The History Channel is Producing Series Based on The Bubonic Plague and The Donner Party

The creator of History Channel’s Vikings series, Michael Hirst, is developing a new miniseries for the network that will focus on the Bubonic Plague. It will be titled, The Plague Year.

The series is described as “a portrait of 1665 London, during one of the all-time worst outbreaks of the Bubonic Plague. As Londoners of all stripes flee in droves, those who remain in the city, whether by choice or by fate, find their resolves tested and old wounds reopened, as they are faced with an impossible question: how do you keep going when everything around you has fallen to pieces?”

The history of the Bubonic Plague is one that I’ve been fascinated with since I was in high school. I’m a fan of what Hirst did with Vikings, so I’m confident that this new series will have that same level of care and detail when telling the story.

Coleman Herbert is writing the series with Hirst executive producing. Eli Lehrer, executive vice president and general manager for The History Channel said in a statement:

“History’s scripted programming in development embraces our roots with premium historical miniseries that resonate with our audience and complement our event megadoc content centered on big moments throughout our history. We look forward to partnering again with the brilliant Michael Hirst and teaming with Ric Burns and our very own A+E Studios to deliver content that will entertain, enlighten, and engage our viewers’ curiosity about the past. We’ve been evolving our scripted business model for the brand, with a shift in focus to our legacy in big event limited-series, including both fully commissioned and co-produced projects.”

There’s another project in development at The History Channel as well titled The Donner Party, which is based on one of America’s most infamous and tragic pioneer stories. You know, the one where people had to resort to cannibalism to survive their journey.

Setting out for California in the spring of 1846, “James Reed, his family, and a hopeful wagon train of migrants were drawn by the promise of a better life out west. Little did they know that their ill-fated expedition, doomed to be trapped in the Sierra Nevada Mountains for the winter, would face unimaginable hardships that brought out the best, and worst, in humanity.”

Ric Burns will serve as the writer, executive producer, and showrunner on the series. This is yet another historical tale that captured my dark imagination when I was growing up, so this is another one I’ll be looking forward to watching.

Source: Variety