Sunday Special: A Sea of Streaming Docs
The Daily
11/16/25
•50m
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There was once a time when documentaries could be found only on public television or in art-house cinemas. But today, documentaries are more popular and accessible than ever, with streaming services serving up true crime, celebrity documentaries, music documentaries and so much more.
On today’s Sunday Special, Gilbert is joined by The New York Times’s chief television critic, James Poniewozik, and Alissa Wilkinson, a Times film critic, to talk about the documentaries that are worth your viewing time.
On Today’s Episode:
James Poniewozik is the chief TV critic for The Times.
Alissa Wilkinson is a movie critic at The Times, and writes the Documentary Lens column.
Background Reading:
What ‘The American Revolution’ Says About Our Cultural Battles
‘Come See Me in the Good Light’: The Sweetness After a Terminal Diagnosis
Discussed on this episode:
“The American Revolution,” 2025, directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt
“The Alabama Solution,” 2025, directed by Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman
“The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” 2015, directed by Andrew Jarecki
“Making a Murderer,” 2015, directed by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos
“The Yogurt Shop Murders,” 2025, directed by Margaret Brown
“The Perfect Neighbor,” 2025, directed by Beet Gandbhir
“The Last Dance,” 2020, directed by Jason Hehir
“Copa 71,” 2023, directed by Rachel Ramsay and James Erkine
“Cheer,” 2020, created by Greg Whiteley
“Last Chance U,” 2016, directed by Greg Whiteley, Adam Ridley and Luke Lorentzen
“Pee-wee as Himself,” 2025, directed by Matt Wolf
“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” 2024, directed by Benjamin Ree
“Ladies & Gentlemen ... 50 Years of SNL Music,” 2025, directed by Questlove
“Cameraperson,” 2016, directed by Kirsten Johnson
“An American Family,” 1973, created by Craig Gilbert
“Look Into My Eyes,” 2024, directed by Lana Wilson
“When We Were Kings,” 1996, directed by Leon Gast
Photo: Mike Doyle/American Revolution Film Project and Florentine Films
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
Previous Episode
The longtime editor and chronicler of the elite says she’s liberated and is letting it rip.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
Next Episode
Unpacking Trump’s 50-Year Mortgage Proposal
November 17, 2025
•25m
When President Trump proposed the introduction of a 50-year mortgage, he challenged a bedrock of the American housing market and financial system. He also revealed how desperate the administration is to lower prices for consumers.
Conor Dougherty, who covers housing and development, explains what’s attractive about the idea and its potential drawbacks — and why housing affordability is such an intractable problem.
Guest: Conor Dougherty, a reporter for The New York Times covering housing and development for more than a decade.
Background reading:
- The Trump administration is facing backlash from U.S. consumers as higher costs from tariffs blunt wage gains.
- Many Americans bought their first houses during the pandemic, when mortgage rates dipped to record lows. Now, some feel trapped.
Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
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