CNN's Decades Miniseries

I was so overjoyed to discover the miniseries: “The Seventies”, “The Eighties”, and “The Nineties” on Netfix this week. I had heard about them early on, but without cable in Germany, I had not had the chance to see them until now. And they are probably even better binged without commercials. I hope they will put “The Sixties” on soon, and that the two new series, devoted to the 2000s and 1968 will also be on Netflix when available.


There is a tremendous value to putting the history of these years in a concise, thematic presentation; and the fact that these decades occurred when film and television was there to document them makes the history come alive in a way that earlier times can’t replicate as well.

As someone who lived through the period covered, it is a treat to relive events. But I think it may be even better for young people who did not live through the events. As we know, there is an important need to know our history. Beyond the (also valuable) look at the entertainment of tv and music from each decade, there is the important recap of political history. Mistakes being made today (in a magnified and intensified way) are better understood through the lens of those same mistakes being made before. Politics in this tribal age are better understood when we look at a time when the tribalism was not as prevalent (as in the seventies and early eighties), or when it began to fester in the nineties.

Though it is not a show for young children, I think it is a must see for everyone else.