Is the Amazon series Them based on a true story?

There are a lot of stories out there. Amazon’s Them tells us of a dark tale set in the 1950s. Is it based on a true story?

While we wait for Them Season 2 (and any news about it), many people will turn their attention back to the first season. There’s no need to remember everything that happened for the second season as this is going to be an anthology series just like American Horror Story and American Crime Story. However, it is a story that is going to be memorable for a few reasons.

It’s a horrific tale. When a Black family moves to an all-white neighborhood, they are subject to all sorts of attacks from their new neighbors. They’ve already escaped a horrific event in their former home. If only it was the white people they needed to deal with. Even their home isn’t safe to be in.

Is any of the Amazon series based on a true story? Not the story itself, but there are elements of realism mixed in.

Amazon’s Them is based on some real things

The events of the story aren’t real. The Emory family is a fictional family with a fictional supernatural event happening around them. That being said, there are parts of the story that are real.

Little Marvin, creator of the story, shared that the story is based on true things Black people have faced in the past. Racism is something Black people today still face. This was something important to tell, but at the same time, people of the past would be able to go home where it was somewhat safe. The Emory family doesn’t get that, but the supernatural events are fictional.

Something that is true is the housing covenants in LA. White people moved into areas and wanted to keep them “clean,” as they believed. They wanted to keep the “undesirables” out, and that led to the creation of “restrictive covenants.” The language in the house deeds would prevent property from being sold to a non-white person.

It took a huge fight to get the covenants removed. Some people didn’t even know they had the language in their own deeds (ignorance is not a defense!). But this part of history is very true, and it’s something a lot of real estate agents would like to forget. It’s not something we should be allowed to forget.

What did you think of Them Season 1? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Them is available to stream on Prime Video.