History from the Small Screen – TURИ

Some of my favorite type of television shows are those that provide historical information through a fictional drama.  Many of them are available from streaming subscriptions and for purchase on DVD too.  We all know how Downtown Abbey has become a hit show and although it is the sensational drama that brings many of us to the screen, underlying it all is the history.  I am going to attempt to highlight one of these programs each Saturday in place of my “What Happened on” post (Sometimes in addition).

Do you have any favorite programs that fit this category?  I’d love to hear your ideas and I would be glad to include the program in an up coming post.  I also would welcome a guest blogger.  If you want to read other posts in this category, there is menu at the top of my cite that will take you to a list of all my History from the Small Screen posts.

TURИ is a period drama based on the AMC network based on Alexander Rose’s book Washington’s Spies: The Story of America’s First Spy Ring (2007), a history of the Culper Ring.   This new television show premiered  on April 6, 2014.

In 1776 and 1777, a Setauket, New York farmer and his childhood friends form an unlikely group of spies, called the Culper Ring, who eventually help turn the tide during the American Revolutionary War.   The series begins in October 1776, shortly after British victories recaptured Long Island, Staten Island, and New York City for the Crown and left General George Washington’s army in desperate straits.

According to the first episode’s introductory card titles: “Autumn 1776. Insurgents have declared war against the Crown. Following a successful naval landing, His Majesty’s Army has forced Washington’s rebels into the wilderness. New York City serves as military base of operations for the British. The Loyalists of nearby Long Island keep vigilant watch out for sympathizers, and spies.”