Line #27 Creator/TheHistoryChannel


1	[[quoteright:652:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/652px_history_logo_2008_2015svg.png]]
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3	-> ''"This weekend on The History Channel, [[Series/AmericanPickers someone digs through old plastic junk]] ("It's a ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard'' wastebasket!"), [[Series/PawnStars someone else tries to sell a doll head]] ("I used to take the heads off the bodies, and I kept the heads")... and Creator/LarryTheCableGuy taste-tests Tabasco sauce ("I can't feel my dadgum tongue!"). The History Channel. What the hell happened to us?"''
4	-->-- ''Series/JimmyKimmelLive''
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6	[[https://www.history.com The History Channel]] is a network (under the umbrella of [=A+E=] Networks) that dedicates itself (or [[NetworkDecay once dedicated itself, depending on who you ask]]) to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin history]]. The network was particularly famous for its sometimes [[AdoredByTheNetwork excessive]] coverage of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII leading some to call it [[FanNickName The Hitler Channel]].
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8	[[NetworkDecay Then]] the channel went through a phase where it was obsessed with ''Literature/TheDaVinciCode'', aliens and [[ApocalypseHow the apocalypse]]. Nowadays, the lineup has favored documentary-style reality shows: Some (''Series/PawnStars'', ''Series/AmericanPickers'') occasionally have something do to with history, especially Americana. Others (''Series/AxMen'', ''Series/IceRoadTruckers'', the [[CulturalTranslation American version of]] ''Series/{{Top Gear\|US}}'') [[NetworkDecay don't]]. On most days, there's almost no history-related programming on the schedule. You might get lucky if it's a holiday or other day of historical significance. A sister channel, ''H2'' (formerly ''History International''), was closer to the original History Channel in terms of "historical" programming, though it did adopt a lot of the paranormal programming as well once the name changed. It was replaced in 2016 by ''Viceland'', a joint venture of A&E Networks ana the Canadian Vice Media, centered around documentaries. Also in the mix is ''Military History'', which reruns History's massive backlog of military-oriented programming; it's fairly obscure (not many TV providers carry it) and doesn't broadcast in HD at all, so who knows how much longer it's going to be around.
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10	[[NostalgiaFilter Besides tales of old]], the station is also noted for its weekly show of ''Series/ModernMarvels'' which details the history of everyday and not-so-everyday things. History also occasionally plays movies (including original made-for-TV movies), usually either pertaining to a historical event (two of the movies History Channel commissioned were about [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy JFK]] and the infamous Hatfields-[=McCoys=] feud, the latter being one of the most well-received television movies the year it aired) or are historical/cultural artifacts in themselves (it once aired ''Film/DirtyHarry'' for example).
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12	[[DuelingShows Often seen as competing with]] the Creator/DiscoveryChannel and Creator/{{TLC}}; both in the days when these networks primarily aired educational programming and nowadays when they're trying to one-up each other in the area of NetworkDecay.
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15	!! Shows on this network:
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17	[[index]]
18	* ''Series/{{Alone}}'' (2015-present) - A dozen survivalists are each deposited separately in a remote locale, with only a handful of tools, and cameras they they film themselves with. They then operate [[TheAloner in total isolation from any other people]] to see who can remain ''in situ'' the longest without succumbing to starvation, [[NatureIsNotNice environmental hazards]], or [[GoMadFromTheIsolation sheer loneliness]].
19	* ''Series/AmericanPickers'' (2010-present) - Two guys go around the country looking for stuff people have in garages and junk piles, that they can sell at a profit.
20	* ''Series/AmericanRestoration'' (2010-14, 2016) - Got a rusty old gas pump, Coke machine or 1930s toy? By the time they're finished working on it, it will look like it just came off the showroom floor.
21	* ''Series/AncientAliens'' (2009-present) - [[AllMythsAreTrue Are old historical incidents]] like [[Literature/TheBible Adam and Eve]] an incident involving God, or involving an extraterrestrial?
22	* ''Series/AxMen'' (2008-16, 2019) - Cutting timber for a living is dangerous. Really.
23	* ''Series/BarbariansRising'' (2016) - An actual historical series, a {{docudrama}} depicting the wars between the UsefulNotes/RomanEmpire and the other peoples of Europe.
24	* ''Series/BeastLegends'' (2010) - Making monsters out of real animals' biomechanics.
25	* ''[[Series/TheButcher2019 The Butcher]]'' (2019) - Four butchers compete to win $10000 in three rounds of butchery that involve slicing a whole animal into primals in order to extract retail cuts from it, delivering a certain amount of cuts with the exact weight and height, and delivering as many approved retail cuts from a game animal as possible.
26	* ''Series/{{Conquest}}'' (2002-03)
27	* ''Series/CountingCars'' (2012-18, 2020)
28	* ''Series/DogFights'' (2005-08)
29	* ''Series/ForgedInFire'' (2015-present)- Four bladesmiths compete to win $10000 by creating the best blade, finishing with re-creating a historical weapon.
30	* ''Series/FullMetalJousting'' (2012)
31	* ''Series/{{Gangland}}'' (2007-10)
32	* ''Series/{{Gangland Undercover}}'' (2015, 2017)
33	* ''Series/GodGunsAndAutomobiles'' (2013)
34	* ''Series/{{Grant\|2020}}'' (2020)
35	* ''Series/GreatMindsWithDanHarmon'' (2016)
36	* ''Series/HatfieldsAndMcCoys'' (2012)
37	* ''Series/HistoryIQ'' (2000-01) - A short lived GameShow which had [[ProductionPosse a ton of people from]] ''Series/DoubleDare1986'' working on it, including host Marc Summers.
