a nice western backdrop to produce a series with the business dealings in the silver mines. Deadwood did this to an extent, but it was more focused on characters and the fortunes of the Comstock where much more significant. And who doesn't love a well done western series that isn't just about shooting up the bad guys? 

I would like somebody to do a proper series on the Sackett family.  Go back to Barnabas.   Sam Elliott was perfect as Tell Sackett.  
/end derail

This right here. I read my first LL book while in the 6th grade. At one point I had read all of his books but then they started to find other writings and I lost track.

He had 7-8 other books planned for the Sacketts - the one based on Echo Sackett was the first of a planned batch where he was going to flesh out various periods with the Sacketts that he hadn't really touched - the Revolution, War of 1812, Tell's Civil War service, Tell and Orrin's dad's experience as a mountain man, etc.  He planned to basically tell the family's history from the 1600s up through 1900 or so.

I enjoy Lamours work. I’ve read a quite a few of them countless times. Comstock load is good. I agree that I wish someone had made an entire series of them. I wish he had an opportunity to do what you are talking about with the entire family.
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1 hour ago, gsoda3 said:

i've not read his, only read dan jones's.  have you read that one?  wonder how they compare.  the dan jones one was really easy reading.  

Dan Jones series on the Plantagenets and the War of the Roses is fascinating. It’s available on YouTube. Really gave me an understanding of how politics and maneuvering worked in medieval times. His Tales of British Castles series is available on Netflix and is another great series. 

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1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

The one 1970s/1980s mini-series that stands out to me, and that was decades ahead of its time, was Centennial, the most expensive TV show of the 70s.  Unfortunately, even though it was filmed with 35mm (I believe), I've only ever seen it released on DVD.  Saw it at a Walmart of all places a few weeks ago, but it is (or was) on Starz if you have a subscription.

Almost 24 hours, so while it's a "mini-series" according to some, it's basically an entire TV season from back then.

Started in the 1700s, went through the 1970s, cast was amazing.  Would love to see a historical drama with such a large/well-known cast.

  • William Atherton
  • Raymond Burr
  • Barbara Carrera (gorgeous as usual)
  • Richard Chamberlain
  • Robert Conrad (stole all of his scenes)
  • Richard Crenna
  • Timothy Dalton
  • Cliff De Young
  • Chad Everett
  • Sharon Gless
  • Andy Griffith
  • Merle Fuckin' Haggard
  • Mark Harmon
  • Gregory Harrison
  • David Janssen
  • Alex Karras (very underrated actor after leaving the NFL)
  • Brian Keth
  • Sally Kellerman
  • Morgan Paull
  • Donald Pleasance
  • Cristina Raines (also gorgeous)
  • Lynn Redgrave (gorgeous)
  • Pernell Roberts
  • Clint Walker
  • Dennis Weaver
  • Robert Vaughn
  • Anthony Zerbe
  • Stephanie Zimbalist (also gorgeous)
  Hide contents

81L1A2fAr4L._RI_.jpg

 

I have always been fascinated with the “West” and the westward expansion, exploration, etc. I remember watching this when it first came out as a kid. Have not seen it since.

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18 minutes ago, mininghorn88 said:

I have always been fascinated with the “West” and the westward expansion, exploration, etc. I remember watching this when it first came out as a kid. Have not seen it since.

I think it's held up, and everything was done with practical camera work instead of CGI, etc., so while it's somewhat got that "made for TV look", it's still interesting to me, and I picked up on a lot of things that I didn't as a kid.

I think it's worth the $20 or so at Amazon or Walmart, or get a 7-day trial through Starz and binge-watch it but over 20 hours is hard to binge watch in that short amount of time.  Odd thing to me - at Walmart, it was in one of the movie kiosks at the front near the checkout lanes, and was next to Band of Brothers and other TV series.

Given how popular it was in the 1980s (TBS or WGN or whoever ran it every year it seemed like on cable), there's probably more than a few people in their 40s and up that saw it in Walmart here in 2021, and were like "holy shit, I remember that!"

I think Michener, and the TV series folks, did a good job of explaining westward expansion and exploration.  They managed to nail down the various waves of people, from the early explorers and fur trappers (French and Scots), to the money men (German and English), to the younger folks that actually made it happen (everything from Quakers to Germans, Poles, Irish, Chinese, Mexicans, etc.).  If I recall, it wasn't too far off as far as matching up to things like the potato famine in Ireland, unrest in Europe, the Chinese coming in after the railroads were built, etc.

The trail drive from Texas with Dennis Weaver was awesome as well.

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1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

I think it's held up, and everything was done with practical camera work instead of CGI, etc., so while it's somewhat got that "made for TV look", it's still interesting to me, and I picked up on a lot of things that I didn't as a kid.

