Netflix's 'The American Experiment' From Tom Hanks
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- "The American Experiment" docuseries, directed by Brian Knappenberger and executive produced by Tom Hanks, premieres June 24 on Netflix, tracing the Revolutionary War, the Constitution's ratification, and the rise of partisanship
- The first three episodes cover the 13 colonies' conflict with British taxation, the French and Indian War, the Boston Massacre, and the Boston Tea Party, with the show's thesis emerging only in Episode 4, "We The People"
- Mike Pence recalls ratifying the 2020 election results in Episode 5, "Washington's Warning," despite President Donald Trump's urging to do the opposite
- Hillary Clinton calls the Electoral College an "abomination" while reflecting on her 2016 popular-vote win, and Senator Ted Cruz discusses being the son of a Cuban immigrant alongside his conservative immigration stance
- The review compares the series' use of reenactments, voiceovers, maps, and portraits to Ken Burns' 12-part PBS docuseries "The American Revolution"
- The show's central thesis: the American experiment was only ever meant to be a "temporary foundation" by a group of white men, some of whom were slaveholders, with the review noting the nation was "founded on racism and funded by the labor of the enslaved"
Why it matters: Netflix is positioning a politically charged, bipartisan docuseries at a moment of national self-reflection — the cusp of the 250th anniversary — with both Republican (Pence, Cruz) and Democratic (Harris, Clinton) figures reflecting on founding-era compromises including slavery. The review notes the series argues the nation's instability is structural rather than novel, making it a flagship piece of programming for a divided audience already debating America's trajectory.
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