The History Channel's new miniseries Sons of Liberty (9-11 p.m. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday)may be “historical fiction,” but its found a clever balance between fact and action, and let's face it history has never looked so good. Most viewers will walk in knowing some of the most famous moments in American history, but there are plenty of surprises in store. Sons of Liberty takes huge liberties with history, but it makes for a very captivating viewing.

Ben Barnes leads the talented cast, bringing a scruffy, sexier version of Samuel Adams to life. He plays the hero as a swash-buckling rebel with a broken heart of gold. Barnes, as Adams is utterly swoon-worthy whether he's drowning his sorrows in a pint or hatching plans of rebellion.

The battle for independence begins 

(Michael Raymond-James as Paul Revere).

Photo by Ollie Upton/HISTORY

Copyright 2015

Sam is a tax collector for the crown, who really isn't all that good at his job. He refuses to press his cash strapped fellow Bostonians, earning him a high regard among the people and the thugs that makes Boston look like a scene out of Gangs of New York. And it's one of these mobs who offer Sam protection when the Governor's men try to capture him, ultimately ending with the mob ransacking the Governor's house, and making Adams the Governor's #1 target.

Wealthy merchant, John Hancock (Rafe Spall) is called in to handle the situation but doesn't in the way that the Governor expected, causing the foppish Hancock to lose favor with the Governor. When taxes are raised and his ships seized Hancock demands Adams' assistance to remedy the situation, which sparks revolution. A silversmith named Paul Revere (Michael Raymond-James), a doctor, Joseph Warren (Ryan Eggold), and Sam's cousin the smart and level headed John Adams (Henry Thomas) round out the group working for freedom. The miniseries covers the pre-Revolutionary unrest in Boston through the Boston Massacre in 1770, to the Boston Tea Party, to the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.

George Washington (Jason O’Mara)

Photo by Ollie Upton/HISTORY

Copyright 2015

Many of the actors making up the superb cast of America's founding fathers are not actually American. Besides the British Barnes (Sam Adams), Rafe Spall (John Hancock) and Emily Berrington (Margaret Gage) are also British, and Irish actor Jason O'Mara is George Washington. O'Mara puts in a commanding performance as Washington, and Spall is a scene stealer as the sneaky dandy smuggler Hancock. He's got the genius down though as the man who would sign the Declaration with such flair that signatures would later be synonymous with his name. The acting is fantastic throughout the entire series, whether its the snobbish and domineering English, or Joseph Warren ( Ryan Eggold) charming the pants off of his enemy's wife.

Just as the acting is fantastic so is the production value. Sons of Liberty brings great sprawling sets, with historical accuracy to life. The costumes of the era are beautifully done. Ben Barnes fairly gushed about them during his interview. The set pieces alone are amazing, and then there's the soundtrack. Hans Zimmer composed the music, and it is a delight to the ears. He is truly a master at his craft.

General Gage (Marton Csokas) shows no mercy.

Photo by Ollie Upton/HISTORY

Copyright 2015

While sexed up, Sons of Liberty doesn't quite get the CW Reign treatment, it is rowdy and entertaining, but it does stay closer to history. Here the revolution isn't bogged down by powdered wigs and lengthy speeches, but ignited by mob savagery and secret smuggling operations. It's much easier to get enthralled in the three part miniseries, than it was to the overly long, and sometimes droning Turn that AMC premiered last year which followed a ring of Washington's spies. Sons of Liberty rather follows a similar feel as History Channel's smash hit Vikings which begins its third season February 19^th. It lays down the facts, and ramps up the action where the facts get murky.

If you're looking for an accurate reenactment you can write your history paper off of, look elsewhere this isn't a documentary. But if you looking for some excellent entertainment with headlines ripped out of history, then Sons of Liberty is perfect. It's engaging, and may even make you want to pick a history book or two, which may just be better than if it had stuck purely to facts in the end. Just don't be disappointed when you get over to Wikipedia and find that the real Samuel Adams lacks the smolder that Barnes delivers and isn't pin up material.

Sons of Liberty begins tonight on History Channel at 9/8c.

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Adams, Hancock, Revere…Their Rebellious Story of America’s Fight for Freedom Told in…
SONS OF LIBERTY
New Three-Night Scripted Miniseries Premieres
Sunday, January 25, at 9 p.m. on HISTORY^®

New York, NY – November 4, 2014 – HISTORY premieres its newest scripted miniseries, SONS OF LIBERTY, on January 25, 26 and 27 at 9 p.m. The three-night, six-hour event follows a defiant and radical group of young men – Sam Adams, John Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock and Dr. Joseph Warren – as they band together in secrecy to change the course of history and make America a nation.

