Prussia and Germany under Bismarck. There are even some similarities, aren’t there? Otto is posted to ambassadorships during the first season, until he manages to convince the king to make him chancellor in the midst of the crisis with parliament about the army. Then, during the second season we see him plotting against domestic opponents and international rivals, culminating in the third season’s focus on the Danish-German War, and eventually the Austro-Prussian War. We come back to see the Franco Prussian War, and perhaps the “To Play the King” and “The Final Cut” can match the Kulturkampf against the Catholic Church, and Bismarck’s fall. It would be a great idea, no?
I’d love a show based on the Mughal court- at all points there were some fascinating characters who would be amazing to see on screen, but, to make it a little more house of cards, lets get the dirty politics of the collapse. Post Aurangzeb, most people know very little about the collapse of Mughal power, so I’d start this show nearing the end of aurangzebs reign, with season one getting through his death, season two getting through the end of bahadur Shahs reign and during Jahandar Shah, season three having a little time skip and dealing with the end of farrukhsiyars reign through the year of the four emperors and up until just after the deposition of the sayyid brothers by Muhammad Shah season four showing the events surrounding Nader Shahs invasion and sack of Delhi and season five focusing on shah Alams attempts to re establish the fallen empire and perhaps ending with the battle of buxar.
Seriously a show on the CCP, while liable to getting shut down, would be perfect. See? I've even got the perfect opening credits!
Neidou (2021-2030)
Showrunners: Andy Lau, Zhang Yimou and others
Our story begins at the twilight of Maoist China, with the prosecution and later execution of the Gang of 4. A young Jiang Zemin holds a picture of Jiang Qing, turns to the camera and slyly remarks, "Nothing lasts forever, even the longest, most glittering reign must come to an end some day." Throughout the first season, Jiang Zemin climbs his way up the Shanghai Party ranks, cementing himself as the leader of his personal clique of Shanghai deputies, which catapults him to national politics. This is a rocky road, and we might get several episodes dealing with foreign investors, corruption, personal ties and the lot, essentially a primer on how Chinese politics works. We might get some throwaway references to the Sino-Vietnamese War here.
Season 2 begins with Jiang's new deputy--Zhu Rongji. Zhu is an honest man, a pragmatic economist who is too good for this world, working his ass off for the prosperity of Shanghai whilst Jiang reaps the benefits, making Jiang seem like a great leader to those who are less informed. Zhu's work makes Jiang somewhat famous amongst the political savvy, but we are shown just how weak Jiang's Shanghai clique is in comparison with reformists under Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang (actual good people who advocate apologizing to the Chinese public! The horror!), or the ever-declining but still prominent princelings, the sons of the great marshals who lay the very foundations of the People's Republic. Jiang has a fight ahead of him...
Season 3. The year is 1986, and China has been overtaken by unrest. Democracy, students say, liberty they cry--but Jiang knows better. He walks up to the students and recites the Gettysburg Address in English. For a moment, it seems like Jiang is capitulating to the dreaded reformists, but then he says, "You only know Lincoln's speech in words, you don't know the historical context of the speech." Lincoln's address referred to American slavery, he says, while China's Communist revolution was aimed at overcoming the exploitation of man by man. All the while, Jiang makes sly remarks to the camera sneering at the prospect of overrated democracy. His resolve catapults him to national politics, and there we meet the Eight Eminent Officials, and see a typically arrogant Jiang bend down and kow-tow.
