Directed by Jon Hirsch, the six-part docuseries Thomas Jefferson is a comprehensive look at the life of the Founding Father who was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, as well as the third President of the United States. The goal of the series isn’t just to take a look at the statesman and diplomat that Jefferson was, but also examine the parts of his life that belied some of the stances he took, most notably his role as an enslaver and his affair with Sally Hemmings, an enslaved person under Jefferson’s control.
THOMAS JEFFERSON: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” narrator Devin E. Haqq recites from the Declaration of Independence as we see a shot of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
The Gist: Jefferson’s story is told mostly via interviews, with reenactments (with no dialogue… more on this later) and footage of documents and illustrations from the time. Experts include historian Annette Gordon-Reed and writer Jon Meacham. Andrew Davenport and Gayle Jessup White, who are descendants of Jefferson, are also interviewed.
The first episode profiles Jefferson from his birth in 1743 up until the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775. Jefferson was born into privilege, and as he got older, he became a “wealthy populist,” says journalist John Avlon. In other words, while he was a supporter of liberty and freedom, but slavery was essentially a part of his and his family’s life.
The American colonies generally ran as separate entities until England, who needed to pay for various wars fought over the previous decades, started taxing goods and services. At the time, he was in the Virginia House of Burgesses, and he met with various revolutionaries in secret while serving King George III in the colony’s government.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Thomas Jefferson has shades of the History docuseries Washington, with a big difference, which we’ll explain below.
Our Take: We were under the impression that Thomas Jefferson would be along the lines of the previously-mentioned Washington and other similar series, that combined expert interviews with scripted reenactments. But Thomas Jefferson is more of a traditional docuseries, with reenactments that have no dialogue and a narrative that’s heavy on expert interviews. Given Jefferson’s legacy, that feels like the right choice.
At this stage of U.S. history, any docuseries about a Founding Father absolutely needs to take a balanced look at their life, putting their achievements in context with their failings and hypocrisies. Jefferson’s legacy has come under fire in recent years because of his history with slavery, along with the family he created with Hemmings.
What the docuseries tries to do is put all of what Jefferson did, both the good and the bad, in the context of the time, without making excuses for the more difficult parts of his legacy. It’s a tough balancing act, but given the breadth of experts and descendants the filmmakers speak to, viewers will definitely get a more complete picture of Jefferson than they’ve seen before.
Sex and Skin: None.
Parting Shot: A reenactment of a scene where Jefferson meets with other former Burgesses in the Raleigh Tavern, plotting a revolution.
Sleeper Star: We’re definitely looking forward to hearing from Jefferson’s descendants.
Most Pilot-y Line: None we can find.
Our Call: STREAM IT. History’s Thomas Jefferson docuseries tries its best to make sure the Founding Father is seen in a proper light, and for the most part achieves that goal.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.
The post Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Thomas Jefferson’ On History, A Docuseries That Takes A Balanced Look At The Founding Father’s Life appeared first on Decider.
