TV often takes inspiration from real events and then shapes them to fit the particular story that the showrunner wants to tell. Shows likeSupernatural, for instance, will base their monsters of the week on particular occult lore or mythology from our past. Meanwhile,shows likeStar Trekmay have an episode where they visit a planet that is very similar to a period of earth’s history, with the original series doing that often.Doctor Whois the most blatant example of this as a literal time traveler who often visits the past and interacts with historical figureslike William Shakespeareand Queen Victoria.
Conversely, there are times when a TV show that is fictional bases itself — or a large part of the story it wants to tell — upon history. Often, the parallels between the plot, world, or characters of a show mirror that of real-world mythologies or histories, or are lifted entirely from them. This can often add an extra sense of realism to a TV show, as it’s taking from a period in the past that actually happened. There are also times when monsters or legends are drawn from the stories of myth or literature from years ago. This list shows some interesting historical inspirations for TV shows, with some shows having inspirations you may not have guessed.
4Arcane — Industrial Revolution
One of the most important themes in the hit animated Netflix seriesArcaneis the rapid advancement of technology and whether it is helping the citizens of Piltover and the undercity that will become Zaun. While the advancement of Hextech has helped bring more trade to the city, it has also developed destructive weapons like Vi’s gloves or Jayce’s hammer. Chemtech has additionally led to the addictive Shimmer and the forcing of children into workhouses for its production. The demands of industrialism led to similar issues in the 19th and early 20th Centuries, with child labor being a defining element of Victorian England’s Industrial Revolution. Then, there was World War I, a bloody conflict that was one of the first industrial wars in the history of the world, displaying the great loss of life that was possible with advanced machinery and technology.
Even the aesthetic of Zaun is very much based on 19th-Century London. The Undercity is known for having horrendously unclean air, similar to the smog and smoke of industrial London. The Arcane peacekeepers have helmets not dissimilar from the Bobbies of London. Of course,Arcane’s themes of technological advancement are not just resonant to 19th Century industrialism, but also more modernquestions of climate changeand the advancement of digital technology.
Related:Arcane: How the Netflix Series Elevated the League of Legends Video Game Franchise
3Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — World War II & Imperialism
The main conflict of earlyStar Trek:Deep Space Nineis between the planet of Bajor and the Cardassian Empire after the Cardassians invaded Bajor. The series takes place after the Empire pulled out of Bajor due to the Fedaration applying political pressure and the Bajorans themselves organizing a resistance. The conflict has a few interesting historical parallels. In some ways, the Bajoran resistance is reminiscent of the various resistance groups in German-occupied territory in Europe. The occupation itself is also generally comparable to the cruelty and brutality of Nazi occupation in Eastern Europe, with the rampant forced-work and exploitation of natural resources being a common theme, and even genocide being included as well. Another inspiration for the Cardassian relationship with Bajor was the various colonial empires of the 18th, 19th, and 20th Centuries, especially when it comes to Gul Dukat. This is shown in one episode, Season 4: Episode 5 “Indiscretion”, where Gul Dukat explained that he believes the occupation helped Bajor, which was often a justification used by the imperial powers, who often argued that they were “civilizing” the native populations of their colonies. Often, colonial greed was justified, before or after the fact, by the idea that foreign occupation would help indigenous people become more “advanced”.
The basis in actual occupations and colonialism adds to the authenticity ofDeep Space Nine, and also adds to the hypothetical element of sci-fi thatStar Trekoften explores. If there are wars between different planets and species, then what happens when one species occupies another?Deep Space Ninedelves into the long term effects this has on Bajor, and the trauma from the occupation itself had on characters like Kira. In this case, both the traumas of the Second World War and the traumas of colonialism are relevant.
2Castlevania — Vampire Literature & Myth
Everyone knows thatCastlevaniaitself was inspired by Bram Stoker’sDracula, perDen of Geek, especially given that they have the titular Dracula as the main villain. What you might not know is the wide range of historical and mythical inspirations for the other vampires in the series. The most famous one is the vampire Carmilla, who was based on the character of the same name from Sheridan Le Fanu’s story also calledCarmillafrom 1872. The show also includes Styria as Carmilla’s kingdom, which is the place where the original book was set.
There are a few other smaller connections to vampire literature and myth. Dracula himself is inspired, in this incarnation, more by Vlad the Impaler than the Dracula from Bram Stoker’sDracula, as he is often seen with impaling spikes. Even Alucard uses these spikes in the second to last season. Lenore, one of the Vampire Queens of Styria, also shares the same name as a gothic ballad from 1773, which had a large impact on vampire literature. TheupcomingCastlevania: Nocturneis going to be set during the French Revolution, which will be an interesting historical time period for the show to explore.
1Game of Thrones — War of the Roses
Game of Throneshas parallels to many of the complicated and epic civil wars across feudal societies in our world history. From the Three Kingdoms period of China to the Norwegian Civil War, you don’t have to look too hard for aGame of Thrones-esque battle of politics and crowns. However, the clearest parallels can be drawn betweenGame of Thronesand English History, more specifically the War of the Roses. Fought between the Lancasters and Yorks, this epic conflict had all the high drama and bloody fighting thatGame of Thronesis known for.
There are even specific parallels between historical figures from the conflict and characters in the series and books. The ruthless Margaret of Anjou is similar to Lena Headey’s Cersei Lannister, and Jack Gleeson’s Joffrey resembles her husband King Henry VI. The historical parallels also occur in some of the other details: The Wall in the North resembles Hardian’s Wall, which was used as a defensive fortification against Northern Tribes in the era of Roman Britain, though much taller; meanwhile, The Dothraki resemble the Huns or the Mongol Empire. These and many other historical connections have been noted by theBBC’s Website.
