The Docs Making Big Waves – The Hollywood Reporter

100 Foot Wave (HBO/Max)

Chris Smith’s show about big-wave surfing is back in contention for its second season, just a year after its first was nominated in this category and won for cinematography. Surfer extraordinaire Garrett McNamara returns with other surfers and their stories, too.

Dear Mama (FX/Hulu)

Allen Hughes, a nominee in this category in 2018 for The Defiant Ones, profiles Tupac Shakur and his activist mom. (jeen-yuhs, which explored Kanye West’s relationship with his mom, was nominated for this award last year.) It attracted the most viewers ever for an FX unscripted show.

Prehistoric Planet (Apple TV+)

Season one of this David Attenborough-narrated study of dinosaurs was snubbed (its VFX is cutting-edge, but some doc purists object to re-creations). However, voters have a track record of embracing nature/animal-related docs in this category.

The 1619 Project (Hulu)

Adapted from the New York Times Magazine project of the same name and hosted by its author, Nikole Hannah-Jones, this Oprah Winfrey-EP’d project lays out the argument that the American story only truly began with the arrival of the first slave ship in 1619. It’s at 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Harry & Meghan (Netflix)

Liz Garbus, a 2018 nominee in this category for The Fourth Estate, turns her lens on the Sussexes — participating thanks to their Netflix megadeal — with this poorly reviewed show (42 percent on RT) that seemingly everyone watched.

The U.S. and the Holocaust (PBS)

Ken Burns and PBS, a team that practically owns this category, return to contention with a deep dive — featuring interviews with survivors and historians and narration from the likes of Meryl Streep — into America’s largely shameful behavior decades ago.

This story first appeared in a June stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.