38	* ''Series/IceRoadTruckers'' (2007-17) - In some parts of Alaska and Canada, there are places so far out that there aren't any roads. There are, however, rivers, lakes and parts of the ocean frozen so solid you can drive an 18-wheeler over the ice.
39	* ''Series/JurassicFightClub'' (2008) - Which of two dinosaurs or other prehistoric creatures would win in a fight?
40	* ''Series/{{Knightfall}}'' (2017-19)
41	* ''Series/LifeAfterPeople'' (2008-10) - [[TagLine Welcome to earth.]] [[OnceAnEpisode Population: zero.]]
42	* ''Series/TheMenWhoBuiltAmerica'' (2012) - Focuses on TheGildedAge and the wealthy industrialists who guided the development of the United States.
43	* ''Series/ModernMarvels'' (1994-2015, 2021-present) - Many things we use or have been developed involve a lot of complicated work to exist or be produced. And this shows the background of them.
44	* ''Series/MailCall'' (2002-09) and ''Lock and Load'' (2009), with host Creator/RLeeErmey.
45	* ''Series/PawnStars'' (2009-19) - Consider four guys in Las Vegas that run a pawn shop, and the things that get sold there or bought by them.
46	* ''Series/ProjectBlueBook'' (2019-20)
47	* ''Series/{{The Revolution\|2006}}'' (2006): Focuses on the events of UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution.
48	* ''[[Series/Roots2016 Roots]]'' (2016): A remake of [[Series/Roots1977 the original 1977 miniseries]].
49	* ''Series/{{Six}}'' (2017-18)
50	* ''Series/SonsOfLiberty'' (2015): A scripted miniseries dramatizing the actions of the Founding Fathers leading up to UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution.
51	* ''Series/SwampPeople'' (2010-present) - Making a living by collecting the resources of the Everglades and other, similar swamps.
52	* ''Series/{{The Bible\|2013}}'' (2013)
53	* ''Series/TexasRising'' (2015)
54	* ''Series/{{Top Gear\|US}}'' (2010-14, 2016)
55	* ''Series/TopShot'' (2010-13) - Win $100,000 by being the best all-around marksman/woman in a field of 16.
56	** ''Series/TopGuns'' (2012) - Spin off of Series/TopShot, shows various antique guns and other ordnance and how they are used.
57	* ''Series/{{Vikings}}'' (2013-20) - Premiering in March 2013, the show is a scripted series based on the medieval Viking sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok. The second half of the sixth and last season [[ChannelHop aired on]] Creator/PrimeVideo instead.
58	* ''Series/WildWestTech'' (2003-05) - Explores the technology of TheWildWest.
59	* ''Series/WWIIInHD'' (2009) - High Definition video and color films about World War II.
60	[[/index]]
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63
64	!! Video games produced by the network:
65
66	[[index]]
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68	* ''VideoGame/HistoryCivilWarGames'' - A series of strategy games and first-person shooter games developed by a variety of companies and produced by History and Activision. The games are set in ''UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar''.
69	** ''VideoGame/HistoryCivilWarSecretMissions'' - The last Civil War game released and arguably the very best, becoming a cult-hit and influencing historical video games in the future.
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71	!! Tropes featured:
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73	* AncientAstronauts: There is a disturbing number of shows on the channel that subscribe to crazy alien theories of human history. Seemingly, it's barely second-fiddle to History's reality line-up. Though it's been moved to H2 now you can still catch ''Series/AncientAliens'' airing occasionally.
74	* ApocalypseHow: A fair few shows dedicated to either the end of the world or something in the likeness (what if a wildfire burned Los Angeles?). Needless to say the 2012 MayanDoomsday hype also made its way to the network programming in the few years preceding its date.
75	* DamnedByFaintPraise: ''Series/BarbariansRising'', airing as it did post-NetworkDecay, drew praise from critics for among other things [[http://www.wsj.com/articles/barbarians-rising-review-the-other-side-of-history-1465241572 actually being a historical documentary.]]
76	* FalselyAdvertisedAccuracy: Do ''not'' take everything you see on this channel as truth. Actual fact count may vary.
77	* HollywoodHistory: Arguably more frequent after NetworkDecay, although it was present even before.
78	* LicensedGame: Several, mostly FPS games set in various historical time frames.
79	* NonIndicativeName: More or less since NetworkDecay. It's a good thing they didn't go down the initials route, otherwise having a channel called THC would be a bit suspect (and probably prone to stoner jokes).
80	* OfferVoidInNebraska: In Canada, there was a previously-unrelated network called History Television. Ads for History on A&E (which has historically been carried on cable in Canada) always reminded viewers that it was [[MemeticMutation "not available in Canada"]]. Thanks to NetworkDecay and an eventual over-reliance on History Channel programming, the network's current owner Shaw ultimately licensed the actual History Channel brand, and also re-branded Creator/{{SpikeTV}} clone The Cave (itself formerly [=MenTV=]) into H2.
81	* RedplicaBaron: The RedBaron himself, Manfred von Richthofen, has been featured on two different shows: ''Unsolved History'' and ''Man, Moment, Machine''.
82	* SpeculativeDocumentary: ''Life After People'' talks about what happens to buildings and animals after the apocalypse. It goes out of its way specifically ''not'' to mention how people disappeared. It also assumes whatever killed them left everything else intact (not even bones of then living people are left, though older bodies remain), but pets are left behind (which in many cases is a FateWorseThanDeath).
83	* StockFootage: Scenes that were originally filmed for one History Channel program have a bad habit of being recycled on completely unrelated programs or features. A lot. Often, the later programs' scripts will wander blatantly off-topic so they can pad things out with footage already in their clip library.
84	* ThoseWackyNazis: Just about any time UsefulNotes/WorldWarII in Europe is discussed.

Context Creator / TheHistoryChannel