7 TV series inspired by William Shakespeare
"Succession"
Drama | 4.37 out of 5 on MyShows | 4 seasons | 2018 — 2023
Inspiration: "King Lear"
The powerful head of Waystar International Media Corporation, Logan Roy, falls ill, and a no-nonsense battle for the coveted throne unfolds between his children that will open eyes to the supposed family's supposed prosperity.
Like all the series in our selection, "Succession" is not a direct adaptation of Shakespeare, but it is impossible not to see the similarities between them: the powerful head of the family is preparing to give up the throne, and his children fight for power and dream of grabbing a bigger piece. But if Shakespeare's "King Lear" is a tragedy, then "Succession", despite three Emmys for Best Drama Series, more often resembled a comedy.
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"Sons of Anarchy"
Crime, drama, action | 4.34 out of 5 on MyShows | 7 seasons | 2008 — 2014
Inspiration: "Hamlet"
A biker club protects the town of Charming from the lawlessness of drug dealers, while running a very lucrative and thriving illegal gun business. The series follows the son of club founder Jax Teller as he becomes increasingly uncomfortable with the lawlessness of the bikers.
"Hamlet" on Harleys — that's what journalists called "Sons of Anarchy". The creator of the drama Kurt Sutter never hid that he was inspired by Shakespeare and took plot elements and some characters from "Hamlet": for example, the serial Hamlet is Jax, his mother Gertrude is Gemma Teller-Morrow, and Claudius is Clay.
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"House of Cards"
Drama, thriller | 4.31 out of 5 on MyShows | 6 seasons | 2013 — 2018
Inspiration: "Macbeth", "Richard III"
Ambitious U.S. House of Representatives member Frank Underwood helps Garrett Walker become president in exchange for the promise of appointing him Secretary of State. However, after learning that Walker is not going to keep his end of the bargain, Underwood and his equally manipulative and cynical wife named Claire decide to take revenge on the newly elected president and anyone who has done them an injustice.
The parallels between "House of Cards" and Shakespeare's plays are hard to miss: Claire Underwood is Lady Macbeth, and Frank, who regularly addresses the audience and is ready to do anything to achieve his goals, is very reminiscent of Richard III. This was noted by Kevin Spacey himself — the performer of the role of Frank Underwood. Spacey also emphasized that the book of the same name by Michael Dobson and the British series, on which the American "House of Cards" was based, were also based on the works of Shakespeare.
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"Moonlighting"
Comedy | 4.12 out of 5 on MyShows | 5 seasons | 1985 — 1989
Inspiration: "The Taming of the Shrew"
Former model Maddie Hayes, known for her Blue Moon shampoo commercials, finds herself on the verge of bankruptcy after her accountant runs off and embezzles all of her liquid assets. Maddie is left with only a few failing businesses, among them the City of Angels detective agency. It is run by the carefree David Addison Jr., who convinces Maddie to keep the business and run it as a partner. They rename the agency Blue Moon Investigations and take on the job.
Series creator Glenn Gordon Keiron said he had been fascinated by "The Taming of the Shrew" since college, when he saw a student production of the play. However, the inspiration for the series came from another production — starring Meryl Streep and Raul Julia — that Keiron attended in New York: "I thought, Wow, there's something there. That was really part of the DNA of the show". Incidentally, the show also features a direct parody of "The Taming of the Shrew" — the "Atomic Shakespeare" episode
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"Zetsuen no Tempest"
Military, drama, anime | 4.07 out of 5 on MyShows | 1 season | 2013
Inspiration: "Hamlet" and "The Tempest"
Yoshino Takigawa is an ordinary teenager who has been secretly dating the younger sister of Mahiro's best friend, Aika. Aika mysteriously dies, and the police still can't catch the killer. Mahiro vows to find the culprit himself and make him pay for the death of his favorite sister. Yoshino soon learns that Mahiro has turned to the witch Hakaze Kusaribe, imprisoned on a desert island, for help. The friends band together to rescue the witch and get closer to the truth about Aiki's death.
The main sources of inspiration for the anime are Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and "The Tempest": Mahiro is the prototype of Hamlet, Yoshino is Horatio from "Hamlet" and Ariel from "The Tempest", and Hakaze is Prospero from "The Tempest". There are also many references to the playwright's works in the story, which will impress even demanding fans.
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"Empire"
Drama, musical | 3.97 out of 5 on MyShows | 6 seasons | 2015 — 2020
Inspiration: "King Lear"
Lucious Lyon is the head of a major music company and a former drag dealer who suddenly learns he has only three years to live. He has to choose an heir to the empire among his three sons while his ex-wife tries to reclaim her rightful place in the company.
Series showrunner Ilene Chaiken revealed that "Empire" was conceived as a "hip-hop version of King Lear". The show's basic plot does echo Shakespeare's tragedy, and in the first episode, the characters even directly point out this similarity when the younger Jamal asks if they ended up in "King Lear".
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"Slings & Arrows"
Comedy, drama, Rromance | 4.48 out of 5 on MyShows | 3 seasons | 2003 — 2006
Inspiration: "Hamlet", "Macbeth", "King Lear"
"Slings & Arrows" wasn't just inspired by Shakespeare's plays, this series is a declaration of love for the playwright and his works.
The project tells the story of a fictional theater festival in the Canadian town of New Burbage. In each season the company stages a different Shakespeare play: in the first season — "Hamlet", in the second — "Macbeth", and in the third and final season — "King Lear". That said, the main themes and plot of the plays often echo the issues faced by the cast and crew of the festival.
Discuss this news
but anime and Slings and arrows are somehow not familiar to me at all and passed me by. Maybe someday I'll take a look too🥲
but "Heirs" interested.
say that you are not comparing, but starting to knit them together. why?
you just got into a conversation between two people you know and are trying to impose something of your own without knowing the context. I don't see any point in discussing anything further here, I wish you all the best.
Considering that it was a little hard for you to get to that, I'll explain. Everyone sees your comments, and there can be no conversations between two people here.
I wish you all the best too.
Let's live together 🫰🏼
and in general - with this approach, in general, any production can be pulled on Shakespeare.
I was interested in what the action is around the music business. But judging by the caste, will it be only for blacks about blacks? Or what?