1821
Directed by Yuri Averof, Nikos Dagiantas, Lefteris Charitos and Andreas Apostolides. Narrator Petros Tatsopoulos. Eight episodes, 49 minutes each.

Who would think that a series about the Greek independence revolt of 1821 would be one of the most talked-about television shows of the year? And yet that’s what happened in early 2011 with the broadcast of SKAI TV’s 1821, produced by the Sugartown documentaries’ Anemon Productions. Modeled after the BBC’s History of Britain and promising a new take on familiar material, it features writer Petros Tatsopoulos as the on-camera guide at various landmarks linked to the independence revolt, with lots of excellent animation (often using famous paintings) and meticulous re-enactments. While downtrodden and heroic Greeks reign (see Episode 6 on the Messolonghi siege tragedy), the series has drawn some viewers’ ire for its use of the term Ottoman (instead of “Turks”) and discussion of the creation of modern Greek national identity. Historical consultants were professors Thanos Veremis and Iakovos Michaelidis.