Netflix’s five-part documentary series, The American Experiment, was timely released on the platform for the U.S.’s 250th anniversary. It was made to detail the origins of American democracy, the Revolution, and the Constitution. However, like all things political, the internet is split into two camps: some critics call it “woke,” claiming it rewrites history, while others call it an over-sanitized, safe history lesson. In the Ready Steady Cut community, viewers cannot decide either way.
“Extremely woke. And one-sided.”
Of course, the problem here is that the term “woke” has been stretched to an absurd scope and diluted by divisive politics. Usually, it just means, “I don’t like that angle.” Given this, I’ve looked at the complaints myself to provide a reality check.
First, Let’s Look at What the Docuseries Is
A significant element of the series is its bipartisan cast, which features a wide political spectrum. On the conservative/Republican side, it interviews Mike Pence, Ted Cruz, and Rand Paul. On the liberal/Democratic side, it features Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, and Nancy Pelosi. The series also includes centrist historians, Supreme Court justices, and tribal chiefs.
Considering how extremely important optics are in American politics, if The American Experiment leaned heavily to one side, it surely would not feature such a hyper-balanced cast.
But Netflix clearly wanted to reflect the divisive and intense culture we live in today. The very first episode opens with modern footage of polarization, showing a protester holding an American flag upside down, followed by imagery of Donald Trump alongside recent civil rights protests. The argument can be made that this opening signals to the viewer that a historical lens is being applied to help us understand why the country is so divided today.
The series tracks colonial history (starting in 1753) with dramatic reenactments, focusing on the foundational contradictions of America: how a country built on the concept of liberty simultaneously institutionalized slavery and displaced Indigenous populations.
Do the “Woke” Claims Add Up?
There are a few elements of The American Experiment that signal to certain critics that it is “woke”:
- The series dedicates a lot of time to the hypocrisy of the Founding Fathers owning slaves while writing about freedom. Some viewers have complained that the series went too far down the path of focusing on racism, shifting too much credit away from the traditional founders.
- Framing the 1700s through the lens of modern-day politics was an interesting choice, especially using figures like Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris to comment on the evolution of democracy. Again, it does feel like Netflix invited a culture-war backlash by doing this.
- It really homes in on the idea that America is an imperfect, flawed project that still has a long way to go.
However, this is only a very short list of grievances regarding an extensive documentary with a heavily bipartisan panel of guests. Because of this, the “woke” claims seem to come up short.
“I’ve watched 3 episodes so far it is excellent! Woke? Oh please history and facts are the truth! Open your closed minded self to what really happened and how we got to where we are today! Woke, haha!”
A Reality Check on the Claims
Playing devil’s advocate, here are the arguments that counter those “woke” claims:
- With the series being flagrantly bipartisan, balanced, and safe, it feels more like a dry educational journey than something meant to provoke viewers. It is centrist enough that it can lean either way depending on the viewer’s own preferences.
- Conservative viewpoints are given significant airtime in the series. You have Mike Pence taking center stage to wax poetic about George Washington’s civility, while Rand Paul and Ted Cruz openly share their constitutional philosophies.
- In the Ready Steady Cut community, some viewers pointed out that the show is not “woke” enough. They noted that it barely acknowledges Indigenous history or the roles of women in the Revolution.
“Not seeing the “woke” nature everyone is talking about here.
There’s zero mention of the involvement of women in the revolution – like, cool, Abigail wrote saucy letters to John? She did a lot more than that.
The majority of the narration is more like a recap of battles than anything else.”
The Verdict
The real issue is that, unfortunately, any media attempting to evaluate America will always find itself caught in the Culture War Trap that dominates social media. To the right, mentioning slavery is “woke”; to the left, celebrating the Founders is “whitewashing.” This documentary series was designed to educate, not to push a fringe political agenda.
So, do the “woke” claims add up? No. The American Experiment is not a radical progressive manifesto. It’s typical centrist TV that tries to please everyone and, ironically, gets shot at from both sides.
If a series like this is being branded as “woke,” then we must question whether the modern generation of TV viewers can handle any nuance at all.
