Adapting famous figures and events from history into a TV show is not always as easy as it sounds. While reading a history book and records from a particular time period helps map out plot points and potential storylines, there are still a lot of gaps to fill. This is why not all historical TV shows are going to be 100 percent accurate since creative liberties are taken to fill the missing pieces and move the plot along.
However, some show creators take the liberties pretty far, sacrificing accuracy for entertainment. While historical inaccuracy sometimes has nothing to do with the quality of the show, and its entertainment value, too many inaccuracies can become distracting.
10 Medici Created Love Stories That Never Happened
Netflix's Medici is a historical drama that follows the wealthy and influential Medici family during 15-century Florence. The show lasted for 3 seasons, with Dustin Hoffman and Richard Madden leading the cast in season 1.
For the most part, Medici accurately depicts important aspects of the family's history, such as their influence with the Pope, funding of the Renaissance, and the assassination attempt on Duomo of Florence during Easter Mss in 1478. However, when it comes to love interests, the writers created fictitious affairs and characters for the show.
9 Bridgerton Is A Reimagining Of The Regency-Era
Bridgerton became an overnight sensation and one of Netflix's most popular shows. Set during the Regency era in England, the show centers around the Bridgerton family and the eight siblings as they juggle love and duty. The show is produced by Shondaland and is based on Julia Quinn's Bridgerton romantic book series.
Bridgerton is more of a reimagining of Regency-era England and was never intended to be historically accurate for the period; this is most evident in the wardrobe. Most of the costumes on the show feature colors that would not have been available during the time, and most of the gowns are made with sparkling fabric; something that wasn't available until 1934.
8 The Tudors Changed Henry VIII's Family
Showtime's The Tudors follows the reign of King Henry VIII and the events around his six marriages. Starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII, the historical drama ran for 4 seasons and included the circumstances around some famous events during Henry's rule of England; the show was not always accurate.
The Tudors took various creative liberties throughout the show's 4 season run; however, a couple of notable inaccuracies include the death of Henry's uncle in the first episode, Henry's father being an only child, and the death of Henry VIII's illegitimate young son Henry Fitzroy, the real Fitzroy lived until he was 17 years old. Other changes include giving Henry one sister on the show when he actually had two and frequently referring to his daughters as "princess," a title the real Henry never bestowed on Mary and Elizabeth since he had declared them illegitimate.
7 The Borgias Exaggerated Real-Life Events
The 2011 Showtime historical drama The Borgias chronicles the notorious Borgia family and their struggle to hold on to power during the height of the Roman Catholic Church in the late 1400s. The show's cast was led by Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia/Pope Alexander VI, Francois Arnaud as Cesare Borgia, David Oakes as Juan Borgia, and Holliday Grainger as Lucrezia Borgia.
Actual events were exaggerated for the show, such as the poisoning attempt on Pope Alexander VI, where his daughter Lucrezia saves him. While the scene was close to how Pope Alexander VI died, there's no record of Lucrezia trying to keep him. Accounts of the actual members of the Borgia family are speculated to be concocted by their many enemies; however, this doesn't mean the Borgias were saints.
6 The Great Accelerates The Story To Move The Plot Along
The Great is a comedic drama based on the life of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, and her relationship with her husband, Peter the Great, whom Catherine staged a coup to dethrone. The popular Hulu show has a satirical air to it, and isn't meant to be taken for historical fact, however, when it comes to the actual events, the creators streamlined them for the sake of the plot.
A majority of the inaccuracies in The Great come from condensing the timeline of events; for example, on the show, Catherine and Peter marry almost immediately after she arrives at the palace, but in real life, it was nearly a year before the two were wed. The show also depicts the coup occurring the same year they were married, and Catherine was still living in the palace, however, the coup didn't happen until 20 years into their marriage, and Catherine and Peter were not living together at that time.
5 Vikings Had To Find A Way To Fill In The Gaps
The History Channel drama series Vikings follow the life of the 9th-century Viking King Ragnar Lothbrok and his family. As with most stories depicting historical events and figures, creative liberties will be taken, however, later seasons of Vikings began taking so many it became harder not to notice. Not much is known about most of the real-life people the show's characters are based on, so, naturally, creative liberties need to be taken to fill in the gaps.
While the brothers Ragnar and Rollo Lothbrok seem to follow the same fates in the show as their real-life counterparts (Rollo becomes a king and Ragnar dies in a snake pit), other characters such as Erik the Red and Ivar the Boneless are not given the same treatment; Erik did not die in a barn, and Ivar didn't die in battle.
4 Outlander Got The Fraser Tartan All Wrong
Outlander is a fantasy/historical romance about Claire Randell (Caitriona Balfe), a British Army nurse serving World War II who is transported back to 1743 Scotland and marries Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), a Scottish warrior. The Starz show is adapted from the popular Outlander novel series by Diana Gabaldon.
The story is fictitious but meant to play alongside actual historical events such as the Jacobite Uprising. While the show depicts the actual outcome of the battle with the Scottish Highlanders defeating the British, it portrays this fight as pure Scottish vs. British, when there were Scots who fought on the British side. A reasonably significant inaccuracy is Jamie Fraser's tartan on the show. Jamie is a member of the highland clan, and the tartan for Clan Fraser of Lovat is bold red and green. There is an actual Clan Fraser, two clans: a lowland and a highland.
3 Freud Was Accurate In Name Only
The Netflix show Freud follows a young Sigmund Freud during the 1880s in Vienna and does explore Freud's earlier work in the psychoanalysis sphere and hypnosis, but it becomes pure fiction after that. The synopsis for the show reads, "While investigating several disappearances and murders in Vienna, young Sigmund Freud and a psychic medium become entangled in an occult conspiracy."
As interesting of a concept it is to have Dr. Sigmund Freud spending his early years applying his knowledge of psychoanalysis to solve crimes, there is nothing about this that is rooted in any historical fact.
2 Victoria: Queen Victoria Never Had Feelings For Lord Melbourne
PBS's period drama Victoria, starring Jenna Coleman and Queen Victoria, depicts the early years of the Queen's 64-year reign of England. Another central plot of Victoria is her early courtship and marriage to her cousin, Prince Albert. While the show's writers took inspiration from historians and Queen Victoria's diaries, creative liberties were still taken throughout much of the show.
For instance, Victoria never fancied Prime Minister Lord Melbourne; while he was her ally and sometimes confidant, the young Queen never harbored romantic feelings for him. An entirely made story for the show was the plague of rats running around the palace. There are no records of a rat climbing a cake and Queen Victoria screaming hysterically at the sight of it.
1 Peaky Blinders Is Set 30 Years Ahead Of True Events
Peaky Blinders is highly acclaimed by audiences and critics and tells the story of the Shelby family, aka the Peaky Blinders, focusing primarily on the boss and head of the family Thomas Shelby (played by Cillian Murphy). Peaky Blinders just finished its 6th season, with talks of a TV movie in the works that will conclude the popular period crime drama.
The Peaky Blinders were a real street gang that emerged from Small Heath in Birmingham; the first account was reported in a newspaper in 1890, from the account of a man who claimed the "Peaky Blinders had assaulted him." However, the Shelbys never existed, and the Peaky Blinders gang was more active during the 1890s, not the 1920s as portrayed on the show. The real Peaky Blinders gang fell out of power in 1910, before the show's events took place.