Season 4 is a beefy one, as 1989 has come. It's also one where some creative liberties are taken. Hu Yaobang, leader of the reformists has died. Students have come to mourn this great leader, but mourning soon turns into unrest. Now, millions of people from all walks of life have gathered in every major city--even at Tiananmen Square, just outside the leadership's headquarters in Zhongnanhai. The Party is led by the well-meaning but ineffectual Zhao Ziyang, a reformist in the vein of Hu Yaobang (who Jiang makes clear he despises). As the mayor of Shanghai and China's most powerful official outside Beijing, Jiang is afforded a seat at the Politburo, where he advises decisive action and crackdowns. But before the party elders can come to a conclusion, the unthinkable happens. That damned fool Zhao Ziyang walks amongst the students and tells them,
"Students, we came too late. We are sorry. You talk about us, criticize us, it is all necessary. The reason that I came here is not to ask for your forgiveness. What I want to say is that you are all getting weak, it has been seven days since you went on a hunger strike, you can't continue like this. As time goes on, your body will be damaged beyond repair, it could be very life-threatening...
You are still young, we are old, you must live healthy, and see the day when China accomplishes the Four Modernizations. You are not like us. We are already old, we do not matter anymore. It is not easy for this nation and your parents to support your college studies. Now you are all about 20, and about to sacrifice your lives so easily, students, couldn't you think rationally? Now the situation is very serious, you all know, the Party and the nation is very antsy, our society is very worried. Besides, Beijing is the capital, the situation is getting worse and worse everywhere, this cannot continue. Students, you all have good will, and are for the good of our nation, but if this situation continues, loses control, it will have serious consequences elsewhere."
This shocks and outrages party leadership. What's more, Zhao's speech has been broadcast on CCTV, China's state-run TV station. All of China now thinks the party is ready to step down. But then comes the twist--unbeknownst to Jiang, Zhao had already been ousted by the elders before his (in)famous speech, and was acting out of line. Zhao will have to go, and Jiang helps Premier Li Peng (a Machiavellian character on par with Jiang that deserves his own show) declare martial law and send in the tanks. In the nights after the Tiananmen Massacre, the Party argues over who shall lead them next. The answer, the party elders say, is Jiang Zemin, the one who forsaw all this. We end with Jiang Zemin strolling through the charred remains of Tiananmen Square, attracting the gaze of the brave few civilians who dare come to the Square--perhaps to recover the dead. Jiang pays these peasants no heed, and finally enters Zhongnanhai, the beating heart of the Chinese Communist Party. Say goodbye to Mayor Jiang, and say hello to General Secretary Jiang.
I think it'd be good to end the show here. The American HoC was plagued by a lack of direction after Underwood became President, and I feel like Jiang's presidency would be far less interesting than his road to Zhongnanhai. Creative liberties will have to be taken to keep things interesting, but if the fans demand it...
Season 5 begins as Jiang visits Zhao Ziyang, the latter of which has been placed under house arrest. We might get an interesting exchange between the two, with Jiang lambasting Zhao for his naivetie, and telling Zhao that the blood of Tiananmen Square was on the reformist's hands. Jiang follows his orthodox Communist instincts and attempts to slow the pace of the reforms. Fears abound that China will slip back into Maoism, but Deng Xiaoping, still the puppetmaster behind the scenes not-so-subtly declares China's intent to reform by embarking on a tour of the rapidly modernizing South. Jiang is humiliated, and he is harshly reminded of his small power base in the party. Jiang's flagship initiative for his presidency is the deregulation of the economy and disbandment of state-owned enterprises. To cement his legitimacy, Jiang has to fight off the onslaught of party moderates and liberals, and does what he can to elevate the old gang (Zhu Rongji and the lot) to national politics. Season 5 ends with a victorious Jiang, now in control of the military, politics and economy of China, hailed as the most powerful "Paramount Leader" after Deng Xiaoping.
