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HBO’s 2020 acclaimed miniseries The Plot Against America is based on American writer Philip Roth’s 2004 novel of the same name. Set between 1940 and 1942, The Plot Against America presents a grim reimagining of America’s plight during WWII. Instead of Franklin D. Roosevelt, known xenophone and anti-Semite Charles Lindbergh wins the 1940 presidential election, propelling the nation toward fascism.
The Plot Against America is told through the perspective of a working-class Jewish family in Newark, New Jersey. Winona Ryder, Zoe Kazan, Morgan Spector, and John Turturro star in this gripping drama. The Plot Against America isn’t the only recent alternate history series whose relevant themes are met with praise from critics. This list compiles 10 other revisionist series to watch next.
10 The Man In The High Castle (2015 – 2019)
Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle also has a literary source: Philip K. Dick’s 1962 novel of the same name. Set in a parallel 1962 America, The Man in the High Castle envisions what would happen if America lost World War II. In the series, America is divided between Nazi Germany in the east and the Japanese Empire in the west, with a neutral zone along the Rocky Mountains.
The Man in the High Castle takes off from there, moving into science fiction territory when other parallel universes are discovered. Alien director Ridley Scott serves as executive producer for this dystopian ensemble drama that engages in some terrifying world-building.
9 Kingdom (2019 – )
Netflix’s first original Korean series, Kingdom takes place in an alternative Joseon period during the Japanese invasion of Korea between 1592 and 1598. The series focuses on Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-Joon) grappling with both political turmoil and a mysterious plague ravaging his kingdom.
With its stunning attention to detail, Kingdom immerses its viewers in 16th century Korea, a Korea being overrun a supernatural pestilence turning the dead into zombies. The series manages to blend horror and revisionist history flawlessly.
8 SS-GB (2017)
Based on Len Deighton’s 1978 novel of the same name, SS-GB sees Great Britain occupied by German Nazis during World War II. The series unravels in November 1941, nine months after Hitler’s regime successfully invaded the country and assassinated Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Sam Riley stars as Detective Superintendent Douglas Archer, a Scotland Yard detective forced to work under the Nazi Party in London. While investigating a routine murder, circumstances turn political when the Resistance movement seems to be the culprit. Kate Bosworth co-stars as an American journalist. This miniseries is available on Amazon Prime.
7 Hunters (2020 – )
The first season of this Amazon series is inspired by stories of real post-World War II Nazi hunters. Hunters takes a revisionist stance when it comes to depicting events of the Holocaust and the lives of those who tracked down escaped Nazis in the decades after the war ended.
The group at the center of the series is led by Al Pacino’s character Meyer Offerman, a Holocaust survivor and recruiter. Set in 1977 New York City, each member of the gang possesses a special quality that aids in avenging as many fascists as possible. Hunters has been criticized for its fictionalized depictions conditions during the Holocaust, and Amazon has yet to announce whether it will return for a second season.
6 For All Mankind (2019 – )
One of Apple TV+’s new series, For All Mankind asks a compelling question: what would happen if the 1960s Space Race between Americans and Soviets never ended? In the series, after Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov becomes the first person on the Moon, NASA amplifies its push to send humans to the Moon.
For All Mankind portrays both fictional and historical figures. Joel Kinnaman and Michael Dorman co-star as fictional American astronaut Edward Baldwin and Gordo Steven. The series shows NASA including more women and minorities – excluded from the early decades of space exploration – in order to keep up with the Soviets. For All Mankind has been renewed for a second season.
5 11.22.63 (2016)
11.22.63 is Hulu’s take on Stephen King’s 2011 book. Over eight episodes, the J.J. Abrams-produced miniseries follows a recently divorced English teacher who goes back in time. His goal? Prevent the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
James Franco plays the teacher, Jake Epping, who runs into some issues when the life he creates for himself in the past conflicts with his desire to save JFK’s life. Time travel meets historical revision is this compelling, well-acted drama. Chris Cooper and Sarah Gadon co-star.
4 Hollywood (2020)
Ryan Murphy’s latest Netflix venture is a miniseries reimaging late-1940s Hollywood as a land of inclusivity and fairness. Presented like a queer fairy tale, Hollywood highlights a group of aspiring actors and filmmakers who break ground with their film Meg.
Hollywood features both real and fictional figures from the Golden Age of the era, many of whom hid their homosexuality or bisexuality. Hollywood showcases what would have happened if the film industry dismantled racism and homophobia much earlier. It stars everyone from Patti LuPone to Jim Parsons to newcomers like Darren Criss and Jeremy Pope.
3 1983 (2018 – )
1983 is another original Netflix series, the first native Polish-language offering from the streaming service. Set in 2003, the series ponders the modern repercussions of an endless Cold War. A massive 1983 bombing in Poland alters the course of history, keeping the Iron Curtain in place.
The main characters in 1983 are a law student and an investigator who uncover information that could start a revolution. A second season has yet to be confirmed or denied.
2 Watchmen (2019)
“Who’s watching the Watchmen?” HBO’s miniseries picks up 34 years after Alan Moore’s iconic 1987 graphic novel of the same name. The Watchmen series introduces new characters and new political circumstances, focusing on a contemporary alternate America where white supremacists have started an uprising.
Watchmen stars Regina King as Angela Abar, a detective in Tulsa, Oklahoma who sidelines as Sister Night. As Abar digs deeper into to the white nationalist Seventh Kavalry’s plot to take over the world, she is introduced to the vigilantes made famous in Moore’s work, such as Doctor Manhattan, Hooded Justice, and Adrian Veidt.
1 Counterpart (2017 – 2019)
Counterpart is an intelligent mash-up between science fiction and alternate history starring J.K. Simmons. Simmons plays Howard Silk, an officer for the Berlin-based UN agency Office of Interchange. What Silk doesn’t know is that below his office exists a portal to a parallel Earth, one created by East German scientists in 1987.
Soon, Howard Silk finds himself between both worlds, the Prime (parallel) and the Alpha (original). As Silk digs deeper into the Prime, tensions amplify between the two worlds. Counterpart aired on Starz for two seasons, but it’s currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.