33 TV Shows Like Downton Abbey
33 Shows Like "Downton Abbey" to Watch When You Miss the Crawleys
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"Downton Abbey" prides itself on its historical accuracy, but "The Great" prides itself on the exact opposite. The satirical comedy is (extremely) loosely based on the true story of Catherine the Great, a minor German princess who married into the Russian royal family and wound up ruling as one of the most famous and powerful monarchs in history. The show takes a hilarious, deliberately anachronistic tone as it traces Catherine's evolution from naive young princess to idealistic queen to the fiery, manipulative leader of a coup to depose her ridiculous and cruel husband. It has plenty of opulence like "Downton," but it also puts more of a satirical spin on the trappings of the historical drama.