TV shows with plots that span decades?

November 17, 2014 7:16 AM

I'm looking for television shows that have plots that span long periods of time. Boardwalk Empire comes to mind. So does The Borgias.

I'm not picky about place, time, or where the show is made, but shows about dynasties or families are especially good, especially if they are real.

Also, probably goes without saying, but it'd be nice if the show is smart and enjoyable to watch...

Thanks!

posted by vecchio to Media & Arts (28 answers total)

Our Friends in the North is a really good series set in the North of England which spans around 30 years.
posted by billiebee at 7:21 AM on November 17, 2014 [2 favorites]

I, Claudius.
posted by Hartster at 7:27 AM on November 17, 2014 [6 favorites]

Rome does this for ancient Rome. I, Claudius even more so.

Very technically, How I Met Your Mother.

Also, most long-running soap operas and professional wrestling (two of the same thing).
posted by Parasite Unseen at 7:29 AM on November 17, 2014

Additional things: I've never seen it, but Heimat is generally considered one of the big things in this area.

Also, it's a documentary so it may not qualify, but The Up Series is pretty amazing (and heartbreaking and funny and educational and pretty much all of life).
posted by Hartster at 7:34 AM on November 17, 2014

Downton Abbey starts in 1912 and they are up to the early 1920's.
posted by Captain_Science at 7:42 AM on November 17, 2014

You might end up enjoying Once Upon A Time.

On a totally different line of thinking, you might also enjoy Downton Abbey, if you're not already watching it. It doesn't necessarily span *that* much time, but they take great pains to be as period-accurate as possible, and you definitely feel the passage of time as you watch across multiple seasons.
posted by Citrus at 7:42 AM on November 17, 2014

Upstairs Downstairs' original series originally covered the period 1903- 1930. It was revived a few years back and covers up to the start of WWII.

Downton Abbey starts with the Titanic and I think has gone on to the 1930's.
posted by threetwentytwo at 7:43 AM on November 17, 2014

Also, technically speaking, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure spans multiple generations. But, you probably weren't picturing anything animated (or, anything quite that schlocky) when you asked the question. :)
posted by Citrus at 7:46 AM on November 17, 2014

It is only a four hour mini-series, but Olive Kitteridge is one of the best things I have seen on television this year. It starts with Olive's life in middle age and extends well into old age. Bill Murray makes a nice cameo, but Frances McDormand gives the show stopping performance here.
posted by caddis at 7:46 AM on November 17, 2014

The Forsyte Saga should do the trick.
posted by oinopaponton at 7:55 AM on November 17, 2014 [5 favorites]

Sadly, this is the only one I can think of off the top of my head: The Thorn Birds
posted by TWinbrook8 at 7:57 AM on November 17, 2014 [2 favorites]

PBS recent mini-series documentary of The Roosevelts. ( A Ken Burns Joint)
posted by Gungho at 8:19 AM on November 17, 2014 [1 favorite]

The Pillars of the Earth spans about half a century. It's set in the 1100s in the town of Kingsbridge, England. The book follows the building of the town's cathedral and the political/religious/architectural changes over the years.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 8:28 AM on November 17, 2014

Roots.
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:44 AM on November 17, 2014 [3 favorites]

Blackadder.
posted by jbickers at 8:54 AM on November 17, 2014 [2 favorites]

The Tudors is not exactly smart, but it does the same thing that Downton Abbey does where it pays a lot of attention to period detail (sometimes incorrectly but they definitely try) so you can see the fashions and some of the architecture and other trimmings changing. It covers several decades.
posted by jessamyn at 8:57 AM on November 17, 2014 [2 favorites]

The Centennial miniseries, based on the James Michener novel, is the story of a fictional Colorado town from the late 1700s through the 1970s. Michener made a specialty of writing books that cover some thousands of years of history of a particular place, generally including a number of different generations of certain key families, but Centennial seems to be the only TV series based on his works that attempts that same type of multi-century sweep.

Michener's Space miniseries covers about 25 years, so might be interesting also.

In other TV & film adaptions of Michener's novels where the novel covers a wide historical period, the tv/movie adaption covers just a chapter or small section of the novel. Examples: Texas, Hawaii, and The Hawaiians.
posted by flug at 9:09 AM on November 17, 2014 [2 favorites]

The 1970s Upstairs, Downstairs TV series covers 1903-1930. If you add in the 2010-2012 extension of the series it takes you up to 1939.
posted by flug at 9:13 AM on November 17, 2014

The first three books of The Kent Family Chronicles cover the last quarter of the 18th century, and were adapted into three miniseries.
posted by mkb at 9:20 AM on November 17, 2014

The Italian miniseries Best of Youth (La meglio gioventù) which is so so good and not nearly long enough at a total six hours and that I so rarely get the chance to recommend, so please, check it out!
posted by kaspen at 9:29 AM on November 17, 2014 [2 favorites]

HBO's excellent series John Adams (2008) covers the family--and the history of the United States--from 1770 to 1826.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 9:36 AM on November 17, 2014

Red Riding, a 3-part miniseries. (trailer w/some interview bits; not sure if spoilery)
posted by methroach at 9:37 AM on November 17, 2014 [1 favorite]

BBC's Foyle's War. Each season is a year in WWII (and the years following: the latest is late 40s/early 50s). Nobody does period detective drama better than BBC.
posted by bonehead at 10:41 AM on November 17, 2014

The CW's One Tree Hill aired for 9 years and covered a total of 12 years in the lives of the characters. There is a complicated description on that wiki page called Timeline showing which seasons spanned 1/2 year, which ones skipped various periods: 4 years, 5 years, 14 months, one year.
posted by CathyG at 11:16 AM on November 17, 2014

Outlander sort of does this with the help of time travel.

Fringe as well, with the help of... well, that would be spoilers.
posted by ridogi at 12:36 PM on November 17, 2014 [1 favorite]

The Duchess of Duke Street (1976/1977) is set between 1900 and 1925 and is one of my favourite tv shows of all time.
posted by h00py at 7:55 PM on November 17, 2014

Possibly The Winds Of War/War and Remembrance brace of miniseries. More wide-ranging geographically than in years, it follows a large family and their friends through just about very major event of WW2.
posted by lhauser at 8:11 PM on November 17, 2014

Seconding The Tudors and The Pillars of the Earth.

Rome is another one, taking place between 49 BCE and 31 BCE (and would have gone up through the rise of Jesus in Palestine in (presumably) the 30s/40s CE, had it not been cancelled.). *shakes fist*
posted by JimBJ9 at 11:32 AM on November 18, 2014