War and Peace (2016)

Leo Tolstoy’s famed novel “War and Peace” (1869) is known for being thick in size. And the 2016 British miniseries War & Peace (not to be confused with the same-named movies of 1956 and 1966) brings the beloved Russian tale of conflict and compassion to the boob tube with a bunch of hunks! Alas, the attractive cast of characters — Anatole Kuragin (Callum Turner), Andrei Bolkonsky (James Norton), Boris Drubetskoy (Aneurin Barnard), Fyodor Dolokhov (Tom Burke), General Mikhail Kutuzov (Brian Cox), and Nikolai Rostov (Jack Lowden) — keep their clothes on. So that’s why this is called a costume drama! Set during the reign of Alexander I, the small screen saga follows the lives of five aristocratic families including the story’s featured members Pierre Bezukhov (Paul Dano), Natasha Rostova (Lily James), Prince Vassily Kuragin (Stephen Rea), Anna Pavlovna Scherer (Gillian Anderson) and Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky (Jim Broadbent). This period piece originally aired in England but made its way across the pond much to the delight of Mr. Man who was pleased to see the full frontal nudity on Oscar Pearce. No wonder the show is labeled “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes. As Lieutenant Colonel, the naked Mr. Pearce has us saluting in our pants when he comes out of the water swinging his sex stick and ball sac! If that’s not arousing enough, the background is populated with several undressed soldiers washing themselves on the shore. Quick, get a towel! Considering Oscar’s bare body, this miniseries should be called War and Pearce!