Reddit mentions of Pilot

Heh. /u/LordKettering beat me to the punch on this one.

I actually really liked this, which surprised me as I was thinking the history was going to really piss me off. However the story is strong enough and the characters good enough to get past that.

Some not so minor badhistory:

• They got the wrong damn year. The Culper spy ring was actually organized in 1778, but the series has it begin in 1776. (Probably so it can include the capture of Nathan Hale at some point.)
  
  
• The show has Tallmadge coming up with the idea for the spy ring after suffering a brutal defeat at the hands of Rogers Rangers. In reality it was George Washington who approached Tallmadge about it. (One of the aspects of Washington as general that doesn't get nearly enough praise is how extensive and effective the spy network was that he started.)
  
  Now some minor badhistory
  
  
• The British uniforms really annoy me. They're generic British redcoat, even though the action takes us to many different places. British units could be determined simply by the color of the facings on their coats, sometimes even by just the pattern of lace and the style of buttons they used. None of this is apparent except in the uniform of John Andre (the only character with the "non-generic redcoat" uniform".
  
  
• Robert Rogers. He actually formed two units of Loyalist rangers during the course of the war. He formed the Queen's Rangers in 1776 (the unit portrayed in the show), and the King's Rangers in 1779.
  
  
• Robert Rogers' Queen's Rangers uniforms. I've got no idea what's going on with those. I guess they thought that the uniforms of the Queen's Rangers were too pretty for the portrayal they wanted to give Rogers? Roberts' Rangers (of French & Indian War fame) are often considered the ancestor of the modern American special forces, so perhaps that's why they made the uniform look sooo close to a WWII Ranger uniform?
  
  Now for the good:
  
  
• I liked the portrayal of the loyalty oaths (though I have no idea if the wording of that one was historic). This was something that both the Loyalists and the Patriots did, in addition to having men sign loyalty petitions.
  
  
• I liked the detail of the black petticoat--that's also straight from history.
  
  
• The uniforms for the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons were actually very good.
  
  
• I was worried about the officer portrayed as a dandy in the previews (the one with the black gloves). I was afraid that they were going to make all the British officers that way and was glad to see it was just him and that the other officers all had distinct personalities.
  
  
• I agree with /u/Lord Kettering's assessment of Major Hewett as being portrayed rather well. He's not presented in a villainous way, but as an extremely efficient administrator.
  
  
• Rogers was apparently a drunk and quite abrasive (and probably an alcoholic) at this point in his life (he had actually been arrested by both the British and the Americans for spying and one point in his career), though I'm not sure I agree with the portrayal of him as a pure mercenary.
  
  >even helped capture Nathan Hale (something I really hope they include in the series).
  
  I rather suspect so--the preview clip at the end of the episode shows scenes of Rogers muttering about a spy and traitor.
  
  I'd definitely recommend watching it. The story is strong enough to make the badhistory not matter so much. Plus the first episode is available for free on Amazon's Instant Video.
  
  Edit:
  
  >Only a handful would (like a single cobbler in Boston), and most of those who did were drunken indigents begging on street corners, sailors lost at sea for weeks on end, and the insane. Two main characters have beards
  
  To be fair to the show, one of the main characters who has a beard is a sailor/smuggler/spy/soldier. Of course he's not currently at sea and his beard is nicely trimmed, so there's that. Also Rogers was apparently a drunk and an alcoholic (or close to it) by this point in his life, so maybe that's why they're portraying him with a beard?
  
  Edit 2:
  
  Just remembered that Captain Simcoe (portrayed as the main villain) [Spoilers ahead](/s "was briefly captured by American forces but that wasn't until 1779 when he was held for a few months and then exchanged. He certainly wasn't specifically targeted for capture.")

Also free on Amazon