History HistoricalVillainUpgrade / LiveActionTV

* ''Series/TheTerror'': Almost nothing is known of Cornelius Hickey, caulker's mate on the titular doomed ship, in real life (even his age by the time of the actual lost Franklin Expedition is in doubt), and the only real fame he has even among his fellow ill-fated crew members is that his knife was found among the debris after their collective disappearance with his name carved into the handle. The show has him go [[FromNobodyToNightmare from a simple AB questioning the social mores of the Royal Navy to a deranged would-be cult leader]], something the real Hickey almost certainly did not do. [[Spoiler:This turns out to be a subversion, as the man called Cornelius Hickey we see for most of the show turns out to ''not actually be the in-universe historical Cornelius Hickey'', and is in fact an imposter with the never-clarified initials E.C. who did a KillAndReplace on the real Hickey before the expedition ever left England. The showrunners made him an imposter specifically to avoid this trope.]]

* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS3E6SpectreOfTheGun Spectre of the Gun]]", this Trope was applied in the complete opposite way as it was in the movie ''Film/{{Tombstone}}''. Here, the infamous Cowboys - whom Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty, and Chekov are forced to portray-are regarded as simply {{Lovable Rogue}}s, while the Earp Brothers and Doc Holiday are depicted as corrupt and tyrannical lawmen intent on murdering them. Of course, the whole setup is an illusion created by a group of SufficientlyAdvancedAliens called the Melkotians, used to punish the crew for trespassing by forcing them to reenact the famous gunfight at the OK-Corral on the losing side, but it is taken from Kirk's memory (and thus interpretation) of the event. [[spoiler:(And Spock realizes that the whole thing is flawed when Chekov - who portrays Billy Claiborne - is apparently killed prematurely, remembering that the actual Billy Claiborne survived the gunfight.)]]

* ''Mussolini: The Untold Story'' does for [[UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini its title character]] what ''Hitler: The Rise of Hitler'' did for his German counterpart: take a fascist dictator whose real evil ought to be enough to condemn him, and somehow exaggerates it. Namely, the movie includes a scene where Mussolini rapes a foreign journalist (a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed version of Dorothy Thompson, whose experiences in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany inspired her husband, Sinclair Lewis, to write ''Literature/ItCantHappenHere'') after a hostile interview. While Mussolini wasn't exactly known for his chivalrous treatment of women, even his harshest biographers never accused him of assaulting a well-known reporter like Thompson who, given her antipathy towards fascism, would almost certainly have broadcast his behavior to the world.

** Given the perspective, this is done to several real Romans such as Batiatus and Glaber. The reality is that there is relatively little information about either outside of the former being the lanista of the ludus Spartacus escaped from and the latter being one of the first commanders trying to put down the rebellion.

* ''Series/{{Chernobyl}}'' depicts Dyatlov, the chief engineer who was largely responsible for the disaster, as a pretty relentless HateSink with a NeverMyFault attitude. Though it is true, by all accounts, that he was a BadBoss and pretty much perfectly created the conditions for the reactor to blow itself apart, the real Dyatlov never attempted to blame his subordinates for what happened. In fact, he actually defended them when they were nearly scapegoated for the disaster, and consistently blamed the reactor's design flaws. He also tried to stay behind and help; in fact, the radiation poisoning he suffered was sustained from nearly being splashed by radioactive water.

** The show does an inverse on Charles Lindbergh as it does to Winchell. Lindbergh goes from a heroic aviator with outspoken isolationist views to an outright Nazi collaborator who also supports "Americanization" efforts that effectively treat Jewish Americans like aliens. He's eventually [[spoiler:assassinated in an effort to put America back on track]]. In real life, Lindbergh went on to pledge his full support to the American war effort and served substantially in the Pacific theater. He was also horrified by the revelation of Nazi extermination camps. Though he did have some Nazi sympathies it seems, he'd balked already at Kristellnacht and denounced the Nazis' persecution of Jews.

** The show does an inverse on Charles Lindbergh as it does to Winchell. Lindbergh goes from a heroic aviator with outspoken isolationist views to an outright Nazi collaborator who also supports "Americanization" efforts that effectively treat Jewish Americans like aliens. He's eventually [[spoiler:assassinated in an effort to put America back on track]]. In real life, Lindbergh went on to pledge his full support to the American war effort and served substantially in the Pacific theater. He was also horrified by the revelation of Nazi extermination camps.

