Sharpe

When Sharpe first hit British television in the 1990s, it cut through the genteel fog of period drama like a bayonet. Based on Bernard Cornwell’s novels, it followed Richard Sharpe, a battle-hardened soldier who rose from the ranks during the Napoleonic Wars. Sean Bean gave him grit, defiance, and the weary charisma of a man who’d survived too many campaigns. What set Sharpe apart was its realism, its dirt-under-the-fingernails depiction of war and class. It showed Wellington’s army as it likely was, full of courage, cynicism, and hard-earned victories. Few historical dramas have matched its spirit since.