HISTORY'S SCRIPTED MINISERIES SONS OF LIBERTY PREMIERES JANUARY 25, 2015 & EARNS WHOM YOU KNOW'S HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION Our Coverage Sponsored by Stribling and Associates
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...and we thought we were only getting super excited for Vikings on The History Channel! (Which we are.) Airing before Vikings is the best dramatic historical miniseries we believe we've ever seen: Sons of Liberty.
We've been commemorating this series by using quotes of the Founding Fathers as a leadup, in Quotable Peachy.
Of course, we think history in general is exciting anyway, but in case you need convincing, you ought to know that the twists, turns, action and cliffhangers captured over these three nights will leave you knowing that this was the best subject in school, and maybe you didn't have the right teacher.
Let the History channel be your guide to the American Revolution!
Opening in 1765 in Boston, Sons of Liberty opens with the most exciting footage of 18th century reenactment since Mover and Shaker Bryce Pinkham said in the Fiat commercial that the British are coming.
Can you imagine Sam Adams himself offering to get you a pint? Of course, drink Sam Adams beer when you're watching, and order from Durgin Park if you are close enough to Boston. Maybe some tea too, because they do address the real Tea Party. With all of the talk in the news right now of the New England Patriots, you might want to think about where this amazing football team got there name.
They got it from these Sons of Liberty, of course! Before there was an America or footballs, inflated fully or not, there was a New England.
Margaret Gage (Emily Berrington) was our favorite character, and huge props to her for defying her onerous British husband and being an aide to the colonies.
Though she is not in every scene, she dominates the scenes she's in with her stealth intelligence and great representation of women.
John Hancock was played well too, and his combined assets of assets and influence lend itself to some terrific smuggling scenes, which you will not want to miss. There's a lot of brilliant New England innovative thinking employed in this series!
Of course, we adored the pub scenes.
But starting a revolution is obviously a serious business, and the contrast between the gory war segments and the upbeat parts is vast.
The British may be America's best friend today, but all of us in America know we were "the one that got away" for the mother country.
And, it is superb to take a look back to see how it all started.
They hit on all the big events from the Boston Massacre to Lexington and Concord to Bunker Hill. Which was really Breed's Hill, if you know your history.
Watch the gunpowder very carefully. Certainly, much more carefully than the Brits!
And Paul Revere on his horse is just perfect.
We loved the Continental Congress Scenes, and you're going to want to cheer "USA!" throughout, but remember the USA started eleven years after the start of this series. So, GO COLONIES! Everyone including George Washington makes an appearance.
A scene not to miss: Ben Franklin, in the bathtub.
Really.
There's nothing DRY about this series: it's pure entertainment!
Perhaps the History channel should rerun this right around April 15th as misery loves company, and taxation is addressed in full here.
Our only suggestion? Maybe Daughters of Liberty next time.
Sons of Liberty by The History Channel has earned Whom You Know's Highest Recommendation. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of the History Channel!
Adams, Hancock, Revere…Their Rebellious Story of America’s Fight for Freedom Told in…
SONS OF LIBERTY
New Three-Night Scripted Miniseries Premieres
Sunday, January 25, at 9 p.m. on HISTORY®
HISTORY premieres its newest scripted miniseries, SONS OF LIBERTY, on January 25, 26 and 27 at 9 p.m. The three-night, six-hour event follows a defiant and radical group of young men – Sam Adams, John Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock and Dr. Joseph Warren – as they band together in secrecy to change the course of history and make America a nation.
The Sons of Liberty sparked a revolution. The cast depicting them includes Ben Barnes (The Chronicles of Narnia) as Sam Adams, a natural-born leader with charisma and a penchant for mischief; Ryan Eggold (The Blacklist) as Dr. Joseph Warren, a doctor and man of conscience and integrity; Michael Raymond-James (Jack Reacher, Terriers, True Blood) as Paul Revere, a veteran who wholeheartedly joins forces with Sam Adams; Rafe Spall (Prometheus, Life of Pi) as John Hancock, the wealthiest man in Boston at the time; and Henry Thomas (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Gangs of New York, Legends of the Fall) as John Adams, a lawyer and the conservative, smart cousin of Sam Adams. Also featured are Marton Csokas (The Equalizer, The Lord of the Rings, Rogue) as the ferocious General Thomas Gage, who is sent to handle the colonial unrest in Boston; Emily Berrington (24: Live Another Day) as Margaret Gage; Jason O’Mara (The Good Wife, Terra Nova, Life on Mars) as General George Washington; and Dean Norris (Breaking Bad, Under the Dome, Men, Women & Children) as the brilliant yet mischievous diplomat Benjamin Franklin.
Calling themselves the Sons of Liberty, they light the spark that ignited our revolution. While many of their names have become legendary, this group of young rebels didn’t start off as noble patriots. They were a new generation of young American men from varied backgrounds, struggling to find purpose in their lives. They were looking for equality, but they found something greater: independence.
SONS OF LIBERTY is a dramatic interpretation of events that sparked a revolution. For historical information about the Sons of Liberty and the pre-American revolution, please go to history.com.
SONS OF LIBERTY is produced by A+E Studios in association with Stephen David Entertainment for HISTORY. Kari Skogland (Boardwalk Empire, Vikings, Fifty Dead Men Walking) is set to helm. Title theme by Academy Award® winner Hans Zimmer. Written by Stephen David and David C. White. Russ McCarroll and Elaine Frontain Bryant are executive producers for HISTORY. Stephen David and Matthew Gross also serve as executive producers. A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights to Sons of Liberty and will distribute it under the A+E Studios International™banner.
