The popularity of historical dramas is on the rise, but not all of these series focus on the true history of their time period. With events like Queen Charlotte: The Bridgerton Story And Big taking their own way through the subject matter, it’s clear that truth is not a priority. The two lead, Charlotte (India Amarteifio) and Katherine (Elle Fanning), represent real women from history, and the show touches on their struggles with their respective marriages, but neither show is accurate. When Queen Charlotte set with the concept of alternative history, Big takes a different approach to claiming “sometimes it’s true”. While these may appear similar, they are slightly different. Concept of Queen Charlotte made one distinct change: Charlotte’s race, and how it affected British society. Meanwhile, Big taking liberties with whatever one chooses, never claiming anything to be true.
But both of these approaches separate the show from more realistic examples of the genre. Historical drama is often tightly attached to history, such as Crown, which sometimes appear as part of documentaries. Of course, it interprets bits and pieces and adds conversations that were never recorded, but the main plot points are stolen from the history books. Freedom Big And Queen Charlotte gain from their loose approach to history allows for increased diversity and uncertainty. Also, it doesn’t deal with real events to make the show lighter and funnier. This less historic drama proves that genre doesn’t always need precision to be good.
‘Queen Charlotte’s Alternative History Adds to Diversity
Queen Charlotte and its predecessor, Bridgerton, actively opting out of the traditional look of British high society, adding people of all races to the ton’s ranks. While the race of historical figures has been questioned, it is certain that however Charlotte may have appeared, the larger society was never integrated as a result. But the series cleverly uses the idea of alternative history to add to the diversity of its cast. It’s not just set Bridgerton besides but, especially with Queen Charlotte, adds urgency to many character plots that wouldn’t exist otherwise. It’s a simple change, but it has some lasting benefits.
Queen Charlotte take advantage of historical freedoms in other ways as well. Bridgerton little deals with historical events or persons, with Charlotte and the occasional appearance from her husband being the main exceptions. Instead, the show focuses on the gossip of the characters’ personal lives and marriages. However, with the royal leadership, Queen Charlotte venture into more historic waters. There is an element of truth to the story of George and Charlotte — King George (Corey Mylcreast) struggled with insanity, and the couple actually had fifteen children, but there is also no evidence that Charlotte ever actually tried to climb over the garden wall to escape her marriage. But the fact that history isn’t the constant focus of the show lets it lighten up. It does not deal with the lives of real people but fictional versions of them. Not everything is to be taken seriously if it is not portrayed as a literal representation of history. While much of it is realistic, the show doesn’t tie too closely to historical figures and shifts things when necessary.
‘The Great’ Takes a More Absurd Story Approach
On the condition that the story is only occasionally true, Big takes general concepts from the life of Catherine the Great and tells her own story. Although the names are largely the same, the story as a whole is wildly inaccurate, to the point that calling it historical in any sense of the word seems wrong. This allows for a lot of unpredictability, with characters outliving and dying in different ways than their historical counterparts. Unexpected twists add to the story, though they often distance it from its historical roots. But, since the show doesn’t claim to be accurate, the deviation doesn’t really matter.
A non-realistic approach is possible Big to crack jokes, incorporate levels of absurdity, and end up being a satirical representation of history. If the show is accurate, there can’t be a Peter (Nicholas Hoult) being what it is, nor can it include the silliness on which the show rests. The show’s irreverent tone was a direct result of its lack of accuracy. Big takes whatever plot points it wants from history but quickly ignores the rest, and that’s for the best. The show doesn’t aim to be taken seriously, which is evident from even the slightest clip. Big exaggerating characters to call attention to misguided norms throughout history. Whether it’s the comparison of Catherine’s strategic battle planning, Peter’s incompetence in battle, or a literal child trying to duel a man who slept with his wife, the show’s silliness serves a purpose, but it also adds humor. It may not be accurate, but Big takes an overview of the life of Catherine the Great and turns it into a captivating series unlike anything it has gone before.
‘The Great’ and ‘Queen Charlotte’ Don’t Need to Be Accurate
Although these shows are based on historical figures, they do not accurately depict history. Unlike many historical dramas, which focus on minute details to provide a realistic representation of the past, Queen Charlotte And Big actively changing things to make their stories unique. This has the potential to cause problems by confusing the public as to what’s going on in real life, but neither show hides the fact that their base is loose. In fact, these shows may not depict reality, but they have enough truth in them that many fans choose to research the history for themselves. So people are still learning history, not directly from this show.
Alternative history of Queen Charlotte And Big making for a less serious show with an unpredictable story and diverse cast that wouldn’t have happened with rigid historical accuracy. The series never claims to be realistic and uses that fact to their advantage. Clearly, there is a market for this kind of approach. Queen Charlotte And Big maybe not a great source of history, but entertaining, which is what TV is all about.
Big available to stream on Hulu, temporarily Queen Charlotte: The Bridgerton Story available to stream on Netflix.