These TV shows are entertaining AND historically accurate. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Historically Accurate TV Shows.
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00:00 His blessings will be sufficient consolation to me for the contempt of all mankind.
00:04 Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:06 Today, we're counting down our picks for the top 10 historically accurate TV shows.
00:10 This is about honor, about lying and stealing and murdering.
00:16 That's not pertinent to the case.
00:18 Number 10, Boardwalk Empire.
00:21 This popular HBO show is inspired by Nelson Johnson's nonfiction book of the same name.
00:26 The story follows Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, a crime boss in Prohibition-era New Jersey
00:31 who is based on a real historical figure.
00:33 He's corrupt as the day is long.
00:35 And I'm not just talking about a little graft.
00:37 There isn't a single business he doesn't get a piece of.
00:40 Boardwalk Empire creator Terrence Winter hired a team of researchers as he developed the show.
00:44 He even gave the director of the first episode, the famous Martin Scorsese, a note about 1920s etiquette while filming.
00:50 How's Torrio handling the competition?
00:52 We're killing him.
00:55 Everything from the costumes to the characters' eating habits, like Arnold Rothstein drinking milk, was spot on.
01:00 For more authenticity, they rebuilt an unused portion of the old boardwalk in far Rockaway, New York.
01:05 It served as a great mirror for the turn-of-the-century Atlantic City setting.
01:09 Number nine, Downton Abbey.
01:11 Throughout its six seasons, the Downton Abbey writers made sure to consult historical experts.
01:15 The most frequently used consultant was Alastair Bruce, who supervised areas like table etiquette and accents.
01:21 I'd like to respect both sides.
01:23 Well, you don't understand our customs.
01:25 Then again, why should you?
01:26 To get the sets just right, researchers visited almost 40 houses with preserved interiors from the early 20th century.
01:33 The series also incorporated real-life events such as the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918.
01:40 History and tradition took Europe into a world war.
01:44 Maybe you should think about letting go of its hand.
01:47 Of course, any historical reenactment has to take liberties, and the show was criticized for a few major points.
01:53 One historian couldn't watch the show because the relationships between the servants and the employers was far too intimate.
01:58 Overall, however, most viewers and experts found the accurate details to outweigh the creative liberties.
02:03 Number eight, Chernobyl.
02:05 Chronicling the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident, the series drew inspiration from the book Voices from Chernobyl, which collected stories from locals who lived through it.
02:21 The production design was praised for accuracy down to details like using actual Kiev license plate numbers, clothing, props and lighting.
02:27 While they took a few creative liberties with the progression of events, there were also many accurate aspects.
02:32 For example, a fireman really did pick up a piece of graphite from the core of the nuclear reactor.
02:37 Chief Sergeant Vassily Ignatenko was also actually buried in a zinc coffin.
02:41 Number seven, The Crown.
02:50 Robert Lacey, the historical consultant for Netflix's well-loved series about Queen Elizabeth II, has been open about The Crown's need to not just be a documentary,
02:59 but the amount of historical accuracy might convince you that you're watching a complete recreation of events.
03:04 Age is rarely kind to anyone.
03:06 Nothing one can do about it.
03:08 One just has to get on with it.
03:10 Production designer Martin Childs had several interior rooms built according to historical floor plans.
03:16 Additionally, he refused to allow more than one third of any given scene to be computer generated.
03:20 Real photographs, letters and videos were also used to further the authentic feel of the series.
03:25 It's certainly true that private conversations had to be made up from scratch.
03:29 However, the writers definitely captured the truth of the emotions around events like the 1966 Aberfan mining disaster in season three.
03:46 Number six, The Nick.
03:47 Set in early 1900s New York City, The Nick follows Dr. John Thackeray, an innovative surgeon with a dependency on multiple substances.
03:55 He's based on Dr. William Stuart Halstead, who performed the first emergency blood transfusion in the US and revolutionized surgery.
04:02 The real life man also lived with addictive behaviors.
04:05 All of the racism in the medical industry is accurately depicted in the series, especially with the opposition to integrating hospitals.
04:12 To be frank, Dr. Redwoods, I only agree to this meeting as a courtesy to Miss Robertson, but I am certainly not interested in an integrated hospital staff.
04:21 The series also shows graphic surgeries with period appropriate tools and methods.
04:25 These scenes remind viewers that what are now everyday procedures were once brand new and dangerous.
04:30 We can all be grateful for how far medicine has come.
04:33 If we did decide to go with your plan, how would you go about finding this addiction cure?
04:43 I have no idea.
04:44 Number five, Deadwood.
04:45 Including both fictional characters and historical figures, this HBO series created a lifelike atmosphere for 1870 South Dakota that impressed fans and critics alike.
04:55 Deadwood tracks the development of a gold rush camp to its establishment as a full fledged town.
