| Legends & Lies | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Documentary/Historical drama |
| Directed by | Kevin Hershberger |
| Presented by | Bill O'Reilly (Seasons 1-2), Brian Kilmeade (Season 3) |
| Narrated by | Dermot Mulroney |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 34 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Bill O'Reilly |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Fox News |
| Release | April 12, 2015 (2015-04-12) – present |
Legends & Lies is an American television series shown on Fox News Channel. Its executive producer is Bill O'Reilly.
The show's premise is to present the history of notable people in documentary style, debunking inaccurate details that have entered pop culture mythology. The series features dramatizations of parts of the subjects' lives and exploits, as well as explanatory segments by historians and experts, and often O'Reilly himself.
The show premiered in April 2015. Its normal broadcast schedule is on Saturday and Sunday nights. Each season of the series also features an accompanying book co-authored by David Fisher and O'Reilly. Season 3 had its finale on June 10, 2018.
Episodes
Season 1 (2015)
The first season focused on the figures from the American Old West.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Jesse James: Bloody Politics" | Kevin Hershberger | Ajax Broome, Jason Broome, Kevin Huffman, Wendy Nardi, Keith Palmer | April 12, 2015 (2015-04-12) | TBA | 1.032 |
| A profile of Jesse James. | |||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Doc Holliday: Desperate Measures" | Kevin Hershberger | Philip Boag, Sonya Gay Bourn, Jason Broome, Keith Palmer, David Schaye, Jamie Smith | April 12, 2015 (2015-04-12) | TBA | 1.011 |
| A profile of John Henry "Doc" Holliday includes the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. | |||||||
| 3 | 3 | "James "Wild Bill" Hickok: Plains Justice" | Kevin Hershberger | Philip Boag, Jason Broome, Dan Gloeckner, Keith Palmer, David Schaye, Tyler Young | April 19, 2015 (2015-04-19) | TBA | 1.517 |
| A profile of James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok features his reputation as a marksman and penchant for gambling. | |||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Kit Carson: Duty Before Honor" | Kevin Hershberger | Ajax Broome, Jason Broome, Claire Callahan, Kevin Huffman, Wendy Nardi, Keith Palmer | April 26, 2015 (2015-04-26) | TBA | N/A |
| A profile of Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson (1809-68) explores his reputation as a mountain man, wilderness guide, and Army officer. | |||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Davy Crockett: Capitol Hillbilly" | Kevin Hershberger | Ajax Broome, Jason Broome, Michael Byrne, Michael Eldridge | May 3, 2015 (2015-05-03) | TBA | N/A |
| A profile of Davy Crockett (1786-1836), a frontiersman, politician, and folk hero, who died at the Battle of the Alamo. | |||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Black Bart: Gentleman Bandit" | Kevin Hershberger | Ajax Broome, Jason Broome, Michael Byrne, Michael Eldridge | May 10, 2015 (2015-05-10) | TBA | N/A |
| A profile of Black Bart, a notorious stagecoach robber in the Old West. | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Billy the Kid: Escape Artist" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Claire Callahan, Keith Palmer, Eric Weinthal | May 17, 2015 (2015-05-17) | TBA | N/A |
| A profile of Billy the Kid, a New York City native who became an outlaw in the Old West in the 1870s. | |||||||
| 8 | 8 | "George Custer: A General's Reckoning" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Claire Callahan, David Huntley, Keith Palmer, David Schaye | May 31, 2015 (2015-05-31) | TBA | N/A |
| A profile of George Armstrong Custer, a Civil War commander in the Union Army, who later died at the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876. | |||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Bass Reeves: The Real Lone Ranger" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Gardner Linn | June 7, 2015 (2015-06-07) | TBA | 1.37 |
| A profile of Bass Reeves (1838-1910), a former slave who became a deputy U.S. marshal and is thought to be the inspiration for the Lone Ranger. | |||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Butch Cassidy: The Last Man Standing" | Kevin Hershberger | Sonya Gay Bourn, Jason Broome, Keith Palmer, David Schaye | June 14, 2015 (2015-06-14) | TBA | 1.24 |
| A profile of Robert Leroy Parker and Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, a pair of notorious Old West outlaws, who were immortalized in the Oscar-nominated film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. | |||||||
Season 2 (2016)
The second season is about the heroes and patriots who helped shape America into a nation.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Sam Adams & Paul Revere: The Rebellion Begins" | Kevin Hershberger | Unknown | June 5, 2016 (2016-06-05) | TBA | N/A |
| The story behind the Sam Adams and Paul Revere and the rest of the Sons of Liberty and the fight for American Independence. | |||||||
| 12 | 2 | "John Adams: Ready for War" | Kevin Hershberger | Ajax Broome, Jason Broome, Sam Dolan, Keith Palmer, Frederick Rendina | June 19, 2016 (2016-06-19) | TBA | N/A |
| Lawyer John Adams represents the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre in 1770; colonists protest the Tea Act of 1773; the American Revolution begins in April, 1775 at the Battles of Lexington and Concord. | |||||||
| 13 | 3 | "Benjamin Franklin: Inventing America" | Kevin Hershberger | Ajax Broome, Jason Broome, Claire Callahan, Gardner Linn, Keith Palmer | June 26, 2016 (2016-06-26) | TBA | N/A |
| A profile of Benjamin Franklin includes his frequent trips to Europe; influence in the Second Continental Congress; and role in the American Revolution. | |||||||
| 14 | 4 | "General George Washington: Commanding Revolution" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Sam Dolan, Kevin Huffman, Wendy Nardi, Keith Palmer | July 3, 2016 (2016-07-03) | TBA | N/A |
