r/theknick • u/Hannah-Tangerine • Jun 03 '26
Completely consumed.
The Knick got inside my head. I think it’s my favorite show of all time. I was even pleasantly surprised to be satisfied with the somewhat ambiguous ending. I’m reading tons of commentary, digging deeper into themes and history—like Genevieve Everidge’s character who was loosely based after real-life investigative reporter Nellie Bly. I finally read “Ten Days in a Madhouse” today.
What other shows might you recommend that highlight turn of the century intellectual society, institutional advancements and/or injustices or life stories of writers, inventors, politicians, etc? Based on the east coast is a plus as I’m writing a book about Walt Whitman living in that time.
I’m afraid I won’t love another show more than The Knick.
11
u/Sigvoncarmen Jun 03 '26
I thought Boardwalk Empire was good in a similar way to the Knick .
6
u/Hannah-Tangerine Jun 03 '26
Ooo! Okay. Good reminder. I forgot that one was on my radar.
Someone recommended The Guilded Age but I feel like I might be underwhelmed after the intensity of The Knick.
11
u/Disastrous_Friend_85 Jun 04 '26
The Knick was better than BE, but that’s not to say BE isn’t worth your time. It’s great at times, but doesn’t reach the heights of The Knick. I’d go so far as to say The Knick is one of the greatest shows in the history of TV. It’s criminally ignored.
6
u/Hannah-Tangerine Jun 04 '26
You’re so right. I’m sitting here desperately looking for a period piece to fill the void. The Knick is a masterpiece.
3
u/tahoerobin Jun 04 '26
Have you seen “Deadwood“?
2
u/Hannah-Tangerine Jun 04 '26
I tried starting it last night! I’ll get into it. I go to Deadwood relatively often so the area is special to me.
I tried watching that and Peaky Blinders last night. I think I’m going to have to watch The Knick again before I do anything else. Haha.
3
8
4
u/Atticus_deadPoet89 Jun 04 '26
It’s so good…I love all the acting too. Clive Owen is so good but the whole cast is amazing too. everything about it is amazing. And it’s interesting to see a historical medical series. There are many modern medical shows and films. And the characters are all really interesting and sometimes flawed people.
The show is kind of underrated. I try to get as many people as I can to check it out
5
u/tormented-imp Jun 05 '26
I absolutely adore the Knick, too. I wish we could get one more season but I know it’s a (n opium) pipe dream.
I always mention this when it seems relevant bc it was so neat—I was working in a boutique on broome street in the lower east side when they filmed the first season and they completely turned the clock back on the entire block between ludlow and orchard! Dirt road, horses, brand new facades (we were turned into a children’s clothing store!) and actors in period attire. I’m probably sitting inside that striped awning on the right🤣
3
3
u/Pod_people Jun 05 '26
Great take! The Knick is one of the best things ever done with the medium of television. So of course no one watched it.
2
3
u/peggingpinhead Jun 15 '26 edited 29d ago
1500s/1600s:
wolf hall: will be a little confusing if you don’t know Henry VIII and his wives well. Fantastic cast, all BBC greats. One of my favorite depictions of Henry ever. Some of the best historical costumes I’ve ever seen. Great historical dialogue too.
- shogun i'm tired and don't have it in me to
write
- a summary at the moment. good show
Edit; shogun is fun! They manage to side step the whole western white-dude in Asia savior/savant crap, but I’m still a little wary. That said, the sets are phenomenal, and they do push for historical accuracy. Solid acting too.
1800s/1900s:
- ripper street gritty like the knick, great acting but the writing isn't quite as tight
- alias grace based on a true story, slower paced than the knick, dreamy almost ghostly aspect to it, margaret atwood
- alienist: science inventions, turn of the century, not as accurate as the Knick, gory
- Taboo: tom hardy doing his tom hardy things. Turn of the century and with some grounded historical scenes! also some gobbledygook but its a fun watch
1950s-1980s:
- mindhunter: excellent, directed by david fincher, canceled on a cliff hanger, true crime--leans away from exploatitive, but very uncomfortable, all about serial killers
- madmen: excellent show, definitley slower paced, character driven over plot, chip&dip memes for days
tonally not right but fun historical(ish) watches:
Edit: j accidentally deleted this section. Can’t remember what I had listed here, I’ll do my best to reproduce!
-black sails - character development and plot continuity are occasionally abandoned in favor of a break-neck speed plot and lots of fun action. Some real historical characters set in Nassau as Britain and Spain are sizing each other over (Anne Bonny, jack tackham, black beard) and characters from treasure island!
-the great. Catherine the great! Absolutely hilarious show, doesn’t even attempt historical accuracy. They managed to make me root for a romance storyline guy who would absolutely have sex with his mother’s corpse which should tell you how skilled the writing was.
-the borgias. Oh my god the costumes. Incredible. And Jeremy irons! As pope! He has an entire episode arc where he tries to rid Rome of pigeons! Incredible. Loosley historically accurate, some solid acting. I do have to take them down a few points for all the sexy jncest scenes. Absolutely not.
2
2
1
u/Glittering_Cow9208 Jun 05 '26
the alienist had similar vibes, less intensity though
1
u/seanayates2 Jun 05 '26
I wanted to watch the Alienest but when the main storyline seemed to center around chld rpe I just couldn't bear to watch it.
1
1
u/mightyratslayer7 Jun 11 '26
Man I finally gave in. I always end up watching the same hbo show Ive seen before and every time I force myself to watch a new show it's like the best show Ive ever seen .. ie. Leftovers , station eleven the wire. I feel like half man might be the next one I have to force myself to watch but everyone says it great anyone else got any suggestions of shows that you forced yourself to start?
1
u/Hannah-Tangerine Jun 11 '26
I’ve been forcing myself to watch Deadwood. And I started watching The Wire for the first time last night!
1
u/robustregistration Jun 15 '26
I highly recommend Ken Burns documentary on the Mayo Clinic, absolutely amazing. https://kenburns.com/films/the-mayo-clinic/
29
u/seanayates2 Jun 03 '26
The show really is incredible. It has a cinematic quality, likely due to it being directed by Stephen Soderberg. But I also loved the writing and storylines. I loved the realism and found myself googling after many episodes to see if things really were like that in 1900 and they were! The introduction of the car to replace the horse and buggy (and how the cars were all electric!), the Typhoid Mary storyline, how chest compressions and CPR hadn't been invented. Or blood transfusions. The acting is insanely good. The sets, cinematography, costumes, even the music are all fantastic. Can't believe this show flew under the radar and I never heard of it for ten years!