Remember when documentaries were only a thing you watched when you had a substitute teacher in high school? Or when you flipped to PBS for a few seconds on a Sunday? Now theyâre everywhere⊠and thatâs kind of awesome, right?
Seriously, pick one of the dozen or so streaming apps that you forgot you still have a subscription for, and youâll find at least a handful of docs that youâll probably enjoy. Thereâs a doc you can watch about almost everything nowadaysâfrom nostalgic pop culture rewinds to true crime deep dives. Videos by VICE
The numbers tell the story. The demand for documentaries grew a staggering 142 percent from 2018 through 2021, making them the fastest-growing genre on streaming. And sure, the pandemic (and the success of Tiger King) had a lot to do with that boom. But that number is growing every year and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
So, what exactly happened? And why are documentaries bigger now than ever? Letâs chat. Itâs a Streaming WorldâAnd Streamers Love Documentaries
Weâre still very much in the heat of the streaming wars. And pretty much every major studio and network has its own streaming service. And those streaming services need contentâa lot of content.
Thatâs where documentaries come into play. You donât have to be the owner of a major studio in Hollywood to understand that documentaries are cheaper to produce than those huge sci-fi movies or series. Itâs just common sense.
You donât need A-list actors. Or elaborate sets. Or CGI. You just need a good story, some old footage, a few interesting talking heads, and some moody background music. Throw all that together and youâve got a 6-part series the entire world will watch.
So yeah, executives love them because theyâre super low-risk but can still pack a punch. And viewers love them because theyâre addictive and oftentimes extremely bingeable. Everyone wins, right?
If youâre like me and you love documentaries, you realize that weâre living in the golden age of docs. Perhaps the biggest benefit to come from this is just how niche the documentary genre has become.
You could always find a doc or two about the odd subjects that you find interesting. But most were about war and politics. Now? You can find a doc about literally any random thing that you want to know an ungodly amount about.
Sure, big-name celebrities like Taylor Swift and Beyonce getting doc-style concert films isnât anything new or revolutionary. But we got not one but two big-budget docs about the disaster that was Woodstock 99. And one about the Beanie Babies craze from the 90s. What a time to be alive, am I right?
Perhaps the craziest thing is that many of these docs are some of the most talked-about films and TV shows of the year. Projects like The Last Dance, Making a Murder, and Donât F***k With Cats were some of the biggest shows released in their respective years. Docs arenât just being released, theyâre dominating the conversation about TV and film. Why Are So Many Documentaries Coming Out Now?
A huge incentive for streaming networks to make docs is anniversaries. Odds are, if youâve paid close enough attention, youâve noticed that streamers tend to drop a ton of new docs around big milestone anniversaries.
For example, we got a handful of new docs for the 20th anniversary of 9/11 a few years ago. Earlier this year, the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing brought with it two new documentaries about the tragedy. This calendar-based content makes it even easier to green-light more docs⊠especially since people canât stop watching them.
Also, letâs be honest with each other hereâŠ. people are really, really nosey. We all love knowing something about someone that we probably shouldnât. That includes celebrities, athletes, serial killers, or just some random guy who beat a murder case because he could prove he was at a baseball game at the time of the crime.
Documentaries let us in on secrets, scandals, and personal stories we wouldnât otherwise hear. Whether we watch to watch, watch to judge, or watch to learn, weâre going to tune in.
And weâre not going to look away, either.
The problem I have is the quality of the film making. Regardless of the content, if it isnât well made, probably wouldnât see through the whole thing.
Adding to that, thereâs so many of these docuseries that are like 4 or 5 one hour episodes when it could easily be condensed to a sub 2 hour film. They just drag it out for no reason.
Especially with true crime, the way things are presented could alter how the content is perceived. For example, Making a Murder took time to walk the audience through the entire trial (Iâm not going to debate the perception the film makers left out important facts that influence the narrative).
On the flip side a more recent series like This Is the Zodiac Speaking, only focused on one suspect, never questioned the testimony of the children as being faulty memories or fact checked well known details about the crimes mentioned. My point is, this documentary was on a subject that was better well known and didnât aim to present the children as telling their own side of events; it straight up makes the assumption what they said must be true because they personally knew ALA. On top of this, they featured Robert Graysmith, the author of the book Zodiac which is well known for being factually inaccurate, and doesnât challenge his research. And at the end, the film makers failed to get the DNA test results for a test they commissioned. What deadline existed that they couldnât tell the viewer what the result was?
Sorry, that documentary in particular irritates me for how factually inaccurate and onesided it was. My overall point is that true crime in particular seems to just be looking for whatever will get views. Not a lot of the documentaries that have come out in this period have produced well made series or ethically honest content. Is it entertainment or is it bringing awareness to what occurred or the people affected?
