5 Must Watch Originals on Apple TV+, Netflix and YouTube for Today’s Inclusive Leader

More than 96% of the US population is currently under a local or state order to stay at home to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. To be clear, that's roughly 297 million people under some form of lockdown.

This is the only explanation I can offer as to why "Tiger King" has been Netflix's most popular title and is Rotten Tomatoes' most popular TV series right now with a 93% critic score and 89% audience score. 

But for those of us who wish to use our time more productively, there are several original programs that can add tremendous value to creating a more inclusive world that focuses on the human experience.

THE 5 MUST WATCH ORIGINALS

Visible: Out on Television Explore the history of the American LGBTQ movement through the lens of TV. This five-part documentary series combines archival footage with interviews with key players from the movement and the screen, and is narrated by Janet Mock, Margaret Cho, Asia Kate Dillon, Neil Patrick Harris and Lena Waithe. Each hour-long episode will explore themes such as invisibility, homophobia, the evolution of the LGBTQ character, and coming out in the television industry.

Rotten Tomatoes Scoring | 100% Critic Score + 100% Audience Score

When They See Us

In 1989 a jogger was assaulted and raped in New York's Central Park, and five young people were subsequently charged with the crime. The quintet, labeled the Central Park Five, maintained its innocence and spent years fighting the convictions, hoping to be exonerated. This limited series spans a quarter of a century, from when the teens are first questioned about the incident in the spring of 1989, going through their exoneration in 2002 and ultimately the settlement reached with the city of New York in 2014. The cast is full of Emmy nominees and winners, including Michael K. Williams, John Leguizamo, Felicity Huffman, and Blair Underwood. Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Ava DuVernay co-wrote and directed the four episodes. BONUS: Make sure you follow up this series by watching Oprah's interview with the Exonerated Five.

Rotten Tomatoes Scoring | 96% Critic Score + 90% Audience Score

Hello Privilege. It's Me, Chelsea

This a documentary is about Handler facing off with her white privilege and how systemic racism continues to permeate American culture today. In the documentary, Handler talks with Black comedians, activists, and students, as well as white folks who hold a variety of perspectives about racism. Most importantly, Handler learns a lesson about when it’s essential to use her voice for advocacy—and when it’s time to stop and listen.

The documentary starts a meaningful conversation about how white people can reckon with their privilege. As a companion to the documentary, Privilege. Through the Eyes of White People with Chelsea Handler explores what is included AND what is missing from the conversation.

The 13th is an American documentary by director Ava DuVernay that explores the "intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States." It is titled after the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted in 1865, which abolished slavery throughout the United States and ended involuntary servitude except as a punishment for conviction of a crime. DuVernay contends that slavery has been perpetuated since the end of the American Civil War through criminalizing behavior and enabling police to arrest poor freedmen and force them to work for the state under convict leasing; suppression of African Americans by disenfranchisement, lynchings and Jim Crow; politicians declaring a war on drugs that weigh more heavily on minority communities and, by the late 20th century, mass incarceration of people of color in the United States. She examines the prison-industrial complex and the emerging detention-industrial complex, discussing how much money is being made by corporations from such incarcerations.

Rotten Tomatoes Scoring | 97% Critic Score + 91% Audience Score

White People is a 2015 American documentary film directed, produced and starring Pulitzer Prize winner Jose Antonio Vargas, and explores white privilege in the United States. The cast includes Dakota Wright, Lucas Nydam, Samantha Slavinsky, Katy, and John Chimento. The film debuted on MTV and now resides on YouTube. Time wrote that "Vargas is excellent at creating a non-threatening atmosphere that encourages these young people, mostly teenagers, to openly express their thoughts – even when not politically correct – about race ... This documentary burns brightly with heat and illumination." The Atlantic wrote that the "best parts of the program try to debunk common, defiant responses white people have when told that they're privileged."

Are You a Reader Instead? Check Out...

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