by guest blogger Samantha Gray
While history books will tell you the
accurate version of what happened in the past, sometimes it's more fun to
"indulge" in a fictional "historical" series or two to help
you get a more "entertaining" version of how our society was formed.
While the shows listed below by no means should be used as historical evidence
in your next term paper, they can make your study breaks that much more
enjoyable.
Game
of Thrones
Based off of the number one selling
American quasi-medieval series A Song of
Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, Game
of Thrones is HBO's newest number one hit show. In fact, Game of Thrones even won an Emmy for its
debut season. Shot mostly on the hills of Northern Ireland, "Game of
Thrones" is an intense fantasy drama that showcases the rivalries of seven
Nobel families fighting over the mythical kingdom of Westeros—a land where
winters last for decades.
The show stars: Sean Bean, Peter
Dinklage, Lena Headey and Maisie Williams.
Unfortunately if you do not have a
subscription to HBO it may be hard to access since the show isn't available on
Hulu or Netflix yet, but season one is available for purchase on iTunes.
Downton
Abbey
Loosely modeled after the 1970's UK
television series Upstairs, Downstairs,
Downton Abbey is a British television
series based shortly before World War I. It showcases the interaction of two
different social classes residing in the same estate (Abbey): the royals and
servants. It made a huge splash when it
premiered in 2010 on PBS. Currently it's nominated for 16 Emmy
nominations.
The show stars: Maggie Smith, Elizabeth
McGovern, Dan Stevens and Hug Bonneville.
Producers are currently in the works of
creating season 3 which will premiere January 6, 2013. But until then, viewers
can play catch up and watch previous seasons on Netflix, HuluPlus, or iTunes.
The
Borgias
Last but not least is The Borgias-- a fictional historical
drama based during the Renaissance era that follows the Borgia family ( an
Italian dynasty of Catalan origin) as it
tries to keep its new found power within the Roman Catholic Church in
tact. The characters use briery and
deceit to subdue enemies.
The show stars: Jeremey Irons, Francois
Arnaud, Holly Grainger and Lotte Verbeek
It's important to note that The Borgias is an American take on Borgia: Faith and Fear—a French/German
produced series that tells the same story. Some critics say it's superior to
its American counterpart.
The American series can be watched on
Showtime. Producers are in the midst of working on a third season. In the
meantime, previous seasons (both American and European) can be viewed on
Netflix.
Other series that are currently not on
television but should be considered watching online is: The Tudors and Spartacus: God
of the Arena.
Samantha Gray freelances for various
websites and publications, and her writing often focuses on providing
information about obtaining an online bachelor degree. She
also enjoys writing poetry and short fiction as well as loves to dig into a
historical narrative or two. She welcomes your samanthagray024@gmail.com
2 comments:
the second season of the Borgias is much better than the first one! you can read my review for alle the episodes here:
http://firstimpressions86.blogspot.it/2012/07/borgias-complete-season-2.html
this is true "the tudors" are a show to be watched especially for the politic and religious side, it helped me to remember the chronology and features for my degree.
"game of the thrones" and the others are also helpful , the settings, the clothes, the chronlogy( upstairs&downstiars etc..) it is really well done
the only one I never tried is "borgias" I'm quite reclutant.
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