The Sons of Liberty sparked a revolution. The cast depicting them includes Ben Barnes (The Chronicles of Narnia) as Sam Adams, a natural-born leader with charisma and a penchant for mischief; Ryan Eggold (The Blacklist) as Dr. Joseph Warren, a doctor and man of conscience and integrity; Michael Raymond-James (Jack Reacher, Terriers, True Blood) as Paul Revere, a veteran who wholeheartedly joins forces with Sam Adams; Rafe Spall (Prometheus, Life of Pi) as John Hancock, the wealthiest man in Boston at the time; and Henry Thomas (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Gangs of New York, Legends of the Fall) as John Adams, a lawyer and the conservative, smart cousin of Sam Adams. Also featured are Marton Csokas (The Equalizer, The Lord of the Rings, Rogue) as the ferocious General Thomas Gage, who is sent to handle the colonial unrest in Boston; Emily Berrington (24: Live Another Day) as Margaret Gage; Jason O’Mara (The Good Wife, Terra Nova, Life on Mars) as General George Washington; and Dean Norris (Breaking Bad, Under the Dome, Men, Women & Children) as the brilliant yet mischievous diplomat Benjamin Franklin.

Calling themselves the Sons of Liberty, they light the spark that ignited our revolution. While many of their names have become legendary, this group of young rebels didn’t start off as noble patriots. They were a new generation of young American men from varied backgrounds, struggling to find purpose in their lives. They were looking for equality, but they found something greater: independence.

SONS OF LIBERTY is a dramatic interpretation of events that sparked a revolution. For historical information about the Sons of Liberty and the era of the American revolution, please go to history.com. 

SONS OF LIBERTY is produced by A+E Studios in association with Stephen David Entertainment for HISTORY. Kari Skogland (Boardwalk Empire, Vikings, Fifty Dead Men Walking) is set to helm. Title theme by Academy Award^® winner Hans Zimmer. Written by Stephen David and David C. White. Russ McCarroll and Elaine Frontain Bryant are executive producers for HISTORY. Stephen David and Matthew Gross also serve as executive producers. A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights to Sons of Liberty and will distribute it under the A+E Studios International^™ banner. 

About HISTORY^®
HISTORY^®, now reaching more than 96 million homes, is the leading destination for award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across all platforms. he network’s all-original programming slate, including scripted event programming, features a roster of hit series including American Pickers®, American Restoration™, Ax Men™, Counting Cars™, Pawn Stars® and Swamp People® as well as HISTORY®’s first scripted series Vikings, and epic miniseries and special programming such as The Bible, The Men Who Built America and the Emmy® Award-winning Hatfields & McCoys, Gettysburg, Vietnam in HD, America The Story of Us®  and 102 Minutes That Changed America. The HISTORY® website is the leading online resource for all things history, and in 2011, the United States Library of Congress selected HISTORY®’s Civil War 150 site for inclusion in the historic collection of Internet materials related to the American Civil War sesquicentennial.  www.history.com. 

About A+E Studios
A+E Studios is the studio unit of the award-winning global media company A+E Networks, LLC.  A+E Studios creates, produces and distributes high quality scripted programming across all networks and platforms in the A+E Networks portfolio, including A&E Network, Lifetime, History, LMN, FYI, H2 and A&E IndieFilms.  A+E Studios is currently in production on "The Returned," a new series inspired by the internationally acclaimed French hit "Les Revenant," for A&E Network; and "Un-Real," an original series for Lifetime. A+E Studios’ "Houdini," a four-hour event for History, aired in the fall of 2014.

About Stephen David EntertainmentStephen David Entertainment (SDE) is an Emmy® Award-winning New York based production company. The company counts The Men Who Built America and The World Wars among its popular event series. In the five years since its inception, SDE has developed numerous docudrama mini-series and specials frequently utilizing CGI and state-of-the art technology.  SDE is currently in productions on shows for HISTORY and Xbox. 

