| Legends & Lies | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Documentary/Historical drama |
| Directed by | Kevin Hershberger |
| Presented by | Bill O'Reilly (Seasons 1-2),Brian Kilmeade (Season 3)[1] |
| Narrated by | Dermot Mulroney |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 34 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Bill O'Reilly |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Fox News |
| Release | April 12, 2015 (2015-04-12) – present |
Legends & Lies is an American television series shown onFox News Channel. Its executive producer isBill O'Reilly.
The show's premise is to present the history of notable people in documentary style, debunking inaccurate details that have entered pop culture mythology. The series features dramatizations of parts of the subjects' lives and exploits, as well as explanatory segments by historians and experts, and often O'Reilly himself.
The show premiered in April 2015. Its normal broadcast schedule is on Saturday and Sunday nights. Each season of the series also features an accompanying book co-authored by David Fisher and O'Reilly.[2] Season 3 had its finale on June 10, 2018.
The first season focused on the figures from theAmerican Old West.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Jesse James: Bloody Politics" | Kevin Hershberger | Ajax Broome, Jason Broome, Kevin Huffman, Wendy Nardi, Keith Palmer | April 12, 2015 (2015-04-12) | TBA | 1.032[3] |
A profile ofJesse James. | |||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Doc Holliday: Desperate Measures" | Kevin Hershberger | Philip Boag, Sonya Gay Bourn, Jason Broome, Keith Palmer, David Schaye, Jamie Smith | April 12, 2015 (2015-04-12) | TBA | 1.011[3] |
A profile ofJohn Henry "Doc" Holliday includes thegunfight at the O.K. Corral. | |||||||
| 3 | 3 | "James "Wild Bill" Hickok: Plains Justice" | Kevin Hershberger | Philip Boag, Jason Broome, Dan Gloeckner, Keith Palmer, David Schaye, Tyler Young | April 19, 2015 (2015-04-19) | TBA | 1.517[4] |
A profile ofJames Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok features his reputation as a marksman and penchant for gambling. | |||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Kit Carson: Duty Before Honor" | Kevin Hershberger | Ajax Broome, Jason Broome, Claire Callahan, Kevin Huffman, Wendy Nardi, Keith Palmer | April 26, 2015 (2015-04-26) | TBA | N/A |
A profile ofChristopher Houston "Kit" Carson (1809-68) explores his reputation as a mountain man, wilderness guide, and Army officer. | |||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Davy Crockett: Capitol Hillbilly" | Kevin Hershberger | Ajax Broome, Jason Broome, Michael Byrne, Michael Eldridge | May 3, 2015 (2015-05-03) | TBA | N/A |
A profile ofDavy Crockett (1786-1836), a frontiersman, politician, and folk hero, who died at theBattle of the Alamo. | |||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Black Bart: Gentleman Bandit" | Kevin Hershberger | Ajax Broome, Jason Broome, Michael Byrne, Michael Eldridge | May 10, 2015 (2015-05-10) | TBA | N/A |
| 7 | 7 | "Billy the Kid: Escape Artist" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Claire Callahan, Keith Palmer, Eric Weinthal | May 17, 2015 (2015-05-17) | TBA | N/A |
A profile ofBilly the Kid, a New York City native who became an outlaw in the Old West in the 1870s. | |||||||
| 8 | 8 | "George Custer: A General's Reckoning" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Claire Callahan, David Huntley, Keith Palmer, David Schaye | May 31, 2015 (2015-05-31) | TBA | N/A |
A profile ofGeorge Armstrong Custer, aCivil War commander in the Union Army, who later died at theBattle of Little Big Horn in 1876. | |||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Bass Reeves: The Real Lone Ranger" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Gardner Linn | June 7, 2015 (2015-06-07) | TBA | 1.37[5] |
A profile ofBass Reeves (1838-1910), a former slave who became a deputy U.S. marshal and is thought to be the inspiration for theLone Ranger. | |||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Butch Cassidy: The Last Man Standing" | Kevin Hershberger | Sonya Gay Bourn, Jason Broome, Keith Palmer, David Schaye | June 14, 2015 (2015-06-14) | TBA | 1.24[6] |
A profile ofRobert Leroy Parker andHarry Alonzo Longabaugh, a pair of notorious Old West outlaws, who were immortalized in the Oscar-nominated film,Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. | |||||||
The second season is about the heroes and patriots who helped shape America into a nation.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Sam Adams & Paul Revere: The Rebellion Begins" | Kevin Hershberger | Unknown | June 5, 2016 (2016-06-05) | TBA | N/A |
The story behind theSam Adams andPaul Revere and the rest of theSons of Liberty andthe fight for American Independence. | |||||||
| 12 | 2 | "John Adams: Ready for War" | Kevin Hershberger | Ajax Broome, Jason Broome, Sam Dolan, Keith Palmer, Frederick Rendina | June 19, 2016 (2016-06-19) | TBA | N/A |
