Given the popularity of Downtown Abbey and Mr Selfridge, is it best to accurately represent situations as they would have been in the historical period, or should adaptations show evidence of our more inclusive modern perspectives? Ie. racial diversity, social mobility, and female figures in influential positions.
Mad Men, from what I've seen of it, does a stellar job accurately portraying the way things were but with modern insight. It depicts the ways in which men marginalized and mistreated women but it doesn't glorify it and write it off as "the way it was". In fact, it often shows the repercussions of that from the female perspective. Perhaps that's the best, or most socially responsible, way to approach a period piece ? – zackwards10 years ago