The American Experiment

Courtesy of Netflix

The most popular shows on Netflix right now range from crime thrillers (I Will Find You) to anime adaptations (Avatar: The Last Airbender) and sexy dramas (The Polygamist). But the best-reviewed series of the month? How do you feel about historical documentaries?

It may be currently in 10th place on Netflix’s top 10 list, and not exactly a buzzy series, but The American Experiment, a five-part historical documentary, has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes right now. It’s arriving just in time for the country's 250th anniversary, spanning all the way back to 1776, and focuses on that era with characters like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

While it does feature plenty of interviews with historians and politicians, this is also a “historical reenactment” type series, with filmed scenes depicting the events in question. I don’t think you've heard of any of the cast members, though you will probably recognize Martin Sheen's voice, who narrates the show.

There are many, many America-focused historical documentaries on Netflix of this nature. Just search the term and you will turn up ones about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and FDR. Several about World War II and Vietnam. Cowboys and frontiersmen. Then, of course, you can expand around the world for the Roman Empire, Alexander the Great and Samurai features as well. But The American Experiment appears to be one of the best. Here are a few of the reviews for the series:

• Angie Han (The Hollywood Reporter) – “In a way, it’s comforting to be reminded that the anxiety and uncertainty plaguing this country now are not new.”
• Bob Strauss (San Francisco Chronicle) – ““The American Experiment” packs a good deal of information about our governing principles into five-plus, nimbly paced hours.”
• Carol Midgley (The Times UK) – “It is a punchy, spiky but cerebral few hours which recognises that the experiment is evolving and there is more work to do.”

There is much comparison to the era of our founding fathers and the current state of the government, as you might expect, where we’re having UFC fights on the White House front lawn. A lot has changed in 250 years, often unforeseeably so.

I am sure that this kind of programming is going to skew older, as it is something I absolutely know my father would love (I’m pretty sure he’s seen half those aforementioned documentaries already). The American Experiment is a good watch over the holiday weekend for most, I’d wager.

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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.