documentaries
‘Can’t stop. Won’t stop’: Documentary filmmakers face federal funding shortfall
PBS has been a home for independent documentaries for more than 50 years. But with the closure of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, nonfiction storytellers have to figure out a way forward.
‘There you are’: How Mariska Hargitay sought out the truth behind her bombshell mom
The Law & Order: SVU actor was 3 years old in 1967 when her movie star mom, Jayne Mansfield, died in a car crash. Hargitay's new documentary My Mom Jayne explores her mother's identity, and her own.
I didn’t know I needed the new Billy Joel documentary
NPR critic Linda Holmes has been a Billy Joel fan since the '80s. HBO's new two-part documentary still taught her something new about his life — and provided a chance to consider the role of his music in her own.
HBO’s new Billy Joel documentary is revelatory — even if it pulls some punches
The new two-part documentary, which premieres Friday on HBO, is a good example of the tension between access and objectivity that filmmakers face in making documentaries on celebrities.
Mariska Hargitay walks a fine line in ‘My Mom Jayne’
It's natural to feel some skepticism when a celebrity makes a documentary about their own family. But Law & Order star Mariska Hargitay' tells a story that is both effective and empathetic.
‘Law & Order’ star investigates her own family’s tragic car crash in ‘My Mom Jayne’
Mariska Hargitay has only the vaguest memories of her mother, Jayne Mansfield, the sex-symbol movie star who died in the 1967 crash. Now, Hargitay examines her family history in a new documentary.
‘Pee-wee as Himself’ gives unprecedented access to an eccentric comedy legend
Also on TV this week, a new season of Nine Perfect Strangers premieres on Hulu, and new episodes of Couples Therapy debut on Paramount+ with Showtime.
A new documentary checks out the many ways libraries are a ‘Free For All’
By examining the value of libraries in the distant and recent past, this PBS film makes a compelling case for the importance of the American public library system today.
