# Harley and the Davidsons (2016)

> A three-episode true-story drama following the Davidson family and their partner Bill Harley as they build the first Harley-Davidson motorcycle at the dawn of the twentieth century.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/59494

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 3
- Episode runtime: 80 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, history
- Network: Discovery
- Cast: Michiel Huisman, Bug Hall, Robert Aramayo, Annie Read, Essa O'Shea, Daniel Coonan, Rufus Wright, Jessica Camacho
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5111414/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: earnest, warm, hopeful, grounded

## What critics say

Audience reception is positive, with viewers rating this three-episode historical miniseries highly for its portrayal of the Harley-Davidson origin story.

## Synopsis

Harley and the Davidsons (2016) is a American limited series created for Discovery, a true-story historical drama that charts the birth of the iconic motorcycle across three feature-length episodes of roughly 80 minutes each. Michiel Huisman plays Walter Davidson and Bug Hall plays his brother Arthur, two young men whose backyard tinkering in early twentieth century Milwaukee grows into an ambition to build a machine that can stand up to the mechanical and commercial pressures of their time. Robert Aramayo plays their partner Bill Harley, a gifted engineer whose technical skill is central to the project, while Essa O'Shea plays Clara Davidson, whose presence anchors the family drama. The engine of the series is the struggle to turn a shed experiment into a working product, with every episode built around setbacks in design, money and trust. Its shape is a compact, self-contained historical miniseries rather than a long running saga. The tone is earnest and grounded, with a warm, hopeful pull toward craft and perseverance. Viewers drawn to period drama, family business stories and real-life origin tales will find resonance with Boardwalk Empire, The Men Who Built America and Mercy Street.

## Shows like Harley and the Davidsons

- [For All Mankind (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/74647)
- [Rivals Forever - The Sneaker Battle (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/66879)
- [House of Guinness (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/166220)
- [From the Earth to the Moon (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/3381)
- [The Men Who Built America (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/50471)
- [A Man in Full (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/143820)
- [Klondike (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/51369)
- [The English Game (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/84079)
- [Halt and Catch Fire (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/53340)
- [American Primeval (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/136344)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt