10 'masterpiece' period dramas ranked by historical accuracy are 'greatest of all time'
There are plenty of period dramas that have impressed audiences for their historical accuracy.
Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II and Matt Smith as Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in the Netflix hit The Crown.
(Image: Netflix)The one ingredient that often makes for a binge-worthy television series or a five-star movie choice usually includes a historical element. From centuries past to modern world events, a surefire way to captivate your audience is to draw on the past. Whether it be the scandalous affairs of the Royal Family dating back to the 16th-century Tudors or covering the battlefields from the First and Second World Wars, TV and film lovers can not get enough.
Some period dramas have been successful at impressing their audiences with historical accuracy, from the production to the portrayal of the event. Express.co.uk has compiled the top 10 period dramas, based on accuracy, with insights from historians and Rotten Tomatoes scores.
10. Boardwalk Empire
Boardwalk Empire is a gritty crime drama set in the Prohibition era of the 1920s and 1930s. The show follows Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson (played by Steve Buscemi), a growing political figure in Atlantic City, New Jersey, who plays both sides of the law in his quest for absolute power.
History: Prohibition was the period from 1920 to 1933 when the US federal government banned the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. The goal was to improve public health but instead led to a rise in organised crime and illegal speakeasies.
Accuracy: The HBO series is a heavily fictionalised period drama that blends real people and events into the narrative. The show accurately places the Prohibition era in Atlantic City with real events and figures woven into the plot. Also, the character Nucky Thompson from Boardwalk Empire is based on the real-life Atlantic City politician Enoch L. Johnson. He was a powerful political boss who controlled the area and his luxury lifestyle is accurately portrayed. However, the show portrayed him as flouting the law and taking bribes but historians have noted the real Johnson was more charming and less menacing than his fictional counterpart, according to History News Network.
Rating: Fans have praised the series as the "best TV show ever" and it has received a Rotten Tomatoes score of 98%. It was released in 2010 and concluded in 2014. Boardwalk Empire is available to watch on Sky Atlantic.
(Image: HBO/Sky Atlantic)
9. The Crown - Queen Elizabeth II
The first season of the Crown is a Netflix historical drama that chronicles the reign of Queen Elizabeth II's early years on the throne, to her marriage in 1947 and the challenges she faced. Set across ten episodes, the show explored events ranging from the wedding of Elizabeth (played by Claire Foy) to Philip Mountbatten (Matt Smith) in 1947, to the final days of Winston Churchill’s (John Lithgow) premiership and the growing tensions over the Suez Canal.
History: Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on June 2, 1953 with a coronation ceremony taking place a year after she ascended to the throne following the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952. The Queen and her husband Prince Philip embark on a world tour and Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister.
Accuracy: The Crown season one is a mixture of historically accurate events but includes fictionalised dialogue of private moments for dramatic effect. The major plot follows Queen Elizabeth's ascension to the throne, Winston Churchill's resignation, and Princess Margaret's relationship with Peter Townsend are rooted in fact, but conversations are dramatised for storytelling purposes. The first season is considered the most accurate out of the six series released.
Robert Lacey, consultant historian to the series, explained writer Peter Morgan’s process when dramatising real historical events: “There’s a whole research team of ten working full time on the series so that every single episode can be based on solid history. Peter takes his inspiration from that, then checks the scripts with people like me, as well as with the people who were actually involved in the real events – the best sources of all.”
Rating: The show has been hailed the "best of Netflix" with a solid score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Crown premiered in November 2016 and concluded in 2023. You can catch all six seasons on Netflix.
(Image: Netflix)
8. Rome
Rome is a historical drama about the tumultuous final years of the Roman Republic and its transformation into the Roman Empire. It follows two fictional soldiers, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, whose lives become intertwined with real-life historical figures including Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Octavian.
History: On March 15th, 44 BC, one of the most famous assassinations in history took place. A general who rose to become a dictator in Rome, Julius Caesar was stabbed to death on the floor of the Senate. More than 60 people participated in the act itself, and the plot to kill him had been brewing for days. The immediate aftermath saw the rise of Augustus otherwise known as Octavian, the first true emperor of Rome.
Accuracy: In the HBO series many timelines collapse and characters reinvented for dramatic purposes much of Rome is fictionalised but includes major historical events. Reviewers have concluded that by playing around with historical facts suggested "fiction helped the story flow enough" to "feel at Rome during Caesar's day" with many applauding the scenes surrounding the assassination of Caesar as relatively accurate.
Rating: Audiences have raved that this is "quite possibly the best TV series ever created" with a solid score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. Rome first aired on HBO in 2005 until 2007.
(Image: HBO/BBC)
7. The Queen
The Queen (2006) is a biographical drama that chronicles the monarch's response to a royal tragedy. In the wake of Princess Diana's death, the very private and tradition-bound Queen Elizabeth II (played by Helen Mirren) and her family remain stoic and hidden behind the castle walls in the aftermath.
History: In the early hours of 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales was injured in a car crash in Paris. She died a few hours later, which triggered British mourning. Remaining in Balmoral, Scotland, the Queen resisted media demands to make public her own grief. But what followed was one of the most difficult moments during her reign.
Accuracy: While events are accurately depicted, the film has received mixed reviews. Helen Mirren's performance as the Queen was hugely successful and the actress praised for capturing the monarch's quiet and polite mannerisms. Labelled as "almost too realistic" by The Guardian, The Queen expertly captures the grieving spirit of the nation in 1997, following Princess Diana' death, particularly in its depiction of Tony Blair's (Michael Sheen) Labour government response.
Royal biographer Gyles Brandreth, however, claimed the late Prince Philip refused to watch the 2006 film due to Mirren's "inaccurate portrayal" of his wife. "The Duke of Edinburgh, I remember saying to me, when I asked him if he'd seen the film of The Queen with Helen Mirren, he said: 'Why would I want to see that?' And he got irritated," Brandreth said. "He said, 'Apparently they have the queen crying in the film.' He said, 'The queen doesn't cry.'"
Rating: Dubbed an "absolute tear-jerker" the film has received an impressive rating of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
(Image: BBC)
