Art imitates life, and life imitates art — it is one of the first laws of creativity. What is produced is always inspired by nature. Inspired by real life, the following shows have proved themselves to be best shows inspired by real-life on Netflix right now.
While, arguably, there is little truth to fiction, cinema often finds its way round to uphold an event inspired by a real-life incident and makes it look more realistic with its clever portrayal. For years, bizarre real-life events have attracted filmmakers to base their films on. They often indulge in artistic liberty, straying away from the source material and blending in elements that were probably never present to add their personal touch and make the story more commercially viable.
Netflix viewers have an affinity to true crime and often find themselves indulging in content that is specifically based on real-life events. While the streamer has a wide variety of films based on real-life events, filmmakers and showrunners are now investing in creating various shows that are fictionalised accounts of true events.
If you are not sure which series you wish to binge next, do lay your eyes on the five best shows compiled below to offer you some quality content.
The five best shows based on real life:
5. The Crown (2016)
Creator Peter Morgan made this star-packed visual gem of a show and people have not stopped talking about it once through all its seasons. With brilliant actors like Claire Foy, Matt Smith, and Vanessa Kirby, amongst many others, the show is an all-time hit. Capturing the lavish and era-long reign of Queen Elizabeth II. The show mimics the life of the royals and what the politics of the state really looks like.
Catch the trailer for The Crown’s latest season here.
4. Peaky Blinders
An original BBC network-produced show, Peaky Blinders is a drama series starring a few of the time’s favourite actors including Cillian Murphy, Sam Claflin, and Tom Hardy. Based on the real-life notorious gang called Peaky Blinders from Birmingham and set in 1919, Murphy leads the Shelby family on the crime front. That is when Neil, a relentless inspector makes it his life goal to get a hold of this notorious group.
Peaky Blinders streaming on Netflix here.
3. Mindhunter
The birth of the behavioural science unit back in the ’80s, presented by David Fincher, Mindhunter is one of the best series around. Based on the real-life efforts of Agent Hold and Agent Bill Tench along with the help of academic researcher Dr Wendy created the very foundation of what we know as the Behavioural Science Unit department.
The duo teaching criminal minds in Quantico gang up to interview infamous serial killers across America to draw conclusions that help these departments narrow suspects till the day.
Mindhunter is currently streaming on Netflix here.
2. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Probably one that is the most disturbing show on the list. The story captures the disappearance of several young men when Jeffrey Dahmer happened to them. How families got affected and how people associated remain scarred to this day. The gruesome tale is presented from the victims’ perspective, giving us a more intense experience of the horrors that notorious serial killer Dahmer inflicted upon them.
Watch Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, currently streaming on Netflix, here.
1. Stranger Things
Probably the most unexpected entry on our list. In the earlier seasons of Stranger Things Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is seen to be a part of a human experiment. Wherein the children were used as pawns to exercise control over the minds of others. Dr Brenner who played Eleven’s father and the head of this experiment was working in the CIA-conducted MKUltra program before he ended up in the Hawkins lab. The Duffer Brothers were inspired by the real-life drug experiments done in the horrific MKUltra program itself.
Stranger Things is currently streaming on Netflix here.