Season 6 lets us see some of China outside the Politburo as the country looks outwards once more. We are introduced to Clinton, a master of political brinksmanship in the vein of HoC's Vladmir Petrov, who seeks to take a strong stance against China. Jiang has to face unexpected American proactivity in the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis (if the budget allows, we get a standoff between Chinese destroyers and the might of the USS Nimitz), as well as the Belgrade Embassy Bombing, both of which are resolved in America's favour. Jiang faces a backbench rebellion in the supposed rubberstamp of the National People's Congress, and confronts the resurgent reformists under Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, both of which are disciples to Hu Yaobang and brothers in arms to Zhao Ziyang. Jiang is only saved by the timely Asian Financial Crisis, where only China comes out relatively unscathed (thanks to Zhu Rongji) and the party applauds Jiang for his leadership. Now at the end of his 10 year term, Jiang retires from Chinese politics, handing over power to Hu Jintao's reformists. The audience is led to believe this is the final season, but the last scene shows us otherwise. At the Jiang family resort, Jiang tells Zhu Rongji and the assembled elders of the Shanghai Clique how being the General Secretary isn't that important. How even without stepping foot in Zhongnanhai, Jiang can stay in power. After all, "The real power isn't here. It's above it, but still working in conjunction with it."
Season 7 has a parallel storyline between Jiang and a young mayor by the name of Xi Jinping. Xi is young, aggressive and open-minded in the same way Jiang is old, reclusive and stubborn. Xi retreads much of Jiang's ground, climbing up the party ranks rung by rung, but he doesn't directly influence Jiang's political life just yet, though his name starts showing up at the Shanghai Clique's meetings. Meanwhile, Jiang Zemin has met Hu Jintao at a national day parade to discuss a smooth transition of power. Hu and the reformists are optimistic at first, but are utterly devastated when they realize the 6 of 9 members of the cabinet are to be from the Shanghai Clique. Not only that, Jiang Zemin is to remain Chairman of the Central Military Commission indefinitely. Hu Jintao doesn't show it, but he is outraged. Jiang points to the armies parading before them, and remarks that the Chinese Army is Jiang's to command, not Hu's. Shanghai and the Reformists fight each other for dominance, but Hu proves to be a savvier political actor than his nice guy demeanour lets off. Hu outmaneuvers Jiang by rallying the moderates and princelings, warning of a return to Maoism under Jiang. Though the Shanghai Clique is sent packing, all this has come at a high political cost, and Hu is forced to share power with almost all factions of the Communist Party. Hu calls it "intraparty democracy", but a bitter Jiang knows better.
Season 8 takes a stranger pattern, as the first half of the season is devoted to Xi Jinping, with only passing references to Jiang. We simply don't know enough about Jiang's actions at this period in time to show anything. Xi is a politically supercharged rising star who has taken Shanghai by storm, and is able to take full advantage of political division in Hu's cabinet to make a name for himself. Opposite Xi is the neo-Maoist Bo Xilai, who has instituted a regime of Marxist-Leninist propaganda in the Province of Sichuan, too radical even for the Shanghai Clique. With that brief overture out of the way, we come back to Jiang. Jiang stubbornly holds onto his last asset in party politics--the military. The PLA is not just a military force, but also a political and economic force. Numerous strategic industries are under army control (and by extension, Jiang's control), resisting Hu's numerous attempts to dislodge them. We also now get to know Jiang as a person better. Age has caught up with this already unhealthy, obese individual, and the audience is shown Jiang's strength of will to continue despite being 80 something.
Season 9 starts with Jiang looking in from the sidelines as Xi Jinping is sworn in as Vice President of the PRC. Xi is a princeling, and his entry is much appreciated by this declining faction--bad news for Jiang. Jiang tries to push Bo Xilai as an alternative to Xi, with the two prospective Presidents running across China, waving to the people and getting to know political elites--it's almost like a campaign trail. Just as Bo Xilai seems close to victory, a story breaks of the killing of British citizen Neil Heywood by Bo's wife. Bo's faction implodes, and faces further investigations on the many crimes he has committed along the years. Jiang's opposition cannot stop Xi's meteoric rise, and Jiang finds himself listening to President Xi give his inaugural speech. In an attempt to rally the troops, Jiang goes to Hainan and climbs Dongshan Ridge, a scenic spot in the Province. After this demonstration of his strength of will even in his advanced age, Jiang cries out, "Jiang came here! It's a worthwhile trip!" All across China, the old members of the Shanghai Clique mobilize their political capital for a final showdown...
