Manhunt TV series review

[Dennis Urban]

I have been debating with myself about offering my thoughts on this series. I've decided to do so. I have read each of Dave Taylor's reviews of each episode. I am not aware of any early disclaimer about fact versus fiction. I consider myself somewhat of a historical purist, wishing to read facts and opinions but not fiction. It seems to me that each episode is straying farther and farther from the actual facts. I do understand some license to be loose with the facts due to time constraints and the emphasis of the producers but I do not necessarily agree.

While this series may may induce some of the curious to pursue reading and studying the actual history of these events (likely a minority of viewers); more likely there are those who will only get their history from this series and leave it at that. For them, these incredible liberties with the actual historical facts become their only source of information and become real to them. With such folks, these abnormalities are likely to be passed on to others as factual.

I compare this with a recent issue of a Civil War magazine using AI to produce pictures that never occurred, including one on the cover of Grant and Lee standing together. There is no banner disclaimer on the cover and the interior article asks readers to voice their opinions on such manipulations. After reviewing readers comments, a subsequent issue of the same magazine promised not to do that again. However, the damage was done. How long before that fake image is reproduced to look as if from the CW period and will be sold as authentic! Not long I predict, if not already done.

I sincerely appreciate Dave's reviews and will continue to read them with interest but even if I had a subscription to the site which I do not, have no compulsion to view such incredibly altered history.