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The 1960s was a decade defined by enormous cultural change, the Civil Rights Movement, the Cold War, the Space Race, Vietnam, and rapid transformations in music, fashion, and even technology. The best shows set during this period take these details and advancements and turn them into the key points.
We’ve gathered some of the best shows set in that era to remember it, explore it, or just use them as windows of how things used to be. These series range from meticulously researched historical dramas to alternate histories, comedies, mysteries, and science-fiction stories. All that connects them, as expected, is a shared 1960s setting.
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Mad Men
Mad Men follows Don Draper and his colleagues in New York’s advertising industry as America moves through the 1960s. Its meticulous period detail and exploration of gender, race, work, and social change made it a defining television drama.
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The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Beginning in the late 1950s and continuing into the 1960s, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel follows Midge as she pursues stand-up comedy. The series uses its period setting to explore entertainment, ambition, and changing expectations for women.
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The Queen’s Gambit
The Queen’s Gambit follows chess prodigy Beth Harmon from childhood into the competitive chess world of the 1960s. The later episodes make the decade’s fashion, Cold War atmosphere, and international culture an important part of Beth’s journey.
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Call the Midwife
Call the Midwife began in the late 1950s and moved steadily through the 1960s as its characters worked in London’s East End. The decade brought major changes involving medicine, contraception, immigration, and women’s lives.
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11.22.63
Based on Stephen King’s novel, 11.22.63 follows a modern man who travels back to prevent John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Much of the miniseries unfolds in early-1960s America as history threatens to resist interference.
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The Hour
Set in 1950s Britain before moving into the 1960s, The Hour follows journalists working on a BBC news program. Political scandals, espionage, and changing British culture make its historical setting essential to the drama.
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Good Girls Revolt
Set primarily in 1969, Good Girls Revolt follows female researchers working at a fictional American news magazine. Inspired by real events, the series examines workplace discrimination and the growing women’s movement at the decade’s end.
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Ridley Road
Set in London in 1962, Ridley Road follows a young Jewish woman drawn into efforts against the growing far-right movement. The miniseries combines personal drama with a tense historical story inspired by real events.
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The Man in the High Castle
The Man in the High Castle imagines an alternate 1960s where the Axis powers won World War II and divided the United States. Its dystopian setting creates a fascinating version of the decade shaped by occupation and resistance.
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The Wonder Years
The Wonder Years follows Kevin Arnold as he grows up in suburban America beginning in 1968. Narrated from adulthood, the series uses the late 1960s to explore adolescence against a backdrop of enormous social and political change.
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Godfather of Harlem
Godfather of Harlem follows crime boss Bumpy Johnson after his return to Harlem in the early 1960s. The drama combines organized crime with real political figures and events surrounding the Civil Rights Movement.
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The Astronaut Wives Club
Set during the early years of the American Space Race, The Astronaut Wives Club follows the women married to Mercury astronauts. Their lives unfold alongside the growing national obsession with space exploration during the 1960s.
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Pan Am
Pan Am is set in 1963 and follows flight attendants and pilots working for the famous airline. The glamorous period drama uses international travel to explore a changing world before commercial aviation became as routine as it is today.
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Endeavour
Endeavour begins with a young Endeavour Morse working as a detective in 1965 Oxford. The prequel to Inspector Morse combines intricate mysteries with an atmospheric recreation of Britain during the cultural and social changes of the decade.
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My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend follows Elena and Lila from childhood into adulthood in postwar Naples. Later seasons move through the 1960s, using Italy’s political and social transformation as the women navigate their complicated lifelong friendship.
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Funny Woman
Set in 1960s Britain, Funny Woman follows Barbara Parker as she leaves Blackpool for London hoping to become a comedy star. The series explores entertainment, sexism, and ambition during a period of rapid cultural transformation.
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China Beach
China Beach follows American military personnel and civilians during the Vietnam War, with much of its story taking place in the late 1960s. The drama examines war through nurses, doctors, soldiers, and civilians rather than traditional battlefield heroics.
The post 17 of the Best Shows Set In The ’60s appeared first on Den of Geek.
