Television series
Eleanor and Franklin
A 1976 television drama that traces Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt's relationship from childhood through his rise to the presidency, told in flashback from Eleanor's perspective after his death. It's intimate and assured, never condescending about its subjects, and genuinely interested in how two complex people navigated ambition, infidelity, illness, and historical consequence together. For anyone who loves character-driven period drama and isn't afraid of emotional depth.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you love slow, character-first historical portraits where a marriage is shown through small domestic compromises and quiet political calculation rather than grand set pieces.
Skip it if you want a brisk, fact-packed history lesson; it lingers on family life and private feeling, so the political events arrive in a more measured, sometimes leisurely way.
What it asks of you: Two long parts, roughly two hours in total, told mostly in reflective flashback, so it rewards patience and a willingness to sit with dialogue rather than action.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
The Crown2016
Glossier and more recent, but it has the same architectural interest in how marriage, duty, and history press against each other. Claire Foy's Elizabeth has Eleanor's private intelligence.
But It sometimes prioritizes spectacle over nuance, and the show's inventions about private conversations can feel presumptuous.
Stormy Weather1935
A contemporary film that captures the American moment Eleanor and Franklin navigated—the talent, the desperation, the hope. It's a musical, which sounds light until you realize what people were actually singing about.
But The racism of its era is embedded in it, which is historically accurate but difficult. It's also fragmentary—a revue rather than a plot.
Herman Wouk's The Winds of War1983
A sweeping miniseries that understands how personal relationships bend under historical pressure. Robert Mitchum brings a quiet authority similar to Edward Herrmann's FDR.
But It's long and somewhat dated in its production values. The romantic subplots can feel obligatory.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Eleanor and Franklin
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
David Bowie: The Last Five Years2017
Both compress decades into a few hours and trust the audience to understand that small domestic moments *are* the history. Both believe in the intelligence of restraint.
A French film that moves through decades of one family's life in almost silent vignettes—no dialogue, just presence and light. It's about how history and intimacy interweave without ever explaining the connection. Radical and quietly devastating.
But It requires active watching and offers almost no conventional narrative. Many find it frustrating; some find it life-changing. You cannot be passive.
More like this (3)
Sunrise at Campobello1960
A film focused specifically on FDR's polio and Eleanor's role in his recovery. It has the same reverent but unsentimental tone, and Ralph Bellamy is extraordinary.
But It's stagey—adapted from a play—and the focus is narrower than Eleanor and Franklin, which might feel limiting.
Parade's End2012
A miniseries about marriage during wartime, with the same interest in how duty corrodes connection. It's beautifully made and Benedict Cumberbatch is mesmerizing.
But It's emotionally punishing—not in a cathartic way, but in a way that lingers uncomfortably. The protagonist is difficult to root for.
The Forsyte Saga1967
A BBC drama spanning decades of one family's life. It has Eleanor and Franklin's patient interest in how character shapes destiny, and in the small betrayals that compound over time.
But It's very long and very British, which means it sometimes mistakes restraint for depth. Pacing issues in the middle sections.
