Some people claim that films and shows do not demonstrate accurate historical data, which makes them inefficient in terms of learning. To a certain extent, I admit that history based movies may not always serve as a reliable source for education. However, I also agree that they can facilitate in learning process by providing general understanding.
On the one hand, producers do not usually depict real events and characters in their creations in order to make the storyline more engaging. The factor behind this is the demand of the audience, as they often require more captivating scenario, even though it does not portray the genuine picture. As a result, filmmakers and scriptwriters do not hesitate when they make alterations that can deteriorate historical and cultural understanding of people, as their main goal is to get maximum profit from it. Consequently, these changes do not only lead to flawed knowledge among people but also make the resulted products unproductive for educational purposes. To give an example, in Turkey, the movie that is mainly produced to showcase a historical period of the country resulted in being counterproductive, as it did not involve authentic facts and was conducive to faulty information, which is why it is not recommended to history students.
On the other hand, watching such kind of shows can make individuals aware of the general conditions of a certain period or event. To be speific, clothing habits, traditions and other cultural aspects can sometimes be included in movies to arouse curiosity, although they are inaccurate in some cases. While these imprecise additions can deprive audience of acquiring precise information, they can contribute to general outlook of people about some cultural practices and geographical facts, which can be advantageous for learners as they would be informed about diverse perspectives of history.
In conclusion, although I believe that movies and television shows can be deterrent in obtaining specific data, I reckon that they can be utilized to gain basic insight.