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"Spader devours the script and steals every scene." – Hollywood Reporter, Tim Goodman

NBC's Top-Rated Drama of Last Season

THE BLACKLIST: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

Starring Three-Time Emmy^® Award Winner James Spader, Megan Boone,

Diego Klattenhoff, Ryan Eggold, Parminder Nagra & Harry Lennix

Available on Blu-ray™ & DVD Aug. 12

Featuring 10 All-New Bonus Featurettes, 22 Episodes of Beyond the Blacklist

& Commentaries with Jon Bokenkamp, John Eisendrath & Joe Carnahan

CULVER CITY, Calif. (June 16, 2014) – NBC's top rated drama series of last season, THE BLACKLIST, arrives on Blu-ray^™ and DVD Aug. 12 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Three-time Emmy^® winner James Spader (TV's "The Practice," TV's "Boston Legal") gives a tour-de-force performance in the explosive and winningly deceptive crime drama, playing one of the world's most wanted fugitives. The well-reviewed series, which was NBC's top rated program, as well as the No. 1 drama on all of network television last season (Live +7, ages 18 to 49), follows Raymond "Red" Reddington (Spader) through multiple twists and turns as he helps the FBI bring down the world's most fascinating and notorious criminals. Also starring is Megan Boone (My Bloody Valentine), Diego Klattenhoff (TV's "Homeland"), Ryan Eggold (TV's "90210"), Parminder Nagra (TV's "ER") and Harry Lennix (Man of Steel).

All 22 episodes are included in the five-disc Blu-ray and DVD releases of THE BLACKLIST: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON, arriving just in time for fans to re-watch and fill in the puzzle pieces before the premiere of the second season this fall. Special features include commentary on three key episodes and two all-new featurettes. "The Insider: Making Season One" takes viewers through the freshman season with the cast, writers and executive producers, from brainstorming the weekly Blacklisters to developing character relationships.  In addition, there are 22 episodes of "Beyond the Blacklist," offering a behind-the-scenes look at each of episodes. Exclusively available on Blu-ray are two additional featurettes. The first, "Inception: Making the Pilot," provides an inside look at how THE BLACKLIST was brought to life, featuring the cast, production team, creator Jon Bokenkamp and pilot director Joe Carnahan.

The second featurette, "Rogue's Gallery: The Blacklisters," gives insight into the writers and executive producers' process of creating the notorious criminals on the show. Also exclusive to the Blu-ray are behind-the-scenes character profiles on all the major players, from "Red" and Liz Keen to Tom Keen and FBI Assistant Director Harold Cooper.

Synopsis

Former government agent Raymond "Red" Reddington (Spader) has eluded capture for decades. But he suddenly surrenders to the FBI with an offer to help catch a terrorist under the condition that he speaks only to Elizabeth "Liz" Keen (Boone), a young FBI profiler who's just barely out of Quantico.

Blu-ray™ and DVD Bonus Featurettes:

·         Commentary on the pilot episode, Anslo Garrick Part 1 and Berlin: Conclusion with Jon Bokenkamp, 

John Eisendrath and Joe Carnahan

·         The Insider: Making Season One - The cast, writers and executive producers of The Blacklist take us through Season One, from brainstorming the weekly Blacklisters to developing the relationships between Elizabeth Keen, Tom Keen, and the "concierge of crime," Raymond Reddington.

·         Beyond the Blacklist – A behind-the-scenes look at all 22 episodes of The Blacklist

Blu-ray™ Exclusive Special Features:

·         Inception: Making the Pilot – An inside look at the making of the pilot, introducing the team that brought 

The Blacklist to life.

·         Rogue's Gallery: Villains– The writers and executive producers of The Blacklist discuss their process of creating the notorious criminals on the show.  The cast weighs in on some of their favorite guest stars.

·         Character Dossiers:

o   Raymond Reddington - Who is Raymond Reddington really?  James Spader, Megan Boone and the producers of The Blacklist discuss Spader's role.  

o   Elizabeth Keen -- Megan Boone talks all things Liz Keen from her relationship with Raymond Reddington to her emotional journey throughout the first season.

o   Tom Keen -- Ryan Eggold discusses the challenges and joys of playing a character whose motivations aren't revealed until late in the season.

o   Donald Ressler -- Megan Boone and producers John Eisendrath and Jon Bokenkamp weigh in on working with Diego, how Ressler almost lost a leg, and why we shouldn't believe everything we see.

o   Harold Cooper -- Harry Lennix and producer Jon Bokenkamp discuss the character of Harold Cooper, a character whose history, especially with Raymond Reddington, might just come further into focus as the show progresses.

o   Meera Malik -- Parminder Nagra and the producers discuss the multiple dimensions to Meera Malik.

o   Aram Mojtabai -- Amir Arison takes us through his season from starting as a day player to his scene with James Spader as Aram races against the clock to save his own life.

Broadcast Year:  2013-2014.  THE BLACKLIST: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON is not rated.

Visit Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on the Web at www.SonyPictures.com.

EMMY ^® is a registered trademark of the ATAS/NATAS.

SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) company. Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 159 countries. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com/

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