Finding history on the tube

As a television viewer, I am always in a history mood. I don't care if a movie or series covers the French Revolution or the Vietnam War, I want it. I want to lose myself in another time. So it was with great interest I found four outstanding series on FX, Hulu, and Apple TV.

Shōgun, Masters of the Air, Franklin, and Manhunt are not just entertaining. They are history classes worthy of any college.

Shōgun follows John Blackthorne, a stranded British sailor, as he becomes embroiled in a feudal power struggle in Japan in 1600. Masters chronicles the "Bloody 100th," a U.S. B-17 bomber group that sustained horrific losses in World War II. Franklin covers Benjamin Franklin's diplomatic efforts in France during the American Revolution. Manhunt follows Secretary of War Edwin Stanton's search for John Wilkes Booth in the aftermath of Abraham Lincoln's assassination.

Each miniseries debuted this year. Each is a splendid adaptation of a celebrated book. Each sticks close to the historical record.

None are dry history. Thanks to strong performances by Cosmo Jarvis (Blackthorne), Austin Butler (Major 'Buck' Cleven), Michael Douglas (Franklin), and Tobias Menzies (Stanton), the series are as entertaining as they are informative. Add strong supporting casts, stories, scripts, and cinematography and you have outstanding television.

Each series can be hard to follow. Shōgun, Masters of the Air, and Manhunt feature a large number of characters. Shōgun and Franklin require following subtitles closely. In Shōgun, a viewer can easily get lost in the nuances of 17th-century Japanese culture. Even so, the plusses of all four productions far outweigh their negatives.

I would recommend each series to lovers of history and great TV. Ratings: Shōgun 5/5, Masters 5/5, Franklin 4.8/5, Manhunt 4.5/5.