The Historical Drama Hidden Gem You Can Binge On Amazon

The American Revolution is a popular subject for dramatization. It's provided the backdrop for numerous films and TV series, as well as one very famous musical. Most stories we see, such as Mel Gibson's "The Patriot," follow the colonists who successfully conquered the British military and escaped the rule of the monarchy. But what happened to the British soldiers who lost, and fled back across the Atlantic to rebuild their lives in England?  

"Poldark," set in late 1700s Cornwall, tells the story of one such soldier. Ross Poldark returns home after the war, only to discover his family believed him to be dead. The woman he hoped to marry is engaged to his cousin, and his father has died, leaving him with a deteriorating inherited property. Poldark must navigate his new circumstances in a rapidly changing English society. 

The show is based on Winston Graham's novels of the same name. It aired on Britain's BBC One and on America's PBS from 2015-2019.  "Poldark" was praised by critics and audiences alike upon release. Fans loved its riveting melodrama, adventure, and romance, and the show's first season holds a 91% Tomatometer score and 89% audience approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, as a result. 

Now, viewers who are eager to see how the other side fared post-Revolution can enjoy the series on Amazon Prime.

Irish actor Aidan Turner stars in the titular role. Fans may recognize his handsome visage from his performance as Kili in "The Hobbit" trilogy. Turner was the showrunner's first choice for the starring role. Executive producer Debbie Horsfield even said at the time, "We knew [Turner] was perfect ... There was never anyone else in the frame" (via The New York Post). 

Turner was shocked to be offered the role. "There was a knock on the door and the FedEx guy was there with the first two Poldark books and all eight scripts for the series," Turner told The New York Post in 2015. "I thought, 'What on earth is this?' Then my agent calls and says there's an offer for me to play the part of Ross Poldark. That had never happened to me before. It was surreal." 

Turner has been lauded for his performance, with a nomination Best Actor at the Irish Film and Television Awards in 2016 and 2017, as well as a Breakthrough Award from the 2016 Broadcasting Press Guild. Turner's rugged good looks, of course, have also helped with the actor's popularity.

For fans of "Downton Abbey," "Outlander," or really anyone who enjoys watching hot people with accents thrust into an epic melodrama, "Poldark" is an unmissable, perfectly bingable piece of historical TV.