Washington

Before watching this I knew very little about George Washington or that era of American history so I certainly learned a great deal even if some of the actual facts are either omitted or not entirely accurate. I loved the portrayal of the main character by Nicholas Rowe who brought a very regal bearing and much screen presence to the part even if he doesn't resemble Washington. Only drawback imo was the 'fluff' added by Powell and Clinton who didn't really add anything constructive.

8 rating for the historical content alone. Strong lead character but I question casting choice for looks. Definitely could do without this type of documentary especially given they chose Bill Clinton to speak.

Mostly the "professional" historians offer surface analysis and apparently didn't mind repeating themselves like the reality program / Top Chef nonsense, or oversimplifying and assessing history with a modern lens. Not really for the history buff but nice to see actual history on this channel.

Watched it twice. Loved the narration and actors. Learned a lot and God Bless America.

Washington not looking like Washington is odd. He looks more like Jefferson. You would think they would have tried to cast someone that looks like the narrator. The strange casting is that of John Adams being played by a Dutch actor makes no sense at all. I mean he is a descent actor, but looks nothing like him and not sure he even speaks fluent English. Other than that an enjoyable documentary to watch, and excellent historians that I have seen before. Also, I had no issue with Clinton. I mean why doesn't it make sense to have a former president talk about the first president, my guess is the negative comments were more political.

Why is Bill Clinton one of the commenters? I never once heard he has any cred as a historian. Then there is the attempt to elevate Obama in stature by saying Washington, like Obama and Gerald Ford, was raised by a single mother. Nice try. Washington was raised by his widowed mother from age 11. Gerald Ford's parents split but at age 3 he had his stepfather in the home so he not only had a father but took his name. Obama was raised by a divorced mother because Obama rotten drunken bigamous father abandoned her and Barry when Barry was quite small. Then she married again but soon sent Barry to be raised by her parents. All very different. This series has a bias and agenda. Hate that.

No documentary can cover every point in the life of anyone, nor the events surrounding that life. Read books, lots of books, if you want that. But much is covered very well. Some bios make it sound like he was a poor-ish fortune hunter who married an old very wealthy widow for her money. No, it was a marriage of equals. She was only 2 years older at 28. His family was very well off and he continued to grow that fortune as well as his wife's fortune. He was a folk hero and a rock star socially and a good catch. It was a good match.

I liked best the presentation of the events that formed him as the force that would aggressively lead the country out of onerous submission to a violent England to be the nascent superpower of the world. THAT journey is the best part of this first third of the series which is all I've watched so far.