About HISTORY®
HISTORY®, now reaching more than 96 million homes, is the leading destination for award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across all platforms. he network’s all-original programming slate, including scripted event programming, features a roster of hit series including American Pickers®, American Restoration™, Ax Men™, Counting Cars™, Pawn Stars® and Swamp People® as well as HISTORY®’s first scripted series Vikings, and epic miniseries and special programming such as The Bible, The Men Who Built America and the Emmy® Award-winning Hatfields & McCoys, Gettysburg, Vietnam in HD, America The Story of Us® and 102 Minutes That Changed America. The HISTORY® website is the leading online resource for all things history, and in 2011, the United States Library of Congress selected HISTORY®’s Civil War 150 site for inclusion in the historic collection of Internet materials related to the American Civil War sesquicentennial. www.history.com.
About A+E Studios
A+E Studios is the studio unit of the award-winning global media company A+E Networks, LLC. A+E Studios creates, produces and distributes high quality scripted programming across all networks and platforms in the A+E Networks portfolio, including A&E Network, Lifetime, History, LMN, FYI, H2 and A&E IndieFilms. A+E Studios is currently in production on "The Returned," a new series inspired by the internationally acclaimed French hit "Les Revenant," for A&E Network; and "Un-Real," an original series for Lifetime. A+E Studios’ "Houdini," a four-hour event for History, aired in the fall of 2014.
About Stephen David Entertainment
Stephen David Entertainment (SDE) is an Emmy® Award-winning New York based production company. The company counts The Men Who Built America and The World Wars among its popular event series. In the five years since its inception, SDE has developed numerous docudrama mini-series and specials frequently utilizing CGI and state-of-the art technology. SDE is currently in productions on shows for HISTORY and Xbox.
Character Descriptions
Sam Adams (Ben Barnes) A natural-born leader with charisma and a penchant for mischief, Sam Adams is a man full of bright ideas and colorful opinions, but his compassion betrays his work ethic and he loses money as fast as he acquires it. This son of Boston accidentally sets in motion the resistance against the British while trying to clear his debts, and the unrest he triggers leads to unexpected consequences. Turning tragedy into triumph is a strong suit of Sam’s, and together with the other Sons of Liberty, he becomes the main leader of what will soon become the American Revolution.
John Hancock (Rafe Spall) John Hancock is the wealthiest man in Boston, a loyalist who has made a fortune as a shipping merchant through a somewhat dubious deal he has struck with the governor. When Sam Adams starts to stir up trouble, it’s the governor himself who turns to Hancock for help. But the relationship sours when Hancock oversteps his authority. The tables turn when the British try to crack down on Hancock’s fleet, seizing his ships. He’s forced to seek Sam’s help as they form a partnership that will forever shape the world as we know it.
John Adams (Henry Thomas) John Adams is a lawyer, a scholar and the most educated of the Sons of Liberty. He’s also uniquely acquainted with Sam as his cousin. He initially refuses to be drawn in by Sam because he believed in the rule of law above all else. But once the fighting starts, resulting in the casualties on the streets of Boston, he can no longer turn a blind eye and John eventually joins forces with the Sons.
Paul Revere (Michael Raymond-James) Paul Revere is an accidental addition to the Sons of Liberty. When the group rents his shop, the disgruntled veteran of the Seven Years’ War gets caught up in the antiauthoritarian rhetoric. Before he knows it, Revere is one of the men who pushes back the hardest against the Crown. Along the way, he makes a ride from Boston to Lexington and Concord that, to this day, is one of the most famous in our country’s history.
Dr. Joseph Warren (Ryan Eggold) History has largely forgotten the good doctor. Joseph Warren was a man of conscience and integrity who was connected to many influential Bostonians on both sides of the conflict. A lifelong acquaintance of Sam Adams, he was also the physician who attended to General Gage and his wife. Sam and his fellow Sons of Liberty see the advantage to the proximity and enlist Warren. The doctor eventually becomes privy to some of the most important information of the war and uses it to supply intelligence on the British.
General Thomas Gage (Marton Csokas) General Thomas Gage is a brutal man who is sent by the king to handle the unrest in Boston by any means necessary. Gage puts the city on lockdown, instructing his men to crack down on any signs of resistance. The brutal tactics he employs put the city on edge, and his soldiers’ actions ultimately light the fuse on a rebellion that cannot be stopped.
Benjamin Franklin (Dean Norris) The unofficial colonial representative to the British Parliament, Benjamin Franklin is constantly explaining Sam Adams’ misdeeds. But his advocacy for leniency with the colonists doesn’t endear him to the Crown. When the Sons of Liberty push too hard, Franklin is banished and returns to Philadelphia after 12 years. Soon, these same men who forced his exit from London are at his door enlisting his help in rallying the colonies.
George Washington (Jason O’Mara) George Washington is an intense military veteran. A former British Army officer, he has become a farmer in Virginia and one of the most respected men in his colony. When he’s called to the First Continental Congress and meets Sam Adams, his advice sets some of the groundwork for what will become the legendary Continental Army.
Margaret Gage (Emily Berrington) Margaret Gage is stuck in a miserable marriage to General Thomas Gage that is abusive and adulterous. Born in New Jersey, Margaret, unlike her husband, is overjoyed to be back in America. She soon develops a friendship with Dr. Warren that grows over time. Eventually, Margaret provides the Sons of Liberty with some of their most useful intelligence in their early clashes with the British.
John Pitcairn (Kevin Ryan) Second in command of the British forces in the colonies, John Pitcairn is forced to carry out some of the most brutal of General Gage’s tactics. Even though he detests some of the tasks he’s asked to execute, he does them and does them well.
