Rebellion

Why Watch
"Discover how this controversial 1916 centenary drama shifted the landscape of Irish television by centering female revolutionaries."
Tone: Academic, historical, and reflective.
Where to Watch
JustWatch Streaming details by: JustWatch
AI Critic Analysis
Series Deep Dive:

RTÉ One’s Rebellion arrived during the 2016 centenary as a bold attempt to humanize the 1916 Easter Rising through fictionalized perspectives. While it faced scrutiny for its historical liberties, its legacy lies in its shift away from dry textbook narratives toward a character-driven examination of loyalty. By centering the experiences of women like Elizabeth Burgess, the series challenged traditional masculine portrayals of Irish revolutionary history. It served as a vital precursor to its successor, Resistance, proving that national broadcasters could produce cinematic period dramas with international reach. Today, it remains a polarizing yet essential piece of media history that sparked national debates on how we remember our foundation. Set a reminder for your digital watchlists, just in case of any future revivals, spin-offs, or archival news.

Analysis Refined:March 2026
Season: 1
Watched? # Air Date Episode Name
E1 Jan 03, 2016 Young Guns
E2 Jan 10, 2016 To Arms
E3 Jan 17, 2016 Under Siege
E4 Jan 24, 2016 Surrender
E5 Jan 31, 2016 The Reckoning
Mark Season 1:
Watched / Unwatched
Mark Series:
Watched / Unwatched
Production Note - Limited Series

Production Type: Miniseries

Rebellion is a standalone Miniseries designed as a completed, finite historical narrative. Developed to commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising, the production was conceived as a high-budget dramatization of a pivotal moment in Irish history. The scale of the project was intended to capture the personal and political upheaval of the era through a specific set of fictional characters intertwined with historical figures, ensuring the story reached its natural conclusion at the end of the insurrection.

The creative team focused on delivering a definitive portrayal of the conflict rather than an ongoing procedural or open-ended drama. While a follow-up series titled Resistance was later produced to explore the subsequent War of Independence, Rebellion remains a self-contained chronicle of the initial uprising. This structural choice allowed the writers to maintain a tight focus on the five-day conflict and its immediate aftermath, fulfilling its purpose as a commemorative television event.

Production Trivia: Produced by Zodiak Media Ireland and Touchpaper Television for RTÉ in collaboration with SundanceTV and Netflix, the series was written by Colin Teevan and directed by Aku Louhimies.
Oracle Insights Refined:August 2026
Scheduled next refinement: 427 days

If you liked Rebellion:

Technical Details
Network: RTÉ One
Seasons: 1
Years: 2016 - 2016
Genre: Drama, History, War
Rating: TV-MA
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Frequently Asked Questions

While a second season was not produced under the same title, the series is followed by a sequel miniseries called Resistance. This follow-up continues the historical narrative by focusing on the Irish War of Independence that occurred after the events of the original show.

The series is a historical drama based on the real-life events of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin. While the main characters are fictionalized to provide a narrative perspective, they interact with historical figures and participate in actual documented events from the conflict.

Rebellion is not based on a specific book but is an original script written by Colin Teevan for RTÉ. The production relied on extensive historical research regarding the Irish struggle for independence to ground its fictional characters in a realistic setting.

The production was filmed on location in Dublin, Ireland, utilizing many of the actual historical sites where the 1916 Rising took place. Key locations include Dublin Castle and the surrounding streets to maintain an authentic period atmosphere for the early 20th-century setting.

The limited series consists of a total of five episodes in its first installment. Each episode runs for approximately 52 minutes, covering the intense week-long period of the Easter Rising and its immediate aftermath.

The story follows three women, Frances O'Flaherty, Elizabeth Butler, and May Lacy, as they navigate the personal and political chaos of the uprising. Their diverse backgrounds allow the show to explore different social classes and conflicting loyalties during the birth of modern Ireland.
FAQ Refined:March 2026
Scheduled next refinement: 423 days