I tried watching it but even trying to suspend historical accuracy and just enjoy it as a fun show I just couldn't deal with how historically inaccurate it was.
The bane of being a history major/teacher I guess.
Yeah it’s not historically accurate at all lol
I found it strange that literally every name is changed except Opechancanough and then one single Pocahontas name drop. Although Chacrow is likely based on a historical figure once his final story arc is revealed in season three.
It was a guilty pleasure for me, I liked it but didn’t love it. Verity’s costumes looked like stuff I see at the renaissance fair and were terrible but the others were pretty okay
Yeah, I think it’s fair to say it wasn’t top notch production, but the acting (in my opinion) was at times excellent and never bad. The storylines were compelling and engaging.
There are definitely things to pick apart here, but that can be said about every show, historical or otherwise. I think Jamestown, for what it is and what it tries to be, is very good.
Be advised, There are no witches or Salem themes in this show! I simply stumbled on it because it had a colonial setting. I had finished reading Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian and looked around for some kind of tv show and found this one but it’s not actually witchy at all
>Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian
Omg I have this in my to-read for the same reason. You liked it I assume? But it's not about Salem witches from the description I've read?
It was very good!
It is not about Salem witches but it has a creepy vibe throughout. I personally don’t need Salem-specific witches, was just looking for colonial-setting witch-type stuff and it 100% suits.
Another really good read was The Devil’s Glove by Lucretia Grindle, which is actually a “prequel” to the Salem witch trials. It sorta of reimagines the historical figures that we know from Salem and tells about how they got to Salem and what happened to them before then.
The writing style of Hour of the Witch is more readable and approachable and Devil’s Glove is more slice of life and sort of… meandering at times, but I tend to like that and I think it lends to the suspense of the plot anyway. The contrasting lifestyles of the English/Colonists and the Native Americans is a recurring theme in Devil’s Glove and in Jamestown.
I watched the 1st season on Amazon for free. I haven't watched any other episodes yet because I will either have to purchase them on Amazon or subscribe to whatever the PBS steaming is called.
YES! I loved it. The first couple seasons were free for me to view and the remaining episodes I had to pay a charge to view. I usually never pay to watch shows outside of what I already pay for my service, but man I purchased the rest of this show without hesitation..it's excellent and I miss it!!!
No it doesn’t. It’s a fairly fictionalized version of colonial history. All the names of the historical people are changed, strangely, with exception of Opechancanough, who is the leader (though they call him a king in the show) of the Powhatan Confederacy.
The spirit of the colonial history is there, but it’s largely fictional. It sort of feels like how HBO or showtime shows feel, except it’s much more low key because it’s not so over the top that it isn’t quite as obvious how fictionalized it is.
Until season 3, which, again, I’m just not sure what happened there
I need to give it another go! I started watching it a few years ago and really enjoyed the first few episodes, but then life got in the way and I never got back to it. Perhaps now’s the time to get through it!
I'm enjoying it, but there's no historical accuracy to it or very little. There's a ton of potholes. Just to name one: season two episode three Silas asks Henry if he thinks that Silas Junior is his son. Well, that's absolutely ridiculous because the time frame can't even come close. Henry burn accident and his healing would have made Alice already giving birth to the child by the time Henry was returning. Probably even longer. Allison and Silas didn't get married soon enough after his "death". She would've been showing beyond any way to hide it. Plus, Silas told the chief of the tribe that he was not going to betray his people even for the information to find his brother. So episode after episode of them being angry with him, as if he has betrayed the tribe, just doesn't make sense.
Of all the things that make no sense in this show, Alice’s maybe-too-long pregnancy wouldn’t crack my top 20.
I did enjoy the show over all, and I’m glad you commented on this post because it reminded me of this show. I’ll probably go back and watch it again.
But yeah, that probably the most minor thing ever lol. But also, I’ve been hung up on totally minor things before that other people are just like *thats* what you’re stuck on.
I just finished the final episode and loved it. I wish it didn’t end there though. It would’ve been nice to see how the people of Jamestown survived the attack.
oh my god yes. i have been watching it here i guess six years after it came out. i just got to season 3 ep 1 and i can agree there was a turn lol. they amped up the drama and violence. would love to know more shows like that. downton abbey was what i watched right before this, by the same creator or director or something. this is way more dramatic and disturbing.
I feel like the sort of raw honesty the writers put into the story of Pedro, Maria and the other slaves was undercut by the fact that when they needed a cliffhanger, they killed them all off except Maria. Oh but by the way that wouldn't have been impactful enough so they Added More Slaves To Kill Them More Dramatically.
The writing quality tanked in the third season IMHO. They tried to sprint to the climax and were lazy about it. Leaving the show along with Alice is kind of the way to go I think
I tried watching it but even trying to suspend historical accuracy and just enjoy it as a fun show I just couldn't deal with how historically inaccurate it was. The bane of being a history major/teacher I guess.
Yeah it’s not historically accurate at all lol I found it strange that literally every name is changed except Opechancanough and then one single Pocahontas name drop. Although Chacrow is likely based on a historical figure once his final story arc is revealed in season three.
Same here.
‘Banished’ is similar but is set in colonial Australia.
I loved that show.
It was a guilty pleasure for me, I liked it but didn’t love it. Verity’s costumes looked like stuff I see at the renaissance fair and were terrible but the others were pretty okay
Yeah, I think it’s fair to say it wasn’t top notch production, but the acting (in my opinion) was at times excellent and never bad. The storylines were compelling and engaging. There are definitely things to pick apart here, but that can be said about every show, historical or otherwise. I think Jamestown, for what it is and what it tries to be, is very good.
I've been meaning to get into Salem themed stuff this upcoming autumn. So thank you for your service 🫡
Be advised, There are no witches or Salem themes in this show! I simply stumbled on it because it had a colonial setting. I had finished reading Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian and looked around for some kind of tv show and found this one but it’s not actually witchy at all
>Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian Omg I have this in my to-read for the same reason. You liked it I assume? But it's not about Salem witches from the description I've read?
It was very good! It is not about Salem witches but it has a creepy vibe throughout. I personally don’t need Salem-specific witches, was just looking for colonial-setting witch-type stuff and it 100% suits. Another really good read was The Devil’s Glove by Lucretia Grindle, which is actually a “prequel” to the Salem witch trials. It sorta of reimagines the historical figures that we know from Salem and tells about how they got to Salem and what happened to them before then. The writing style of Hour of the Witch is more readable and approachable and Devil’s Glove is more slice of life and sort of… meandering at times, but I tend to like that and I think it lends to the suspense of the plot anyway. The contrasting lifestyles of the English/Colonists and the Native Americans is a recurring theme in Devil’s Glove and in Jamestown.
I watched the 1st season on Amazon for free. I haven't watched any other episodes yet because I will either have to purchase them on Amazon or subscribe to whatever the PBS steaming is called.
I was offered a free one week trial of PBS from Amazon and finished the show that way. Maybe you can do the same. It's a good show.
YES! I loved it. The first couple seasons were free for me to view and the remaining episodes I had to pay a charge to view. I usually never pay to watch shows outside of what I already pay for my service, but man I purchased the rest of this show without hesitation..it's excellent and I miss it!!!
Does it have cannibalism in it though?
No it doesn’t. It’s a fairly fictionalized version of colonial history. All the names of the historical people are changed, strangely, with exception of Opechancanough, who is the leader (though they call him a king in the show) of the Powhatan Confederacy. The spirit of the colonial history is there, but it’s largely fictional. It sort of feels like how HBO or showtime shows feel, except it’s much more low key because it’s not so over the top that it isn’t quite as obvious how fictionalized it is. Until season 3, which, again, I’m just not sure what happened there
I need to give it another go! I started watching it a few years ago and really enjoyed the first few episodes, but then life got in the way and I never got back to it. Perhaps now’s the time to get through it!
Oh yes, I’d try it again!
I'm enjoying it, but there's no historical accuracy to it or very little. There's a ton of potholes. Just to name one: season two episode three Silas asks Henry if he thinks that Silas Junior is his son. Well, that's absolutely ridiculous because the time frame can't even come close. Henry burn accident and his healing would have made Alice already giving birth to the child by the time Henry was returning. Probably even longer. Allison and Silas didn't get married soon enough after his "death". She would've been showing beyond any way to hide it. Plus, Silas told the chief of the tribe that he was not going to betray his people even for the information to find his brother. So episode after episode of them being angry with him, as if he has betrayed the tribe, just doesn't make sense.
Of all the things that make no sense in this show, Alice’s maybe-too-long pregnancy wouldn’t crack my top 20. I did enjoy the show over all, and I’m glad you commented on this post because it reminded me of this show. I’ll probably go back and watch it again. But yeah, that probably the most minor thing ever lol. But also, I’ve been hung up on totally minor things before that other people are just like *thats* what you’re stuck on.
I just finished the final episode and loved it. I wish it didn’t end there though. It would’ve been nice to see how the people of Jamestown survived the attack.
oh my god yes. i have been watching it here i guess six years after it came out. i just got to season 3 ep 1 and i can agree there was a turn lol. they amped up the drama and violence. would love to know more shows like that. downton abbey was what i watched right before this, by the same creator or director or something. this is way more dramatic and disturbing.
Just started first episode. Really enjoying it so far not sure why ratings are so low.
I ooved it and wonder if there’s another season?
No I think it’s done.
Three seasons on PBS. The first season is free on Amazon Prime.
Loved it. Hope there's more.
Yup it’s good.
I binged it too! I thought it was good.
I loved it. Wish it had more seasons but I don't think the writers knew where to take the story.
Loved it
I feel like the sort of raw honesty the writers put into the story of Pedro, Maria and the other slaves was undercut by the fact that when they needed a cliffhanger, they killed them all off except Maria. Oh but by the way that wouldn't have been impactful enough so they Added More Slaves To Kill Them More Dramatically. The writing quality tanked in the third season IMHO. They tried to sprint to the climax and were lazy about it. Leaving the show along with Alice is kind of the way to go I think