I think it's worth the $20 or so at Amazon or Walmart, or get a 7-day trial through Starz and binge-watch it but over 20 hours is hard to binge watch in that short amount of time.  Odd thing to me - at Walmart, it was in one of the movie kiosks at the front near the checkout lanes, and was next to Band of Brothers and other TV series.

Given how popular it was in the 1980s (TBS or WGN or whoever ran it every year it seemed like on cable), there's probably more than a few people in their 40s and up that saw it in Walmart here in 2021, and were like "holy shit, I remember that!"

I think Michener, and the TV series folks, did a good job of explaining westward expansion and exploration.  They managed to nail down the various waves of people, from the early explorers and fur trappers (French and Scots), to the money men (German and English), to the younger folks that actually made it happen (everything from Quakers to Germans, Poles, Irish, Chinese, Mexicans, etc.).  If I recall, it wasn't too far off as far as matching up to things like the potato famine in Ireland, unrest in Europe, the Chinese coming in after the railroads were built, etc.

The trail drive from Texas with Dennis Weaver was awesome as well.

Will have to pick up the DVD and add it to my "to watch" list.  I am sure that I will pick up a lot more things as well since I was 12 when it came out the first time.  have not seen it since.

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1 hour ago, mininghorn88 said:

Will have to pick up the DVD and add it to my "to watch" list.  I am sure that I will pick up a lot more things as well since I was 12 when it came out the first time.  have not seen it since.

I picked up more historical stuff here and there - comprehending the gravity and timeline of certain events.  Also, I appreciate some of the actors a lot more.  And my parents didn't let me watch certain parts. A lot of characters in the series/novel were based on real people.

But mainly, I just like that they spent a lot of time following a group of characters and their descendants and then a specific location from the 1700s through the 1970s.

I would love to see some of Michener's other novels given such a massive treatment - he did a fantastic job of weaving historical

I don't like that they took Michener's 1,000+ page Texas novel and reduced it to a 180-minute movie.

Mich_texas_1st_ed.jpg

 

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8 hours ago, Mortimer said:

For all their next-level actors, musicians, military history, and storytellers, I find it surprizing that we have not seen an epic Battle of Trafalgar series from the Brits. The ending writes itself. Oct 21 1805.



d18da913bac128776e158e9b113cbe9b.jpg
 

agreed.  i toured the victory a few years ago.  it's a pretty cool naval museum they have there in portsmouth.  unfortunately henry 8's mary rose was undergoing renovation so i missed that one.

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On 3/23/2021 at 9:55 AM, SwanderedTalent said:

we sort of know how it ended, but Custer's Last Stand is fascinating

One of my favorite utterances of fuck ever.   [Custer]Where the fuck did all these Indians come from[/Custer]

 

I think the naval war in the Pacific from WWII would be awesome.   Instead of trying to cram something like Pearl Harbor or Midway into 2 hour movie, do it over an entire season.   Leyte Gulf with Halsey going off on his wild goose chase and the destroyer escorts and jeep carriers holding the line.   Hell, even the earlier debacles for the British, Dutch, Australians and US are interesting.   How many people know the Japanese hit Ceylon (Sri Lanka) with an air raid in 1942?

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4 hours ago, F250 said:

The life of Charles Goodnight would be fascinating.

 

51e12ZNkT4L._AC_SY780_.jpg

I’ve got some bad news for you. 
 

Even when McMurtry was writing novels set in Los Angeles or Las Vegas or Washington, D.C., Texans were always a part of the narrative. He wrote of a former rodeo cowboy who became a womanizing antiques dealer (Cadillac Jack) and an erstwhile University of Texas football player who later became a Hollywood striver (Somebody’s Darling). Just before he fell ill, he was working on two more Texas-based stories—one a western based on the life of the cattleman Charles Goodnight, and the other a modern-day novel of manners about a Fort Worth socialite. (He never published them.) For all of the acerbic criticism of mundane Texas life and literature that marked his essays, the man loved Texans, big and small. 

 

https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/larry-mcmurtry-death/amp/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Web Social&utm_content=LarryMcMurtryObit&__twitter_impression=true

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sidis beat me too it ... I think the story of how The Great War started (The Guns of August) that explored the background of the connections among Queen Victoria's grandsons as well as the negligence that led to the conflict, which defined the world today. The events leading up the the war through Versailles would be great television theater.

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On 3/23/2021 at 3:05 PM, Bender Bending Rodriguez said:

Dan Jones series on the Plantagenets and the War of the Roses is fascinating. It’s available on YouTube. Really gave me an understanding of how politics and maneuvering worked in medieval times. His Tales of British Castles series is available on Netflix and is another great series. 

Thank you. Going to watch this. Agreed on WOTR and an excellent choice.

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