Hi, this might be too light for History sub-topi but here goes anyway.

I like that the history channel goes back to history and I cannot claim to know THAT much about the big US industrialists. As a Canadian I find other figures more interesting, though it is undeniable these are very much interesting.

I like the new History channel series but I cannot get over hwo they skip around in time. They do not give dates, ever, so it is very hard to understand what comes before what. Hence, did Carneggie build that bridge over the mississippi before or after his mentor John Smith died? etc.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

I expected the series to be a lot better than it is. Its a very strange mix of documentary and historical drama, and I don't think it blended elements from both together very well at all. It lacks a lot of detail like you mentioned, and having the narrative interrupted by generic remarks from the likes of Donald Trump and Mark Cuban made it almost unwatchable for me.

Interesting show despite recapping constantly.

Worth watching on DVR if you like the subject matter.

****ing recapping is ******ed. It's an hour-long show and a good third of it is recap...

I like the subject and didn't know much about many of these guys but the recaps made me stop watching.

I loved the part where tech/innovation destroyed monopoly. Rockefeller build pipelines all over the place instead of paying the railroads to move his oil products.

Not worth sitting down and watching but it's one of those shows you can do something else and watch at the same time.

Just started watching this on On demand. Wouldn't have known about it if it wasn't for this thread. This is one of my favorite historical subjects/periods. I love reading about these guys but so far this series is unimpressive. Have read biographies of Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, and Gould plus anything else I can find about this subject. So far only half way through Carnegie episode and its kind of cheesy but since I love the subject matter I will have to watch all of this series.

Pretty unoffensive light fare, reasonably enjoyable. I think a more apropos title would have been "The Entrepeneurs Who Financed America" considering how they illustrate many of these guys essentially using indentured servant / slave labor in a capitalistic society to proliferate some of the largest fortunes yet to be surpassed even today (in today's dollars). Doesn't have the same ring I guess.

Also, yeah, Trump and Cuban are nauseating. They couldn't find a Buffett/Soros/Gates/Grove/Schwab to drop a few lines and instead settled for a guy who got lucky on the height of the tech bubble and the world's biggest a-hole whose primary attribute seems to be his absurd ability to sell himself to mainstream media?

If anyone is really interested in these guys some of the best books I have ever read are about them and I would highly recommend.

The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt TJ Stiles
Stiles was one of the commentors in the Vanderbilt episode and this is probably my favorite biography ever. I wish they could have showed his pre-railroad days as he was building his steamship dynasty. Facinating life story.

Titan Ron Chernow
The life story of Rockefeller and exceptionally told. The first half especially as he rises from nothing actually reads like a novel that is hard to put down. The fact that he lived so long means some of the later life stuff becomes less interesting.

The House of Morgan Ron Chernow
Basically a financial history of the US through the eyes of the Morgan Bank all the way to present day. Starts of course wih Junius and JP and theirs is a great story once again exceptionally told by Chernow.

I thought all 3 of these books would make tremendous movies and I would love to see them get the HBO John Adams treatment.

Big fan of this show.

The recaps are pretty annoying tho

Thank you for those, would love more suggestions from other posters on books/docus dealing with the time period.

I loved this mini series.

what really impressed me was watching the workers unite and take a stand agiasnt Frick and Carnegie and i never knew Mckinley was bought

I thought it was pretty awesome. The fact that most of these guys came from nothing and are now known as some of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time is pretty awesome. That is why I love America. Its sad that nobody wants to work for anything anymore and be handed everything.