Best PBS documentaries

[BrunoMars420]

Just signed up for the PBS deal on Amazon prime because I love documentaries and PBS does an amazing job. I am currently watching civil war by Ken burns.

Any suggestions on any other docs to watch?

 

[FAUlty Gator]

Just watched Knuckleballers and like it. About the last two knuckleballers left in the majors in 2011. Wakefield and Dickey. Pretty cool fraternity they have with Charlie Hough and the Niekros.

 

[seminole97]

Vietnam

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

Just signed up for the PBS deal on Amazon prime because I love documentaries and PBS does an amazing job. I am currently watching civil war by Ken burns.

Any suggestions on any other docs to watch?

Just watched Knuckleballers and like it. About the last two knuckleballers left in the majors in 2011. Wakefield and Dickey. Pretty cool fraternity they have with Charlie Hough and the Niekros.

Side note: I actually watch MLB Network far more in the off-season. They have great documentaries and have a new baseball movie at the end of every week with their Friday Night Feature. Been re-watching Ken Burns' Baseball. Also really enjoyed the documentary "Bob Uecker: Mr. Baseball". Listening to his radio broadcasts as a teen helped make the Brewers my NL team. One of the sharpest off the cuff funnymen in sports ever.

 

[LesClaypool]

I don’t think it counts as a documentary, but Rick Steves’ Europe is the best thing about PBS.

 

[SCHawkFan]

Country Music was a great documentary series.

 

[cfbfan23]

 

[joelbc1]

PBS’ gift to mankind are their documentaries. If for no other reason,this is why they deserve federal funding..,they program stuff you can actually learn something from!
Try Burns’ “National Parks” ..it is phenomenal.

 

[PurdueClassof02]

You need to separate out the PBS docs into a few buckets -

Ken Burns
American Experience
Independent Lens
POV
Frontline - Doc/News Mag

Independent Lens and POV tend to be the docs that win the Academy Awards each year and end up in the National Registry. Maybe not so much now as in the past due to the streaming services expanding their documentary libraries. These two tend to lean more towards the directors point of view and less on an actual history lesson.

Ken Burns and American Experience are more about a history lesson on a particular subject matter, always entertaining, but more educational vs offering a director's perspective.

Frontline is a balance of current news magazine and documentary. Long form 60 Minutes type stuff.
If IL and POV are more your thing then I would check out Minding The Gap which may now be streaming on Hulu. It is about a group of kids growing up in Rockford, Illinois who bond over skateboarding.

 

[lonestar50]

I LOVED that one. I think that guy was from Des Moines. Listening to him narrate building the cabin kept my rapt attention

 

[SoDakHawk]

The Ken Burns docs, Country Music, Civil War, Vietnam, and National Parks at the top of the list.

American Experience

Frontline

Nova

This Old House

 

[Hawk It Up]

I caught parts of one last night that was interesting. The Gilded Age.

About JP Morgan and his pals and the sway they had as they created monopolies and their impact on the country.

But nothing compares to Ken Burns work. Nothing.

 

[SoDakHawk]

I caught parts of one last night that was interesting. The Gilded Age.

About JP Morgan and his pals and the sway they had as they created monopolies and their impact on the country.

But nothing compares to Ken Burns work. Nothing.

That was one of the American Experience episodes. I think it was a two-parter on The Gilded Age. Excellent show. Another very interesting two-part American Experience is The Circus.

 

[Hawk It Up]

That was one of the American Experience episodes. I think it was a two-parter on The Gilded Age. Excellent show. Another very interesting two-part American Experience is The Circus.

I believe you are right.

I’ve seen a lot of them. But the one that has always stuck with me was the one about the Johnstown flood.

Andrew Carnegie and a host of other magnates dammed up a stream that served the town below for their personal recreation wants.

After being warned during construction of the poor construction and impact should it fail, the magnates ignored it and carried on. Until a storm dumped 10 inches of rain on the area and the dam failed, killing 2200+ residents below.

 

[joelbc1]

I believe you are right.

I’ve seen a lot of them. But the one that has always stuck with me was the one about the Johnstown flood.

Andrew Carnegie and a host of other magnates dammed up a stream that served the town below for their personal recreation wants.

After being warned during construction of the poor construction and impact should it fail, the magnates ignored it and carried on. Until a storm dumped 10 inches of rain on the area and the dam failed, killing 2200+ residents below.

Today, we just revise the tax code....so much easier.

 

[h-hawk]

There is a Nova series about structures of WW2. Think they are rerunning The Atlantic Wall tonight. There is also an episode on the virtually impenetrable U-boat pens and one on the Wolf's Lair.

 

[RileyHawk]

The one on Joseph McCarthy is illuminating. 1968 is very good. Dust Bowl is also by Ken Burns (all his stuff is great).

 

[strummingram]

Ken Burns' brother Ric Burns did an awesome doc on New York City!



And, Ken Burns' documentary of WWII, called "The War", was incredible. All of Burns' docs are awesome-- Baseball, The West, The Civil War, Country Music, Vietnam, you name it-- all are amazing!

 

[strummingram]

The one on Joseph McCarthy is illuminating. 1968 is very good. Dust Bowl is also by Ken Burns (all his stuff is great).

That Dust Bowl doc was incredible! That seemed apocalyptic!

 

[Rudolph]

Hey OP almost forgot please wish your wife and my kids a happy holidays and all that stuff. Thanks again for carrying the baton.

 

[ConvenientParking]

Pretty interesting, short, and currently free. 26 minute doc about Upton Sinclair running for governor of CA in 1934 and Hollywood saying no effing way and inventing the modern attack ad.

The First Attack Ads: Hollywood vs. Upton Sinclair | PBS

The California campaign that gave birth to the political attack ad.

www.pbs.org

 

[Jimmy McGill]

The Roosevelts

EDIT: even though I knew about his Ilness, I didn't realize Teddy was about to die in the Amazon

 

[TylerJ76]

Baseball is the best documentary series I have ever seen. Seems I rewatch yearly.

Just starting his Civil War series.

 

[Cougar63]

Wishbone was the best content on PBS by a mile. Is there anything out there today that's teaching kids about famous books like Wishbone did back in the 90s? It got into reading.

 

[ConvenientParking]

Wishbone was the best content on PBS by a mile. Is there anything out there today that's teaching kids about famous books like Wishbone did back in the 90s? It got into reading.

PragerU?

 

[Jimmy McGill]

Rivers of Life is pretty damn awesome. I'm watching the one on the Yukon right now.