8 Series and Shows Based on True Stories to Check Out This Weekend

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Shows based on true stories you can watch right now on Netflix and Hulu

It’s hard to go wrong with shows based on true stories. Maybe more is invested in the show because there’s a built in audience who will want to see it, or maybe real life is just better than fiction. Or at least, more reliable. For this reason memoirs usually pan out as well. In this list I focus on drama shows and mini series that aimed to reenact true, if shocking, events. I skipped over documentaries or shows very loosely based on true stories.

1. The Girl from Plainville

The Girl from Plainville is a mini series that followed the true story of Michelle Carter, a 17 year old girl who encouraged and helped her boyfriend end his life. How could she do this and what exactly was her motivation? The show provided a fascinating look into the mental delusions of both her and her boyfriend so we could attempt to make sense of something so horrific and absurd. It was a balanced look that didn’t fully take sides or provide definitive answers. The beauty of it was that you had to do that for yourself after taking everything into account.

See The Girl from Plainville on Hulu here.

2. The Dropout

I really enjoyed this reenactment of the Elizabeth Holmes scam, Theranos. Theranos was supposed to be a revolutionary way for people to test their blood at home with just a drop of it. Her operation ran from 2003-2018, upheld by investors who believed or wanted to believe in her. The Dropout illustrated this true story so well, again not telling us what to think but leaving us wondering to what extent her good intentions lasted or if they ever existed at all. It was also interesting to see just how she was able to keep this scam going so long. 

See The Dropout on Hulu here.

3. The Playlist

The Playlist recounted the founding of Spotify, which wasn’t a simple matter at all. We got to see how things unfolded from the perspectives of 6 characters involved. This brought us deep into the moral and technical plight of redefining how accessible music should be, as well as the guts it takes to believe in your ideas.
 
The events unfolded in Sweden, giving the show a fresh, authentic air, but the English lip sync might take some getting used to.
 
Watch The Playlist on Netflix here.

4. The Patient

I wanted to see The Patient for a while but still have not yet, probably because I don’t have Hulu anymore. But it looks so interesting, maybe I’ll get it again to see The Patient. In it, a patient holds his therapist captive. His goal? The therapist’s undivided attention in curing him from his urge to kill. Can and will the therapist cure him…under these conditions?

See The Patient on Hulu here.

5. Alias Grace

 
It’s the 1800s and Grace Marks has been convicted of a murder but can’t remember any of it. She’s been sentenced to life in prison. Enter a psychiatrist determined to get to the bottom of it. Has she been wrongly convicted, can she really not remember it or is she pretending not to remember to seem innocent? Without much to loose, she decides to tell him her life story…
 
Alias Grace was excellently done. Hey, maybe I should give it a rewatch soon.
 
Alias Grace is here on Netflix.

6. Maid

Alex, a young mother, has one foot out the door of an abusive relationship. But her life depended on him for so much for so long. Could she, would she, dare go out on her own, just her and her young daughter? All she has for support is her bipolar mother who lives in a van…
 
Maid was about desperation, survival, bravery, and feeling trapped. The characters were sharp, realistic, alive…probably because the show is based on a best selling memoir.
 
Maid by Stephanie Landon is on Amazon here and you can see the show on Netflix here.

7. The Act

The Act retold the true story of Dee Dee, a mother who was so overprotective that it was dangerous, and Gypsy Rose, the daughter who suffocated under her mother’s “love.” Dee Dee confined Gypsy to a wheelchair, made her eat through a feeding tube and told everyone that she had the mind of a seven year old. Her every move was monitored, lest she ingest a bit of sugar at a party. “She’s highly allergic!” Dee Dee screamed when Gypsy tried to sneak a bite of a cupcake, and called an ambulance.

Sure, Gypsy attempted to run away. But these efforts were squashed before she could even exhale. She was trapped in that wheelchair, back to square one every time. So she decided to take matters further, with help from her from her secret online boyfriend.

See The Act on Hulu here and my review of it here.

8. Baby Reindeer

As with all shows on this list, Baby Reindeer is the fictionalized account of a true story. But here the main actor, Richard Gadd, is the person these events happened to in real life.

Donny is a 20-something bartender who would rather be on stage making people laugh, when Martha, an unhinged woman, inserts herself into his life. She becomes obsessed with him, coming into the bar to see him everyday, sending him thousands of odd emails and eventually waiting outside his house for him. But is he really powerless to stop her? Does he like the stalking in a weird way? And just what is her deal?
 
See my analysis of it here and watch it on Netflix here.

Do you know any more great shows based on true stories to add to this list? Let me know!

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