Netflix's new docuseries The American Experiment takes a unique approach to exploring the founding of the United States, blending historical re-enactments with interviews from prominent political figures across the spectrum, including Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, and Nancy Pelosi. The five-part series, directed by Brian Knappenberger, is now streaming and aims to highlight that the nation's 250-year-old experiment in governance is still unfolding.
A Dark Overture to an Ongoing Story
The first episode closes with Laura Marling's song Devil's Spoke, whose chorus warns, 'All of this can be broken.' Knappenberger explains that this message is central to the American story, which began as an experiment and persists under a question mark of survival. 'The experiment is clearly ongoing,' he said.
The series uses a traditional documentary format with historians and academics providing commentary over re-enactments of revolutionary events—Martin Sheen voices George Washington—but intercuts interviews with current and former politicians to show how the past continues to shape the present. 'We wanted to talk to people from as many different areas as we could, but the politicians are the ones engaged in this system that these founding figures created,' Knappenberger said.
Bridging Partisan Divides
Despite deep political polarization, the Democrats and Republicans featured in the series share a reverence for America's founding ideals. Knappenberger noted that George Washington warned against 'extreme factionalism' in his farewell address, fearing it would tear the country apart. 'I think we're in a very, very partisan and divided time right now,' he added.
The series confronts this divide directly, with Mike Pence recounting his role on January 6, 2021, and reflecting on Al Gore's certification of the 2000 election despite losing. 'My only purpose was to keep my oath,' Pence said, referring to his constitutional duty. Both politicians and academics in the series emphasize the growing power of the executive branch, which Knappenberger said 'would be surprising to the founders.' Pence urged Americans to 'encourage our elected representatives to take back the authority and the role that the founders intended.'
The Fragility and Resilience of the Republic
The series underscores that the experiment could still fail—'all of this can be broken'—but Knappenberger remains optimistic. He noted that John Adams told his wife they might last only four years in Washington, and 'optimistic estimates were 20 years, 30 years at the time. And here we are at 250 years.' The nation has survived the Great Depression, wars, and a civil war that 'actually broke in half,' yet has always managed to correct course.
Conservative historian Yuval Levin states in the series, 'The fear of losing it all is actually a source of our strength.' Knappenberger draws a parallel to national anthems: 'The national anthem of England is God Save the King. The national anthem of France is about how great France is. The national anthem of America is about barely making it through one night. It's who we are. We've inherited something incredible—and we're on the cusp of losing it.'
The American Experiment is now available on Netflix.
