This is why I love tivo. Sometime last year, I put the PBS series "American Experience" on my tivo list. For a while, nothing new got recorded, but over the last couple weeks, a flurry of really great ones have been on. American Experience is a series of documentaries. I always thought I was fairly knowledgable about history, but over the last couple weeks, I've learned an awful lot that I didn't know about RFK, The Berlin Airlift, the Alamo, and the relationship between John and Abigail Adams. Not things that sound particularly interesting or exciting, but the documentaries in American Experience never fail to be entertaining and engrossing, as well as packed full of information. It makes for good viewing when staying up late working on projects, but you may find it just as enjoyable for a couple hours on the couch.

The title sequence is pretty nice too. I like how, in a very tactile way, it mixes old footage and textured shots of the flag to elegantly capture the positive richness of our history without becoming cheesy or patronizing.

American Experience is usually on Monday evenings, but all PBS stations make their schedules independently. This link will give you upcoming shows and local schedules.

PBS: American Experience