5 Limited Series to Check Out

You know that scene in Titanic where an elderly Rose braces herself to tell her story, and says “It’s been 84 years…”? Well, that’s kind of how I feel right now thinking about season 6 of Outlander. I looked at the calendar today and had the following reaction… “It’s only been 4 months!?!?! Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry… Deep breaths.” Okay, so maybe that rendition is a tad melodramatic, but it’s the honest truth when I say, every time I write one of these Droughtlander Survival Guide pieces, it hurts me a little bit more. The one positive thing about this Sahara Desert of Outlander news is that I now have time to explore the black hole of “streaming services”, and today I’m bringing you 5 Limited Series I think you’ll enjoy.

Dublin Murders (STARZ)

If you’re looking for something to do with that Starz subscription that just keeps hitting your credit card bill every month, you should definitely check out Dublin Murders. It’s an 8-episode limited series about two detectives, Rob and Cassie who are assigned to work the murder of a young girl whose body was found in the woods on a Celtic altar. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. The mysterious circumstances surrounding this young girl’s death cause a successive unfolding of events that dredge up the past for both detectives. It’s a creepy twist on the classic who done-it, and if you think you’ve got the murderer pegged, just you wait. I guarantee you, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

Grand Tours of Scotland’s Lochs (Prime Video)

Longing for the “Billow and breeze, islands and seas, mountains of rain and sun”? Then Grand Tours of Scotland’s Lochs may be just what the doctor ordered! This show is a 6-episode series that covers some of Scotland’s most beautiful country from eastern sea lochs all the way into the central highlands. Host and historian Paul Murton not only explores the gorgeous landscape of Scotland in all it’s natural wonder, but also the way of life ingrained in the land. From feuding clans to fishing for prawns, each 30 minute episode is an educational adventure I truly enjoyed!

American Ripper (Prime Video)

Ok, so I have a confession. True crime is a guilty pleasure of mine, and when I ran into a series on Amazon Prime Video that gave me history and true crime, I immediately added it to my Watch List!! American Ripper follows the journey of Jeff Mudget, the great-great-grandson of America’s first serial killer–H.H. Holmes. Throughout his life, Holmes had multiple aliases and was responsible for the murders of over 27 people, if his confessions are to be believed.

H.H. Holmes’s claim to fame however, is the Murder Castle in Chicago where he lured unsuspecting victims into his “hotel” where they were never heard from again. Despite this sinister reputation, it turns out Holmes may have gone by yet another name–one that his two times great-son is trying to prove: Jack The Ripper. This 8-part limited series by The History Channel was absolutely fascinating and had me hooked from the very beginning. I whole-heartedly recommend it to any history buff or true-crime junky!!

Washington (The History Channel)

George Washington is perhaps the most famous American in our country’s history. He led the Continental Army to victory over The British and became our nation’s first president where he held that office for nearly eight years. This three-part docuseries interweaves historical accounts and expert knowledge with actor portrayals of the life and times of our first president, shedding light on some of the lesser known elements of his march to greatness.

SPOILER ALERT: In later books of the Outlander series, Jamie and Claire’s story intermingles heavily with the American Revolution. We even see our heroes participating in and interacting with some of the events and people mentioned in this History Channel original series. So it was extremely interesting for me to learn how events truly transpired, and how Diana Gabaldon chose to weave those events into her books.

Challenger: The Final Flight (Netflix)

In the 1980s, the Shuttle program at NASA was in full swing. The US won the space race to the moon, and now everyone was wondering what was next. There was a strong push to commercialize space travel — something that hasn’t changed much in the past forty years. In 1984, President Reagan announced that for the first time in history, a teacher would be going into space with a crew of five astronauts and one payload specialist. Naturally, the general public was fascinated by the idea of a civilian travelling outside earth’s orbit. So on January 28, 1986, the entire world was watching as the Challenger Space Shuttle achieved lift-off… and exploded.

Challenger: The Final Flight is my wild card pick. It can’t be directly related back to anything regarding Outlander, but I found the piece extremely fascinating! This 4-part limited series by Netflix is a selection of interviews with those close to the crew of Challenger along with the scientists and management at NASA and Thiokol–the company contracted to produce the shuttle’s rocket boosters. I was not alive at the time of the disaster, but I do remember the Columbia Shuttle in 2003 which broke up on reentry and killed the entire 7-member crew. I remember learning about the Challenger tragedy in 5th grade science, but this documentary completely opened my eyes to the circumstances surrounding this unnecessary loss of life.

Knowledge is power, unless you choose not to use it, and this series definitely showed me that!

I hope you all enjoy these five limited series, I know I did!

Until next time,

Cheers!!