Season 10 opens with the trial of Bo Xilai, and we are given explicit references to the trial of Jiang Qing in Season 1. Jiang ponders his political future, and soon determines to meet the "Old Red faction", a clique of orthodox Marxists centered around Manchuria. The old reds are terrified at Xi's rapid consolidation of power, and fear that their power base might soon be subject to Xi's reign of terror. Jiang recruits more and more of the political class when 260,000 members of the Communist Party are jailed for corruption. Xi recruits Wang Qishan, who is jokingly called the "anti-corruption tsar", and with his help tries to take the PLA under his control, but that is where Jiang draws the line. Talks of a coup are thrown around (for dramatic purposes rather than historical accuracy), with PLA officers soon swearing allegiance to Xi and Jiang respectively. Ultimately, a traitor within the Jiangist PLA exposes the corrupt dealings of Jiang's top man in the army, Xu Caihou. Xu is purged and the battle for the PLA is lost. With the Shanghai Clique in full retreat, Jiang finds that he has been increasingly marginalized in party politics. Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping, whilst not liking each other still hate Jiang Zemin, and mockingly help him take his seat at the 20th Party Congress (a fictional one, the 20th party congress is in 2022) as if Jiang were a baby learning to walk and talk. Jiang knows when he has lost, and suffers from indecision as the last Shanghai Clique loyalists beg for instructions that Jiang can't give. The series ends with Jiang staring blindly into the distance as a guest of honour at the Party Congress, realizing that he is an old man in a young party.
Our three leads
Cast
Discarding all pretence of realism, I think Hong Kong actor Leung Kaifai, Tony can easily fill the shoes of Jiang Zemin. Leung Kafai is an accomplished actors and one of Hong Kong's greats. He has no trouble portraying evil characters, though he might want to put on some weight for Jiang.
Zhu Rongji, Jiang's less machiavellian deputy can be played by Wang Xueqi. Zhu is considered a good and benevolent leader by Chinese people, but he is also a stern face who upholds China's economic benefits before American diplomatic overtures. As someone who has acted in numerous martial arts filmed, Wang Xueqi has this aura about him that fits Zhu Rongji.
Ge You can play Deng Xiaoping. Ge gives the impression of a weakling, but can be rather imposing given the right director and the right role. With some camera magic, Ge You fit Deng Xiaoping's caricature of an impoverished Hakka hillbilly who surprises you with his power.
I was also thinking of casting Tang Guoqiang as Hu Jintao. Tang is an accomplished actor from '90s Chinese TV shows, and has much experience in historical dramas. He has played Emperor Yongzheng, Mao Zedong (numerous times) as well as Zhuge Liang, all of which had dramatic political lives. The key here is that all these characters are flawed but well meaning, much like how modern Chinese view Hu. He looks considerably older than real life than this picture seems to show, but makeup can fix anything. Might also need to adapt to a character who grovels a bit more.
The choice for Xi Jinping is rather obvious--Chow Yunfat. Chow has no love for the Communist Party so there is at least a minusciule possibility of him agreeing to play the character. Chow is charismatic and typically plays good guys, but can still give depth to his characters. Again, has to put on some weight and lose some muscle.
Leung Chiu Wai can play Bo Xilai. Bo is a bit more good looking than most of the characters we've introduced, so an above average looking actor would fit the role. Don't know enough about Leung Chiu Wai to say much more.
Chen Jianbin is a more versatile actor who can still add depth to his characters. A Western reader might know him as Cao Cao from Three Kingdoms (2010). The characters he plays in other shows tend to be sympathetic IMO, so that suits Zhao Ziyang, who is remembered as one of China's few genuine democratic reformers.
Open to suggestions on who to play Clinton, as well as other input.
