The 19th Century in Television
Recently, I noticed there have been a good number of television productions in both North America and Great Britain, set during the 19th century. Below is a list of those productions I have seen during this past decade in chronological order:
THE 19TH CENTURY IN TELEVISION
1. "Copper" (BBC America) - Tom Fontana and Will Rokos created this series about an Irish immigrant policeman who patrols Manhattan's Five Points neighborhood during the last year of the U.S. Civil War. Tom Weston-Jones, Kyle Schmid and Ato Essandoh starred in this 2012-2013 series.
2. "The Crimson Petal and the White" (BBC) - Romola Garai starred in this 2011 miniseries, which was an adaptation of Michel Faber's 2002 novel about a Victorian prostitute, who becomes the mistress of a powerful businessman.
3. "Death Comes to Pemberley" (BBC) - Matthew Rhys and Anna Maxwell-Martin starred in this adaptation of P.D. James' 2011 novel, which is a murder mystery and continuation of Jane Austen's 1813 novel, "Pride and Prejudice".
4. "Hell on Wheels" (AMC) - This 2012-2016 series is about a former Confederate Army officer who becomes involved with the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad during the years after the Civil War. Anson Mount, Colm Meaney, Common, and Dominique McElligott starred.
5. "Mercy Street" (PBS) - This series follows two volunteer nurses from opposing sides who work at the Mansion House Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia during the Civil War. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Josh Radnor and Hannah James.
6. "The Paradise" (BBC-PBS) - This 2012-2013 series is an adaptation of Émile Zola's 1883 novel, "Au Bonheur des Dames", about the innovative creation of the department story - only with the story relocated to North East England. The series starred Joanna Vanderham and Peter Wight.
7. "Penny Dreadful" (Showtime/Sky) - Eva Green, Timothy Dalton and Josh Harnett star in this horror-drama series about a group of people who battle the forces of supernatural evil in Victorian England.
8. "Ripper Street" (BBC) - Matthew Macfadyen stars in this crime drama about a team of police officers that patrol London's Whitechapel neighborhood in the aftermath of Jack the Ripper's serial murders.
9. "Underground" (WGN) - Misha Green and Joe Pokaski created this series about runaway slaves who endure a long journey from Georgia to the Northern states in a bid for freedom in the late Antebellum period. Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Aldis Hodge star.
10. "War and Peace" (BBC) - Andrew Davies adapted this six-part miniseries, which is an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's 1865-1867 novel about the impact of the Napoleonic Era during Tsarist Russia. Paul Dano, Lily James and James Norton starred.