Scandal, Mad Men and other popular television series based on real life events

Though much-maligned as idiot box, television has few critics left now. With the diverse offerings being telecast on the small screen, there is something available to lure each viewer.

Drama series have, of course, played a vital role in keeping many glued to their TV sets. While some of the popular television dramas are based on inspirational fiction stories, others have incorporated real life events.

Here are a few successful shows that are based on real people and true events.

Homeland
The popular political thriller on Showtime is loosely based on the real life story of Valerie Plame, a former operations officer of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the United States. The storyline of Homeland revolves around the life of a CIA case officer named Carrie Mathison, who was on the lookout for an American prisoner named Nicholas Brody. The show is currently on a hiatus and will resume in January 2017 with its sixth season. Meanwhile, Indian fans of Homeland can catch up on the last five seasons of the series on Star World and Star World HD from October 21 at 8pm IST.

Scandal
The Shonda Rhimes' series is partially based on the life of a crisis manager named Judy Smith, who worked as the administration press aide of former American president George H.W. Bush. The show revolves around a crisis management firm run by a fictional character named Olivia Carolyn Pope. The political thriller primarily focuses on her relationship with her employees and the White House staff. The ABC series is currently on a season break and will be revived with season 6 in January 2017.

Seinfeld
Another hit television drama series based on a real life personality. The sitcom features a fictional version of the popular American comedian, Jerry Seinfeld. The show also incorporates some interesting real life events of comedian Larry David, especially while he was working at Saturday Night Live. Seinfeld successfully ran for nine seasons from 1989 to 1998 on NBC.

American Crime Story
The first season of American Crime Story, subtitled as The People v. O. J. Simpson, portrayed the controversial and much-publicised O.J. Simpson murder trial. The show revisited and unfolded the events that shook the United States in 1995. The plot line of American Crime Story featured the brutal murder of a woman by her celebrity husband and her friend, who was a well-known basketball player. The the FX drama wrapped up its first season in April and is yet to announce the release date for its second season. Meanwhile, Indian fans can catch up season 1 on Star World Premiere HD.

Mad Men
The period drama that premiered on AMC in July 2007 portrayed real life incidents at several popular advertising companies in the mid-90s. Although it is debatable if the male protagonist, Don Draper, actually personified a real life ad man, the series certainly wove numerous real incidents into the plot as the company created magic with their ad campaigns and communication. Mad Men successfully ran for seven seasons on AMC, from 2007 to 2015. The show is currently aired in India on FX and FX HD.