You'll Never Believe These 8 Miniseries Are Based On A True Story

Inspired by James Keene’s novel In with the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption, Black Bird (2022) follows his story after he’s sent to prison for 10 years without parole and his mission to get a convicted serial killer to admit to his crimes. From there, the tension is set wholly on Keene’s mission and the unexpected dangers that come from trying to get a serial killer to admit the things he did.

Black Bird doesn’t pull its punches in terms of tension, and Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser steal the show in their roles. If you love a gripping drama, Black Bird is exactly what you’re looking for.

Hurricane Katrina was a horrific event for the people of New Orleans, and the poor response by the powers that be only made the situation worse. Five Days at Memorial (2022) chronicles a fraction of the chaos by exploring a hospital trying to run during the traumatic time.

Inspired by the book of the same name by Sheri Fink, Five Days at Memorial is a miniseries that explores a harsh truth about the world in a catastrophic situation. There’s drama and heroism, and it makes for a gripping series you have to see to believe.

Much like Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010), Masters of the Air (2024) explores yet another corner of World War II you never thought you’d see, this time taking to the skies. The miniseries explores the real missions of the 100th Bomb Group and the intense battles and tragic losses they faced.

Masters of the Air is a powerful and dramatic story that recounts the lives of real people who fought during the war. There’s drama, action, and excitement, and if you love a good war miniseries, this is the one for you.

Audiences love a solid story about growing business and drama, and WeCrashed (2022) delivers on all of that without losing its humor. The miniseries explores the rise and fall of WeWork, a startup designed to create coworking spaces, but it ultimately fell hard due to a poor business model.

WeCrashed is backed by a strong cast, including Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto, and explores the flawed business strategy with a hint of comedy. If you love a calamity of errors in the world of business, WeCrashed is the perfect miniseries for you.

The Big Cigar (2024) explores the elaborate plan by producer Bert Schneider as he tries to get Huey P. Newton, leader of the Black Panthers, to Cuba to avoid persecution by the government. The series explores Newton’s tests to see if Schneider is truly trustworthy before such a big escape.

The Big Cigar is also the name of the fake project Schenider created that was designed to sneak Newton out of the country. It makes for yet another exciting story based on a historical event that has never been talked about. Another story about a niche corner of history, The Big Cigar, is perfect if you want to learn about something you’ve likely never heard of.

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln is one of the most shocking events in American history, and Manhunt (2024) explores the story of how Edwin Stanton relentlessly hunts down his killer, John Wilkes Booth. There are elements of this story that aren’t accurate to history, but the series captures the impact that the president’s death had at that time.

Ironically, Abraham Lincoln’s assassination isn’t as explored in the media as you would think. Shows like Manhunt give viewers a comprehensive look at one of the country’s darkest days in American history, and from the acting to the story, Manhunt is worth watching.

A surprisingly unique look at true events during World War II, The New Look (2024) explores Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, and others as they begin their journey into the world of fashion. What makes the miniseries unique is how it explores these characters during the traumatic events of World War II in Europe.

We all know names like Dior and Chanel, but we never think about the reality they lived in and the struggles that came with making their names iconic. The New Look explores the world they had to thrive in and the difficulties they faced, and creates a unique series perfect for those interested in the stranger corners of history.

Starring Tom Holland and Amanda Seyfried, The Crowded Room (2023) follows a young man in therapy after being arrested in connection with a shooting. As he recounts his life, we learn that the friends throughout his hard life were actually alters, revealing he had dissociative identity disorder.

While the characters in The Crowded Room aren’t real, the entire narrative was inspired by the story of Billy Milligan and the novel The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes. His case explored the story of the first person found not guilty of a crime because of his dissociative identity disorder.