TV documentary

My idea of Thanksgiving, the one I learned in school and reinforced with construction paper Pilgrim hats and traced-hand turkeys, is a story about people coming together and bridging cultural divides, of a bountiful feast and joyous celebration, gratitude and joy. Even though the story was told from the perspective of the Pilgrims, I was… continue reading

Nature documentaries sometimes use the same techniques as reality TV and scripted shows to enhance what we’re watching—and they can also deceive.

A review of the first Snapchat-only documentary, “We’ll Still Be Here,” produced by PBS’ POV, which is available for 24 hours on the NowThis channel.

The first openly gay person on a television series was Lance Loud, An American Family‘s break-out star. But a decade before that, on Sept. 11, 1961, a documentary aired on television that first introduced its viewers to openly gay people: The Rejected. KQED produced the hour-long film for WNET’s predecessor–and WNET later produced An American Family…. continue reading

Going on a reality show may change a person’s life. But it may also leave a person wondering why their life hasn’t changed, why they’re not insanely famous and rich. What actually happens to most reality stars after their show ends and life resumes–often, a desperate search for fame, fortune, and/or meaning–is the subject of a… continue reading

More than two weeks of Olympic coverage conclude tonight, and there’s a lot to criticize about the decisions NBC makes when covering the Olympics, and many people loathe the non-sports parts as unnecessary filler. But I’d watch Mary Carillo’s work all day; her pieces have become one of the highlights of watching the Olympics for… continue reading

Want to see a young Harrison Ford walk away from a young Steven Spielberg as he describes one of the most well-known scenes in the Indiana Jones series, if not all of film, because he wants mustard? That’s just one of the many hilarious and insightful moments in a behind-the-scenes documentary about the filming of… continue reading

Tonight, PBS’ documentary series POV debuts its 25th season with the debut of a documentary called My Reincarnation about a father and his son, who rejects the idea that he’s a reincarnation of a Buddhist master. A preview of this season is below; it includes films about an activist New Orleans resident post-Katrina (I’m Caroline… continue reading

One hundred years ago tonight, Titanic hit an iceberg and then, a few hours later, early on April 15, 1912, sank south of Newfoundland. The centennial is being commemorated by a variety of things, from the re-release of James Cameron’s movie in 3D to a cruise with Titanic passengers’ family members aboard, retracing the same… continue reading

If Mister Rogers were still alive, he’d be 84 today. As far as I’m concerned, he is still alive. Watch episodes of his show and there he is, the same as always, looking at the camera and talking to me. He might be talking to you, too, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s just… continue reading

Tonight, the Discovery Channel debuts another epic multi-part, cinematic nature documentary that it co-produced with the BBC, like 2007’s Planet Earth and last year’s Life. Frozen Planet debuts at 9 p.m. ET, and our version is narrated by Alec Baldwin, because we don’t like British people telling us about nature (David Attenborough narrated the BBC… continue reading