It's time to get real ... because we're talking about tv shows that are based on real events! Fiction is fun, but there's nothing better than a series that you know actually came from true events or people that really existed. But which show is our favorite?
Scroll through the list to see TV Time users' most-watched limited series or miniseries based on true events!
16. American Soul
This scripted drama tells the story of a young, ambitious and troubled entrepreneur who created Soul Train, one of the most predominant television shows for African-American culture. Set in the early 1970s and filled with music, dance, fashion and glamour, the series reveals what it took to launch the first nationally-syndicated black music show and what happened when the music stopped. Through it all, 30-something Don Cornelius sacrifices all that he loves to follow his dream.
15. Mrs. Wilson
After the sudden death of novelist and former Secret Intelligence Service agent Alexander Wilson in 1960s London, his wife Alison is forced to investigate when mysteries from her late husband's past come knocking.
14. Delhi Crime
Based on a Delhi gang rape case, this crime drama follows the Delhi Police investigation into the finding of the men who perpetrated the crime.
This series tells the story of Jeremy Thorpe, a member of Parliament who, in 1979, was tried and later acquitted of conspiring to murder his ex-lover, Norman Scott. Beginning in the 1960s, Thorpe is the leader of the Liberal Party, the youngest head of a political party in 100 years. But he is hiding an affair with a man at a time when homosexuality is still illegal. When Scott threatens to reveal the affair, Thorpe decides upon a plan of action that eventually exposes the scandal and leads to a watershed moment in British social and political life, illuminating the level of dark secrets and cover-ups in the British establishment.
12. Waco
In February 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms raids David Koresh's Branch Davidian compound, a small religious community located just outside of Waco, Texas, triggering a drawn-out gun battle that kills four ATF agents and six civilians and wounds dozens more people. After a 51-day standoff, the conflict ends when an FBI assault leads to a fire that engulfs the compound, killing 76 Branch Davidians, including Koresh. Told from the perspectives of those who were there, including chief FBI negotiator Gary Noesner and survivor David Thibodeau, this six-part scripted series dramatizes one of the most misunderstood stories in American history.
11. The Hot Zone
In 1989, the Ebola virus appears in chimpanzees in a research lab in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and there is no known cure; a U.S. Army scientist puts her life on the line to head off an outbreak before it spreads to the human population.
10. Fosse/Verdon
Spanning five decades, this series explores the singular romantic and creative partnership between Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon. Bob is a visionary filmmaker and one of the theater's most influential choreographers and directors, and Gwen is the greatest Broadway dancer of all time. Only Bob can create the groundbreaking musicals that allow Gwen to showcase her greatness. Only Gwen can realize the unique vision in Bob's head. Together, they will change the face of American entertainment -- at a perilous cost.
9. Trust
This drama delves into the trials and triumphs of one of America's wealthiest and unhappiest families, the Gettys. Equal parts family history, dynastic saga and an examination of the corrosive power of money, this show explores the complexities at the heart of every family, rich or poor. Told over multiple seasons and spanning the 20th century, the series begins in 1973 with the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, an heir to the Getty oil fortune, by the Italian mafia in Rome. His captors banked on a multimillion-dollar ransom. But Paul's grandfather, enigmatic oil tycoon J. Paul Getty Sr. -- possibly the richest man in the world -- is busy being marooned in a Tudor mansion in the English countryside with a harem of mistresses and a pet lion. Paul's father, J. Paul Getty Jr., is lost in a daze in London and refuses to answer the phone. Only Paul's mother, Gail Getty, is left to negotiate with the increasingly desperate kidnappers. Unfortunately, she's broke.
Created, written and directed by Ava DuVernay, this series exposes the breakdown of the U.S. criminal justice system during the Central Park Five case.
This series traces the rising threat of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida in the late '90s and how a rivalry between the FBI and CIA during the time period may have inadvertently set the path for the attacks of 9/11. The series follows members of the I-49 Squad in New York and Alec Station in Washington, D.C. -- the counterterrorism divisions of the FBI and CIA, respectively -- as they travel around the world, fighting for ownership of information while seemingly working toward a common goal of preventing an imminent attack on American soil. The drama is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name by Lawrence Wright.
An epic story of love and war, intrigue and betrayal. When Helen and Paris fall in love, they trigger a chain of events that threatens their families and the city of Troy.
The small sleepy town of Dannemora is home to the Clinton Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison. Two inmates, Richard Matt and David Sweat become entangled in the life of a married female prison employee in the summer of 2015. Tilly Mitchell, an employee at Clinton Correctional Facility becomes romantically entangled with both convicts and aids in their escape from the facility.
4. Dirty John
Debra Newell has a perfect life -- from the outside -- she's successful, beautiful and lives in Newport Beach, one of California's most desirable coastal cities. The only thing missing from her life is love, so when she meets the charismatic, handsome and charming Dr. John Meehan, she is swept off her feet in a whirlwind romance. Her daughters, Terra and Veronica, set out to prove that he's just a conman after they are displeased at the fast-tracked relationship and decide to investigate their mother's new beau for themselves. As Debra gets drawn deeper into his lies, the psychological manipulation has consequences for the entire family.
3. The Act
Dee Dee Blanchard is overprotective of her daughter, Gypsy, who is trying to escape the toxic relationship she has with her mother. Gypsy's quest for independence opens up a Pandora's box of secrets, which ultimately leads to murder. The stranger-than-fiction true-crime series is based on a 2016 BuzzFeed article that detailed the shocking 2015 crime.
2. Chernobyl
Brave men and women act heroically to mitigate catastrophic damage when the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant suffers a nuclear accident on April 26, 1986.
1. American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace
The second season of American Crime Story explores the murder of designer Gianni Versace by spree killer Andrew Cunanan, based on Maureen Orth's book Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History.
*The Top Tracked Limited & Miniseries are based on episodes tracked within the past year (June 4, 2018-June 4, 2019) -- including scripted series from 2018-2019.