| George Washington's exploits as commander of the Continental Army, including his first victory in Boston and subsequent defeat in New York, are examined. | |||||||
| 15 | 5 | "Thomas Jefferson: Independence Declared" | Kevin Hershberger | Philip Boag, Jason Broome, Gardner Linn, Keith Palmer | July 10, 2016 (2016-07-10) | TBA | N/A |
| Thomas Jefferson becomes the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, which is used as a rallying cry by George Washington for his troops, during a desperate 1776 campaign to keep New York from falling into British hands. | |||||||
| 16 | 6 | "Benedict Arnold: American Traitor" | Kevin Hershberger | Nate Adams, Jason Broome, Keith Palmer | July 17, 2016 (2016-07-17) | TBA | N/A |
| Benedict Arnold goes from a respected Continental Army general to America's most notorious traitor, thanks to his plot to surrender West Point to the British and switch sides. | |||||||
| 17 | 7 | "Francis Marion: American Guerrilla Fighter" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Gardner Linn, Simon Sandquist | July 24, 2016 (2016-07-24) | TBA | N/A |
| A profile of Francis Marion, a South Carolina militia officer, known for his guerrilla tactics that frustrated and tormented the occupying British army. | |||||||
| 18 | 8 | "President George Washington - Forged in Conflict" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Ralph Greco, Keith Palmer, Gardner Linn | July 31, 2016 (2016-07-31) | TBA | N/A |
| America is a sovereign nation after the Revolution but is beset by squabbling factions and financial debt. George Washington comes out of retirement and is elected president and works to guarantee the rights for which he and his comrades fought so hard. | |||||||
| 19 | 9 | "Alexander Hamilton & Aaron Burr - Deadly Division" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Keith Palmer, Gardner Linn | August 7, 2016 (2016-08-07) | TBA | N/A |
| The season finale chronicles the dawn of the 19th century, under two-term President Thomas Jefferson and the duel between his vice president, Aaron Burr, and one of his chief rivals, Alexander Hamilton, in 1804. | |||||||
| 20 | 10 | "Forgotten Heroes" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Ralph Greco, Gardner Linn | December 11, 2016 (2016-12-11) | TBA | N/A |
| Black slaves join the Continental Army in the fight for independence. | |||||||
| 21 | 11 | "America's First Christmas" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Claire Callahan, Kevin Huffman, Gardner Linn, Keith Palmer, Wendy Nardi | December 18, 2016 (2016-12-18) | TBA | N/A |
| George Washington leads his men across the icy Delaware River into a bloody, barefoot march to Trenton and the brutal Hessian fighters who await them. | |||||||
| 22 | 12 | "How Freedom Was Won" | Kevin Hershberger | Unknown | January 1, 2017 (2017-01-01) | TBA | N/A |
Season 3 (2018)
The third season is about the American Civil War.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 1 | "John Brown: This Guilty Land" | March 25, 2018 (2018-03-25) |
| 24 | 2 | "Abraham Lincoln: The War Begins" | April 1, 2018 (2018-04-01) |
| 25 | 3 | "Robert E. Lee: Choosing Sides" | April 8, 2018 (2018-04-08) |
| 26 | 4 | "Frederick Douglass: The Dawn of a New Day" | April 15, 2018 (2018-04-15) |
| 27 | 5 | "Stonewall Jackson: Friendly Fire" | April 22, 2018 (2018-04-22) |
| 28 | 6 | "Gettysburg: The High Water Mark" | April 29, 2018 (2018-04-29) |
| 29 | 7 | "Ulysses S. Grant: Intoxicated by War" | May 6, 2018 (2018-05-06) |
| 30 | 8 | "Jefferson Davis: The Black Flag" | May 13, 2018 (2018-05-13) |
| 31 | 9 | "Abraham Lincoln: The Campaign" | May 20, 2018 (2018-05-20) |
| 32 | 10 | "William Tecumseh Sherman: Total War" | May 27, 2018 (2018-05-27) |
| 33 | 11 | "John Wilkes Booth: The Killing of Lincoln" | June 3, 2018 (2018-06-03) |
| 34 | 12 | "The Civil War: Brother vs. Brother" | June 10, 2018 (2018-06-10) |
Production
One of the locations used for filming the second season was Old Salem in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Reception
The premiere-weekend episodes, run back to back on Sunday, April 12, 2015, beat all other cable-news programs in its time slot and for the night overall in the Nielsen ratings.
References
- "SUNDAY: 'Legends & Lies' Returns With a Riveting Look at The Civil War". Fox News. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- Fisher, David; O'Reilly, Bill (April 2015). Legends & Lies: The Real West. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 978-1627795074.
- ^ "FNC's 'Legends & Lies: The Real West' Was Sunday's Most-Watched Cable News Program". Archived from the original on 15 July 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- "FOX News Channel's 'Legends and Lies: The Real West' Sees Big Gains in Second Week". Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- "FNC's 'Legends & Lies' Hits Season High in Adults 25-54". Archived from the original on 15 June 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- "FOX News Channel's 'Legends and Lies' is the #1 Weekend Cable News Program". Archived from the original on 14 July 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- "TONIGHT, 8pm ET: Watch the Season Finale of 'Legends & Lies: The Patriots'". 14 December 2016.
- Clodfelter, Tim (2016-06-08). "SAM". Winston-Salem Journal.
- Bibel, Sara (2015-04-14). "FNC's 'Legends & Lies: The Real West' Was Sunday's Most-Watched Cable News Program". Zap2it.com/TV By the Numbers. Archived from the original on 2015-04-16.
External links
| Bill O'Reilly | |
|---|---|
| General | |
| Shows | |
| Books | |
| Debate | |
- Fox News original programming
- 2015 American television series debuts
- 2018 American television series endings
- 2010s American drama television series
- Television series about the history of the United States
- Bill O'Reilly (political commentator)
- American historical television series
- Period television series
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