TV Episodes

What really happened to Sir John Franklin’s doomed Arctic expedition, and how much of AMC’s The Terror is grounded in the historical record? Today we're joined by Rich Napolitano, host of Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs, to compare the TV series with the real story of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, from the search for the Northwest Passage to the evidence historians have uncovered about the crew’s fate. Links Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Lost Franklin Expedition w/NEW UPDATES Dr. John Rae The Terror (TV Series)...

BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 377) — The first season of FX’s “Feud” chronicles the turbulent making of the 1962 thriller “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” Over eight episodes set against Hollywood's fading Golden Age, “Feud” focuses on a simmering resentment between aging stars Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, on-set clashes over performances and camera work, and the film’s premiere. Get Scott's book Where to watch Feud To help us separate fact from fiction in the series today is Scott Eyman,...

BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 376) — This special three-in-one episode is a thorough exploration of the true story behind the U.S. government's top secret program investigating UFOs called Project Blue Book. In 2019, the History Channel released a dramatized version of Project Blue Book's reports starring Aidan Gillen as Dr. J. Allen Hynek. Ufologist Rob Kristoffersen will help us uncover the true story behind each episode of the twenty episodes in the TV series. Then, the third part of our ...

BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 362) — Author Rob Hilliard joins us to bring "The Pinkertons" miniseries to a close by covering episodes 15 through 22 of the TV show. From John Scobell and Kate Warne to Allan and Will Pinkerton, Rob's book takes what we know from history and fills in many of the blanks with a thrilling narrative. Grab your copy of "In Freedom's Shadow" Also mentioned in this episode Learn more about Dr. Mary Walker Transcript and more for this episode Find the rest of "The Pi...

BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 361) — We're continuing a look at "The Pinkertons" by covering episodes eight to 14 of the TV show. Find part one linked here. Coming back for today's episode is "In Freedom's Shadow" author Rob Hilliard. Rob's book is a historical novel based on the incredibly true story of Pinkertons operative John Scobell. Mentioned in this episode Get your copy of Rob's book "In Freedom's Shadow" Transcript and more for this episode Find the rest of "The Pinkertons" miniseri...

BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 360) — We're beginning of a three-part miniseries covering all 22 episodes of "The Pinkertons." Today, we examine the first seven episodes of the television series. Joining us for the miniseries is author Rob Hilliard, whose book "In Freedom's Shadow" is a historical novel based on the true story of Pinkerton operative John Scobell, and includes many of the characters we see in the series. Mentioned in this episode Get your copy of Rob's book "In Freedom's Shado...

BOATS TODAY (SEPT 5, 2024) — After four days of fighting the flames, the Great Fire of London was finally extinguished on this day in 1666 so today we'll learn more about how the events from exactly 358 years ago today were shown in the TV miniseries called The Great Fire. Until next time, here's where you can continue the story. Watch it now: Find where The Great Fire is streaming Did you enjoy this episode? Get the BOATS email newsletter Leave a comment Support our sponsors Unlock ad-free e...

Editor's Note: The fire started after midnight on September 2nd in London, so if you're in the United States like I am then you might see this minisode release on September 1st due to time zones. BOATS TODAY (SEPT 2, 2024) — The Great Fire of London started exactly 358 years ago today, so we'll learn how well the TV miniseries called The Great Fire shows the way it all started. Until next time, here's where you can continue the story. Watch it now: Find where The Great Fire is streaming Did ...

BOATS THIS WEEK (AUG 12-18,2024) — Today is the 81st anniversary of the conspiracy theory from the 1984 movie The Philadelphia Experiment. Or is it? Tune in to find out. After that, we'll move into the Shakespearean classic-turned-modern movie Macbeth (2015) because this Wednesday is the 984th anniversary (1040 CE) of King Duncan I of Scotland's death. This week also marks the 79th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day, so our third event will come from the HBO miniseries The Pacific. Until nex...

BOATS THIS WEEK (AUG 5-11,2024) — This week's events from historical movies starts with Monday's 719th anniversary (August 5th, 1305) of William Wallace's (Mel Gibson) capture shown in the movie 'Braveheart.' In the History Channel's dramatic miniseries "Hatfields & McCoys", we'll see how it portrays the feud between their two families turning to bloodshed for the first time on August 7th, 1882. It was also on August 7th, but in the year 1974, that Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) became th...

BOATS THIS WEEK (JULY 22-28,2024) — Events from this week in history include Jeffrey Dahmer's confession on July 22nd, 1991. We'll learn how well Netflix's 2022 smash hit series Monster shows that happening. This week also marks the end of the Apollo 11 mission on July 24th, 1969, but we'll have a special minisode coming out on Wednesday for that, so today we'll back up a couple days to compare the movie First Man's depiction of the lunar landing from a couple days ago on July 20th, 1969. Our fi...

In this episode, we'll learn about historical events between July 8th and July 14th as they're shown in the movies. We'll also learn about birthdays from historical figures who have been portrayed in the movies, along with a recommendation for a movie that was released this week in history. Events from This Week in History Wednesday: The Battle of Britain Thursday: Hamilton Sunday: One Nation, One King Birthdays from This Week in History Wednesday: Nikola Tesla in Tesla | BOATS #201 Thursday...