* ''Series/IClaudius'' shows Livia, wife of UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}}, as a manipulative, scheming EvilMatriarch who carefully eliminates all of Augustus's potential successors, and finally, Augustus himself, so that her son Tiberius would become Emperor. While it is true that Livia was politically savvy and one of Augustus' most trusted advisors, and that she did lobby for Augustus to name Tiberius as his successor, even Suetonius[[note]]Who's notorious among historians for being a gossip-monger.[[/note]] admits that there is no real proof that she was behind any of the deaths of Augustus's adopted heirs. The circumstances of Gaius and Lucius's deaths, while quite sudden and shocking given their age, are also much less suspicious than most let on.[[note]]In ancient times, death from disease (or an infected battle wound, as was Lucius' cause of death according to some accounts) was far from uncommon.[[/note]] The accusation that she was behind Augustus's death seems especially flimsy when taking into account that he was ''seventy-five'' when he died, and had a history of sickliness that made his contemporaries wonder how he could even live to that age.
** While UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}} was by all accounts a very, ''very'' crappy ruler, his erratic behavior and cruelty were probably more of a mix of mental illness, a traumatic background, and being given the greatest power a man could wield in his time and the pressures that come with it, then him being born evil as the series imply. For starters, it's highly unlikely, not to say impossible, that he was behind his father Germanicus' death, given that Caligula was only six or seven years old at the time of his passing...
** Some modern historians have casted doubt not only on the extent of Messalina's sexcapades (most of them believing that while Messalina sleeping with men of her entourage was her way of gaining influence, the nymphomaniac levels the stories about her reach are likely exaggerated), but also about her marriage to Silius and her plan to install him as Emperor, given how outlandish and even ''stupid'' the plan is in hindsight. While it's clear ''something'' did happen between Messalina and Silius, leading all to their brutal deaths, there's no way of really knowing what happened, given that there's no unbiased record of it all and that most public and private representations and records of Messalina were destroyed after her death, on Claudius' orders.
* ''Series/JohnAdams'' in its treatment of UsefulNotes/AlexanderHamilton, Flanderizing him from a big government Federalist into a power-mad, would-be dictator agitating for war with France. Understandable considering that Hamilton and [[UsefulNotes/JohnAdams the title character]] were bitter enemies.

* Although, as noted above, Prince John often gets this treatment in Myth/RobinHood stories, ''Series/TheNewAdventuresOfRobinHood'' deserves special mention. In it Prince John, rather than merely being an evil king, gleefully sacrifices peasants to Celtic goddesses.

** The ''Series/GilligansIsland'' TV movie turned Tina Louise (Ginger) into a selfish, prima donna diva who was furious that this broad slapstick comedy ''named for another actor's character'' was not all about her and how glamorous she really, truly was. Who was behind this portrayal? None other than Mary Ann herself, Dawn Wells.
** The ''Series/ThreesCompany'' TV movie likewise depicted Suzanne Sommers (Chrissy) as a stupid and self-centered diva with no regard for anyone. This one was even more blatant in its intentions, for who was ''always'' the biggest victim of Sommers's schemes? Why, Joyce [=DeWitt=], who played Janet. And who co-produced the movie, as it happens. Even ''John Ritter'' was depicted as having spurned [=DeWitt=] (by passing her over for the short-lived spinoff, ''Three's A Crowd'', as if that was ''his'' decision) and being 100% in the wrong for it.

* ''Series/IClaudius'' shows Livia, wife of UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}}, as a manipulative, scheming EvilMatriarch who carefully eliminates all of Augustus's potential successors, and finally, Augustus himself, so that her son Tiberius would become Emperor. While it is true that Livia did lobby for Augustus to name Tiberius as his successor, even Suetonius[[note]]Who's notorious among historians for being a gossip-monger.[[/note]] admits that there is no real proof that she was behind any of the deaths of Augustus's adopted heirs. The circumstances of Gaius and Lucius's deaths, while quite sudden and shocking given their age, are also much less suspicious than most let on.[[note]]In ancient times, death from disease (or an infected battle wound, as was Lucius' cause of death according to some accounts) was far from uncommon.[[/note]] The accusation that she was behind Augustus's death seems especially flimsy when taking into account that he was ''seventy-five'' when he died, and had a history of sickliness that made his contemporaries wonder how he could even live to that age.

!!!General examples:

** [[Series/AmericanHorrorStoryApocalypse Apocalypse]] does this to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_LaVey Anton LaVey]], the founder of the Church of Satan. In the show, he seeks to help the Antichrist come into being and fulfill his destiny as son of Satan-a far cry from LaVey in real life who didn't actually even BELIEVE in the Devil or God. LaVeyan Satanism is strictly [[OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions antitheistic and skeptical of the supernatural]] and uses imagery of Satan due to regarding Satan as representing free will against what they regard as repressive rules imposed by religious institutions in the name of God.

