9 popular series that are based on real-life people and events

Published on October 30, 2017, 3:07 pm

Written by Straker Julia in TV Shows

Whilst lots of series are born from a scriptwriter's imagination, you'd be surprised at the number of TV shows that were inspired by real-life people or events. What's more, many of these have become classic cult series and huge money-makers for the TV stations that bought the rights. Proof that fact can sometimes be stranger than fiction!

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Here are 9 popular series inspired by real-life people or events

1. Stranger Things is based on CIA experiments

The Duffer brothers' imaginative and creative skills are apparent as soon as you sit down to watch this show, particularly when it comes to the extraterrestrial elements. That said, Eleven's flashbacks are based on truth! Project MKUltra was a 1970's CIA mind control program, where human guinea pigs were given a truth serum. Even more disturbing, many of these poor souls already suffered from mental illnesses and some of the tests were completely illegal!

2. Peaky Blinders is based on a notorious English gang

As with Vikings, Band of Brothers, Tudors, Boardwalk Empire, etc., Peaky Blinders is also partly based on fact. It tells the tale of a 19th Century English criminal gang who once ruled the streets of Birmingham.

3. Dexter was a real person

Jeff Lindsay, the author, denies that his story's based on fact, but the similarities between Dexter Morgan and Manuel Pardo are uncanny. A real-life vigilante, Pardo was a Florida cop who killed 9 dealers and was sentenced to death in 2012, after he admitted being responsible for these crimes. As with Dexter, Pardo also claimed that it was his 'duty' to kill his victims and he never shied away from his punishment.

4. Medium's producer inspired the series' author

This psychic mother actually helped the Texan police to solve several crimes. Her story inspired the writer, who in turn helped her to become the series' producer!

5. Orange is the New Black is based on an autobiography

Piper Chapman existed long before the series, which is based on her autobiography. Although her girlfriend's character is called Alex Vause in the series, the rest of story stays relatively true to actual events. The only differences are that the women never had a sexual relationship whilst in prison and they were only jailed for 5 weeks...

6. Breaking Bad is based on a true story

William Duncan was a chemistry teacher in Texas. When he was diagnosed with a cancer he, along with a friend, set up meth laboratories and they were finally arrested in 2011. Other elements in the series are fiction, designed to make show even more action-packed than the real-life events.

7. Mark Whalberg's life inspired Entourage

It wasn't a secret that Entourage was based on its Executive Producer's life, but it goes to show that one man's tale was captivating enough for the series to pick up 6 Emmy's and a Golden Globe!

8. Scrubs' creator was inspired by one of his friends

Jonathan Doris is a friend of Scrubs' creator Bill Lawrence. Whenever they met up, Doris would recount stories about his hospital job that Lawrence would promptly adapt for each episode of Scrubs!

9. A 90's vampire hunter fell in love with a 'real-life' vampire, inspiring Buffy, The Vampire Slayer

During the 90's, a certain Buffy helped police to investigate 'paranormal' cases. This gave her access to the darker members of society, leading her to meet and fall in love with a so-called vampire. This inspired the series' creator and Sarah Michelle Gellar was cast as the shows vampire-slaying lead.

Sources: Paris Match, Scoopwhoop, Thrillist

By Straker Julia
Writer

Passionate about writing, I write articles on the subjects that I love. Creativity and Animals themes are my favorites!