Streaming Streams (and Rivers and Oceans)
Amongst the lessons I took away from the pandemic is this: I love nature documentaries.
Don't get me wrong: I’m happy to watch a solid drama like Succession or a great basketball playoff game.
But I keep coming back to nature documentaries. For this viewer, they are the most compelling thing on television.
Until the pandemic, I hadn’t watched any of them. Then, on an early pandemic whim, I turned on Planet Earth II while looking for a distraction from the barrage of negative news that was coming our way in the spring of 2000. I was instantly hooked.
The new generation of nature docs is incredibly well produced. Between drone shots, infrared cameras, and insanely dedicated crews that spend months or more trying to get a specific shot, producers have managed to capture the natural world in a way that is breathtaking to watch. The beauty, diversity, and interconnectedness of nature are in full display, up close, in high definition.
Plus nature documentaries leave me with something that an episode of Succession or an NBA playoff game doesn’t: a feeling of absolute wonder about our planet. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it’s a spiritual experience.
I literally feel a sense of awe and gratitude after watching most nature docs.
For those who want to see what all the fuss is about, here are a few tips for entering the modern world of nature docs:
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Newer is better.
As mentioned earlier, technology has come a long way in recent years, enabling producers to capture scenes of animal and plant activity that were impossible to shoot a decade or two ago. So a 2004 documentary may not have the same oomph as the 2023 version.
Look For David Attenborough.
Oops, make that Sir David Attenborough. This 97-year-old natural historian and broadcaster narrates many of the best nature docs (including 3 of the 4 recommended below). He has a tone and cadence that elevate the stories being told. Sir David also doesn’t pull punches when it comes to calling out the threats to our natural environment. Even as we watch scenes that take our breath away, Attenborough won’t let us forget that many of these scenes will go away if we don’t address climate change and other environmental threats.
Start here.
Here are four of my favorites, if you’d like to dip your toe in the nature doc waters:
Finally...
If you decide to watch, let me know what you think. Do you share my enthusiasm for these shows? Or am I just another flavor of the annoying friend who thinks Better Call Saul is the end-all-be-all of video entertainment?
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