* ''Series/IClaudius'' shows Livia, wife of UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}}, as a manipulative, scheming EvilMatriarch who carefully eliminates all of Augustus's potential successors, and finally, Augustus himself, so that her son Tiberius would become Emperor. While it is true that Livia did lobby for Augustus to name Tiberius as his successor, even Suetonius [[note]] Who's notorious among historians for being a gossip-monger [[/note]] admits that there is no real proof that she was behind any of the deaths of Augustus's adopted heirs. The circumstances of Gaius and Lucius's deaths, while quite sudden and shocking given their age, are also much less suspicious than most let on [[note]] in ancient times, death from disease (or an infected battle wound, as was Lucius' cause of death according to some accounts was far from uncommon [[/note]]. The accusation that she was behind Augustus's death seems especially flimsy when taking into account that he was ''seventy-five'' when he died, and had a history of sickliness that made his contemporaries wonder how he could even live to that age.

* ''Series/ThePlotAgainstAmerica'': In this AlternateHistory tale, Charles Lindbergh goes from a heroic aviator with outspoken isolationist views to the American president who enacts Nazi-friendly policies and supports "Americanization" efforts that effectively treat Jewish Americans like aliens. He's eventually [[spoiler:assassinated in an effort to put America back on track]]. This version of the man never gets a chance to move to the right side of history. In real life, Lindbergh went on to pledge his full support to the American war effort and served substantially in the Pacific theater. He was also horrified by the revelation of Nazi extermination camps.

* ''Series/{{Sanctuary}}'' has UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper as a [[TimeTravel time travelling]] [[TeleportersAndTransporters teleporter]], and UsefulNotes/NikolaTesla as a [[ShockAndAwe electrokinetic]] [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire]].

* ''Series/ThePlotAgainstAmerica'': In this AlternateHistory tale, Lindbergh goes from a heroic aviator with outspoken isolationist views to the American president who enacts Nazi-friendly policies and supports "Americanization" efforts that effectively treat Jewish Americans like aliens. He's eventually [[spoiler:assassinated in an effort to put America back on track]]. This version of the man never gets a chance to move to the right side of history. In real life, Lindbergh went on to pledge his full support to the American war effort and served substantially in the Pacific theater. He was also horrified by the revelation of Nazi extermination camps.

* ''Series/ThePeopleVOJSimpson'' makes Mark Fuhrman out to be a good deal worse than he was in reality, as well as much less complex. He indeed had a history of racism, which he himself even admitted to when he checked himself in for rehabilitation, and past acquaintances had complained that he had made racist remarks in the past. However, independent investigations discovered that, after said rehabilitation, he had a dearth of civilian complaints against him; he had successfully partnered with nonwhite cops (including a black female officer intentionally partnered with him to test to see if his racism continued) who considered him a friend and never felt uncomfortable with him; he had been called to Simpson's residence to answer a domestic disturbance call from Nicole and nevertheless did nothing to Simpson, and he had personally taken it upon himself to protect a black female witness who felt endangered (and befriended her as well; she would go on to defend his post-trial character). Even the infamous tapes were a product of him being paid to exaggerate a "police" style of speech. In the series, he's depicted as little more than a remorseless, two-faced racist who outright lied on the stand and ''owned Nazi memorabilia''.

** The pilot episode portrays the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getae Getae]] people as inhuman savages, in comparison to the noble Thracians. In reality, the Getae were so similar to the Thracians that historians are still a little unsure what the difference was. Some modern historians even think Getae ''were'' Thracians, as they're described having the same language, which would make this depiction utterly ridiculous.

** The pilot episode portrays the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getae Getae]] people as inhuman savages, in comparison to the noble Thracians. In reality, the Getae were so similar to the Thracians that historians are still a little unsure what the difference was.

** Con Stapleton. In real life, Stapleton was a popular, tall BoisterousBruiser [[OfficerOHara Irish Sheriff]] in his 20s who did his best to keep order in the growing camp for a year, until he was replaced by Seth Bullock and fell into obscurity. The TV show paints him instead as a pathetic, 50-something fat ButtMonkey and DirtyCoward, that is in [[DevilInPlainSight Al Swearengen]]'s pocket before becoming the BumblingSidekick of the [[GreyAndBlackMorality even worse]] Cy Tolliver. Con is even handpicked as Sheriff by Swearengen because he will suck at it (his first plan was to leave the position vacant) and renounces the job less than a week later after being confronted by Bullock.

* In ''Series/{{Timeless}}'', the NebulousEvilOrganization Rittenhouse [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy turns out to be named after and founded by]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Rittenhouse David Rittenhouse]] a scientifically-minded American "Founding Father", who was the first head of the U.S. Mint. While the historic Rittenhouse was by all accounts a normal/likable scholar, the fictional one is presented as a detestable PoliticallyIncorrectVillain. According to WordOfGod, the creators were fully aware that the historical Rittenhouse was totally innocuous, but chose to make him a villain, because they needed a scientifically-minded Founder for that character role and the only other option was Benjamin Franklin, and they weren't going to present ''him'' as a scheming villain.