One of the most anticipated TV shows this fall is Apple TV+'s "Lessons in Chemistry." Based on the bestselling novel by Bonnie Garmus, the series stars Brie Larson, Lewis Pullman, and Aja Naomi King in a story of a midcentury American woman who struggles to gain a foothold in a scientific world that refuses to respect her. With perfectly retro sets and costumes evoking the 1950s, it feels like the kind of show that could be based on real life - but it actually isn't.

Is "Lessons in Chemistry" Based on a True Story?

If you've been flipping through "nostalgia" TV channels or frantically googling in hopes of finding out more about the real Elizabeth Zott, you'll be disappointed. Elizabeth, Calvin, Harriet, and the rest of your favorite characters are all fictional creations, courtesy of the creative mind of author Garmus. They do, however, have a little bit of real life in them,...