In this episode, we'll learn about historical events between July 1st and July 7th as they're shown in the movies. We'll also learn about birthdays from historical figures who have been portrayed in the movies, along with a recommendation for a movie that was released this week in history. Note: If your podcast app doesn't support clickable links, copy/paste this into your browser: https://links.boatspodcast.com/330 Events from This Week in History Monday: The Trench Wednesday/Thursday: 1776 ...

The Starz TV series Black Sails is a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novel "Treasure Island." It's a story filled with squashbuckling pirates who dare to wage war against self-described civilized nations. Are you ready to travel back to the Golden Age of Piracy? We'll be joined today by Colin Woodard, the acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller The Republic of Pirates. Get Colin's book: The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates a...

In this episode, we'll learn about historical events between June 24th and June 30th as they're shown in the movies. We'll also learn about birthdays from historical figures who have been portrayed in the movies, along with a recommendation for a movie that was released this week in history. Events from This Week in History Tuesday: They Died with Their Boots On | BOATS #198 Friday: 37 Days Sunday: Gettysburg | BOATS #280 Birthdays from This Week in History Monday: General Kitchener | Young ...

In this episode, we'll learn about historical events between June 3rd and June 9th as they're shown in the movies. We'll also learn about birthdays from historical figures who have been portrayed in the movies as well as recommendations for a movie that was released this week in history. Events from This Week in History Tuesday: The Longest Day | BOATS #134 Thursday: The Longest Day | BOATS #134 Thursday: Saving Private Ryan | BOATS #159 Birthdays from This Week in History Nathan Hale in Tur...

In this episode, we'll learn about historical events between May 27th and June 2nd as they're shown in the movies. We'll also learn about birthdays from historical figures who have been portrayed in the movies as well as recommendations for a movie that was released this week in history. Events from This Week in History Monday: Sink the Bismark or watch it on YouTube Saturday: Harriet | BOATS #187 Saturday: Watchmen Birthdays from This Week in History Walt Whitman in Beautiful Dreamers Brigh...

In this episode, we'll learn about historical events between May 6th and May 12th as they're shown in the movies. We'll also learn about birthdays from historical figures who have been portrayed in the movies as well as recommendations for a movie that was released this week in history. Events from This Week in History The Hindenburg | BOATS #91 | The Hindenburg Disaster Footage Band of Brothers | BOATS Miniseries Operation Finale | BOATS #162 Birthdays from This Week in History Truman The...

In this episode, we'll learn about historical events between April 22nd and April 28th as they're shown in the movies. We'll also learn about birthdays from historical figures who have been portrayed in the movies as well as recommendations for a movie that was released this week in history. Events from This Week in History Troy | BOATS #133 Chernobyl | BOATS Miniseries Birthdays from This Week in History Vladimir Lenin in The King's Man Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator Ulysses S. Grant in Linc...

In this episode, we'll learn about historical events between March 18th and March 24th as they're shown in the movies. We'll also learn about birthdays from historical figures who have been portrayed in the movies as well as recommendations for a movie that first premiered this week in history. Events from This Week in History Waterloo | BOATS #174 The Blue Max Hitler: The Rise of Evil Birthdays from This Week in History Tombstone | BOATS #142 A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Feud Houdini...

In this episode, we'll learn about historical events between March 11th and March 17th as they're shown in the movies. We'll also learn about birthdays from historical figures who have been portrayed in the movies as well as recommendations for a movie that first premiered this week in history. Events from This Week in History Schindler's List | BOATS #261 Valkyrie | BOATS #62 Rome Birthdays from This Week in History Selma | BOATS #167 Oppenheimer Klaus Movies Released This Week in History...

In this episode, we'll learn about historical events between February 5th and February 11th as they're shown in the movies. We'll also learn about birthdays from historical figures who have been portrayed in the movies as well as recommendations for a movie that first premiered this week in history. Events from This Week in History Mary Queen of Scots | BOATS #138 The Pacific | BOATS miniseries Julia Birthdays from This Week in History Hamilton Turn: Washington's Spies | BOATS #139 Tesla ...

In this episode, we'll learn about historical events between January 15th and January 21st as they're shown in the movies. We'll also learn about birthdays from historical figures who have been portrayed in the movies as well as recommendations for a movie that first premiered this week in history. Events from This Week in History Sully El Chapo The French Revolution Birthdays from This Week in History John Adams The Story of Alexander Graham Bell Apollo 13 | BOATS #15 or First Man | BOATS ...

In this episode, we'll learn about historical events from this week in history that were shown in the movies. We'll also learn about birthdays from historical figures who have been portrayed in the movies as well as recommendations for movies that first premiered this week in history. Events from This Week in History The Man Who Invented Christmas | BOATS #220 Band of Brothers | BOATS series At Eternity's Gate | BOATS #193 Birthdays from This Week in History 37 Days Lincoln | BOATS #170 o...