04:59 Are you sure we can't tempt you?
05:01 I'm sure.
05:06 In addition to drawing from real people for character fodder, true events were also depicted in 1876.
05:11 There really was a smallpox outbreak.
05:13 Clay is it smallpox would land in my joint.
05:18 Yours wasn't the first.
05:20 The first season's depiction of a family of Dutch settlers being murdered was another tragic yet correct detail.
05:25 Outside of capturing real events, sets were built to look like real stores, saloons and theaters as well.
05:30 Even the prices of drinks were period appropriate.
05:33 Change ain't looking for friends.
05:34 Change calls the tune we dance to.
05:37 Number four, Hatfields and McCoys.
05:39 The team behind Hatfields and McCoys hired historians and educators to help accurately show the history of the Appalachian family's feud.
05:46 Reference photographs from the late 1800s were used to help create costumes and weapons.
05:51 Kevin Costner, who played Devil Anse Hatfield, worked with a dialect coach to get his accent right.
05:55 Well, I'm back now.
05:57 And so are you.
05:59 I ain't gonna be no problem.
06:00 Good.
06:02 Then you'll understand when I tell you to get these bodies off the road somewhere no one ever finds them.
06:06 The timing and details of events admittedly had to be condensed for this three part event.
06:10 However, much of what they did include really happened.
06:13 A court case in 1878 did revolve around a pig.
06:16 The Hatfields also opened fire on sleeping members of the McCoy family during the New Year's massacre.
06:21 The McCoy family was also killed in the 1870s.
06:24 The Hatfields also opened fire on sleeping members of the McCoy family during the New Year's massacre.
06:29 And after tension started boiling, the United States Supreme Court got involved with the feud in 1888.
06:34 War Hatfield, life in prison.
06:38 Selkirk McCoy, life in prison.
06:44 Number three, Mad Men.
06:46 Over its seven seasons, Mad Men consistently won praise for its entertainment value and for its ability to capture the past.
06:52 While Don Draper and other characters were not based on real people, the atmosphere of the show certainly felt authentic.
06:58 Workers from the 1960s advertising industry applauded the show's refusal to dial down the drinking, smoking and bigotry.
07:04 Additionally, true historical events like the Kennedy assassination and Cold War tensions affected the story during its run.
07:10 They were even able to find an authentic Xerox copier from 1959.
07:14 This is a delicate piece of machinery.
07:17 You don't just shove paper in it.
07:18 You don't bang on the buttons.
07:20 You don't sit on the glass.
07:22 Creator Matthew Weiner wanted such precise accuracy on set that he even wouldn't allow fruits to look too large or flawless.
07:28 Why? Because GMOs and growth hormones weren't yet widespread during Mad Men's era.
07:33 What is wrong with you?
07:35 Number two, Band of Brothers.
07:42 Based on Stephen E. Ambrose's nonfiction book of the same name, this HBO miniseries tracks the Easy Company of U.S. troops throughout World War II.
07:50 Many quotes in the show came directly from the unpublished diary of David Kenyon Webster, a soldier from the Easy Company.
07:56 Each episode featured a video interview with a real veteran at the beginning.
08:00 We came from the sky. We hit. And in any direction you went, there would be enemy. You knew it.
08:08 The main characters were based on these soldiers. In fact, the actors spoke with the real veterans to develop their characters.
08:14 Performers also had to go through a 10-day military boot camp and parachute training before filming.
08:19 Additionally, costume designers took care to recreate uniforms down to the coded symbols on helmets.
08:24 Hey, even First Sergeant Lipton over there. He got a couple of pieces of a tank shell burst in Carinthian.
08:30 For added authenticity, much of the scenery was filmed on location throughout Europe.
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08:50 Number one, John Adams.
08:53 Historian David McCullough won the Pulitzer Prize for his biography of U.S. founding father John Adams.
08:58 So it makes sense that the TV miniseries adaptation would be historically accurate.
09:03 The team strived so much for the truth that some reviewers said the show was bogged down by too many facts and details.
09:09 I see. Behind his men. I will ask the jury to take note of that.
09:17 Real events, including the Boston Massacre in 1770 and the troubled meetings of the two continental congresses played key roles in the show.
09:24 But the program didn't forget about the background details.
09:27 John Adams depicts unsanitary conditions with food waste in the streets and hygienic issues.
09:32 From the top to the bottom, John Adams really went the extra mile to immerse viewers in the early days of the United States.
09:38 We must be prepared for war. But I am duty bound to try for peace.
09:44 What show made history feel the most exciting? Let us know in the comments.
09:48 What's the difference? You want to be a gangster, kid? Go be a gangster.
09:51 But if you want to be a gangster in my town, then you'll pay me for the privilege.
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10:03 [Music]