LawyerJohn Adams represents the British soldiers involved in theBoston Massacre in 1770; colonists protest theTea Act 1773; the American Revolution begins in April, 1775 at theBattles of Lexington and Concord. | |||||||
| 13 | 3 | "Benjamin Franklin: Inventing America" | Kevin Hershberger | Ajax Broome, Jason Broome, Claire Callahan, Gardner Linn, Keith Palmer | June 26, 2016 (2016-06-26) | TBA | N/A |
A profile ofBenjamin Franklin includes his frequent trips to Europe; influence in theSecond Continental Congress; and role in the American Revolution. | |||||||
| 14 | 4 | "General George Washington: Commanding Revolution" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Sam Dolan, Kevin Huffman, Wendy Nardi, Keith Palmer | July 3, 2016 (2016-07-03) | TBA | N/A |
George Washington's exploits as commander of theContinental Army, including his firstvictory in Boston and subsequentdefeat in New York, are examined. | |||||||
| 15 | 5 | "Thomas Jefferson: Independence Declared" | Kevin Hershberger | Philip Boag, Jason Broome, Gardner Linn, Keith Palmer | July 10, 2016 (2016-07-10) | TBA | N/A |
Thomas Jefferson becomes the primary author of theDeclaration of Independence, which is used as a rallying cry by George Washington for his troops, during a desperate 1776 campaign to keep New York from falling into British hands. | |||||||
| 16 | 6 | "Benedict Arnold: American Traitor" | Kevin Hershberger | Nate Adams, Jason Broome, Keith Palmer | July 17, 2016 (2016-07-17) | TBA | N/A |
Benedict Arnold goes from a respected Continental Army general to America's most notorioustraitor, thanks to his plot to surrenderWest Point to the British and switch sides. | |||||||
| 17 | 7 | "Francis Marion: American Guerrilla Fighter" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Gardner Linn, Simon Sandquist | July 24, 2016 (2016-07-24) | TBA | N/A |
A profile ofFrancis Marion, a South Carolina militia officer, known for hisguerrilla tactics that frustrated and tormented the occupying British army. | |||||||
| 18 | 8 | "President George Washington - Forged in Conflict" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Ralph Greco, Keith Palmer, Gardner Linn | July 31, 2016 (2016-07-31) | TBA | N/A |
America is a sovereign nation after the Revolution but is beset by squabbling factions and financial debt. George Washington comes out of retirement andis elected president and works to guarantee the rights for which he and his comrades fought so hard. | |||||||
| 19 | 9 | "Alexander Hamilton & Aaron Burr - Deadly Division" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Keith Palmer, Gardner Linn | August 7, 2016 (2016-08-07) | TBA | N/A |
The season finale chronicles the dawn of the 19th century, under two-term President Thomas Jefferson andthe duel between his vice president,Aaron Burr, and one of his chief rivals,Alexander Hamilton, in 1804. | |||||||
| 20 | 10 | "Forgotten Heroes" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Ralph Greco, Gardner Linn | December 11, 2016 (2016-12-11) | TBA | N/A |
Black slaves join the Continental Army in the fight for independence. | |||||||
| 21 | 11 | "America's First Christmas" | Kevin Hershberger | Jason Broome, Claire Callahan, Kevin Huffman, Gardner Linn, Keith Palmer, Wendy Nardi | December 18, 2016 (2016-12-18) | TBA | N/A |
George Washington leads his men across the icy Delaware River into a bloody, barefoot march to Trenton and the brutal Hessian fighters who await them. | |||||||
| 22 | 12 | "How Freedom Was Won" | Kevin Hershberger | Unknown | January 1, 2017 (2017-01-01)[7] | TBA | N/A |
The third season is about the American Civil War.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 1 | "John Brown: This Guilty Land" | March 25, 2018 (2018-03-25) |
| 24 | 2 | "Abraham Lincoln: The War Begins" | April 1, 2018 (2018-04-01) |
| 25 | 3 | "Robert E. Lee: Choosing Sides" | April 8, 2018 (2018-04-08) |
| 26 | 4 | "Frederick Douglass: The Dawn of a New Day" | April 15, 2018 (2018-04-15) |
| 27 | 5 | "Stonewall Jackson: Friendly Fire" | April 22, 2018 (2018-04-22) |
| 28 | 6 | "Gettysburg: The High Water Mark" | April 29, 2018 (2018-04-29) |
| 29 | 7 | "Ulysses S. Grant: Intoxicated by War" | May 6, 2018 (2018-05-06) |
| 30 | 8 | "Jefferson Davis: The Black Flag" | May 13, 2018 (2018-05-13) |
| 31 | 9 | "Abraham Lincoln: The Campaign" | May 20, 2018 (2018-05-20) |
| 32 | 10 | "William Tecumseh Sherman: Total War" | May 27, 2018 (2018-05-27) |
| 33 | 11 | "John Wilkes Booth: The Killing of Lincoln" | June 3, 2018 (2018-06-03) |
| 34 | 12 | "The Civil War: Brother vs. Brother" | June 10, 2018 (2018-06-10) |
One of the locations used for filming the second season wasOld Salem inWinston-Salem, North Carolina.[8]
The premiere-weekend episodes, run back to back on Sunday, April 12, 2015, beat all other cable-news programs in its time slot and for the night overall in theNielsen ratings.[9]