A show set in the Thirty Years' War. One of the story lines could follow the life of lansquenet Peter Hagendorf, who's left us a pretty detailed diary of 25 years of his wartime experiences, another the meteoric rise and fate of Albrecht von Wallenstein, yet another one the struggle of Friedrich Spee von Langenfeld against witch burnings. Each season could be set against the background of one of the phases of the war, beginning with the Bohemian Revolt, the Danish intervention, the Swedish intervention, the French intervention and finally the road to the Peace of Westphalia.
Harun al Rashid life and beginning reign alot of cool characters. Evil brother whos a tyrant, a ambitious mom who was a slave and now most powerful woman in the islamic world and would kill her son, harun a enlighten leader trying to make things better. Different factions in court joking for power turks, persians, arabs, kurds, etc. Clash between the clergy and the military. Harem for all debauchery. Rival empire Byzantium.
The Turkish TV show "The Magnificent Century" is probably what you're looking for. It ran from 2011 to 2014 and was a historical soap-opera based on the life of Suleyman the Magnificent. It had a huge international audience, especially in former Ottoman territories which is part of the reason it was eventually cancelled. The Turkish government really didn't like that it showed any negative aspect of Turkish history at all.
I don't think that's right. The current government is the reason soap operas that evoke nostalgia for the Ottoman Empire like this exist get made. Shows like this wouldn't have been made back in the 1960s or 1970s, where they were just cheesy telenovelas that were as uncontroversially European as possible. It wasn't shut down by the government; it was enormously successful, and had a second series called Magnificent Century: Kosem about Kosem Sultan.
There's also a TV drama about Abdulhamid II called Payahit: Abdulhamid, which is set during his reign from 1878 until he is overthrown by the Young Turks in 1908. Now, it casts Abdulhamid -- a paranoid and bloody-minded man, whose secret police hunted down hundreds of Armenians and other Christians -- in kind of a semi-sympathetic light. And it's true that the Russian invasion, the Balkan Wars, and the sovereign debt crisis weren't his fault (though obviously not an excuse for ethnic cleansing). But this is something of a break from normal Turkish TV. Ataturk's cult of personality would not have allowed Abdulhamid as a well-intentioned but childish and paranoid and complicated man, or the Young Turks as anything but uncritically sympathetic, or have allowed the Armenian Massacres to be discussed at all, let alone in a context that complicates the morality of the Young Turks.
I’m a little surprised nobody has mentioned Wallachia from 1428-1477, specifically following the life of Vlad Draculea. We have a very caricaturized view of him in the States and much of Western Europe in general, but he was a very, very interesting character whose life has all the makings of a Martinesque political drama.
Austria/the HRE in the mid-15th century, when the Habsburgs were securing the throne. Remarkable intricate diplomacy and intrigue, in the context of the fall of Constantinople, end of the Hundred Year's War, and dawn of the Renaissance; Imperial diplomats had a hand in every major event of a pivotal point in history.
House of MonticelloThe Dark Side of Thomas Jefferson
Season 1 (The Election of 1796)
Episode #1: "John Adams"
Episode #2: "Rise of Hamilton"
Episode #3: "The Problem with Sally"
Episode #4: "Party Politics"
Episode #5: "Election Night"
Episode #6: "Faithless Electors"
Season 2 (The Election of 1800)
Episode #1: "The Vice-Presidency"
Episode #2: "Republican Newspapers"
Episode #3: "The Sally Hemings Affair"
Episode #4: "Interposition"
Episode #5: "The Deal with Burr; Election Night"
Episode #6: "The Burr Coup"
Season 3 (The Presidency)
Episode #1: "Pirates"
Episode #2: "The Louisiana Deal"
Episode #3: "The Duel"
Episode #4: "The Problem with John Marshall"
Episode #5: "Treason"
Episode #4: "O Grab Me"
The Mongols tend to be viewed as uncomplicated fighters, but they were a lot more fond of intrigue than many suspect. Maybe a show about increasing divisions in the Mongol Empire - starting with the power struggles after the death of Ögedei Khan - could do well.