Television series

The New Yorker Presents

Name: The New Yorker Presents
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2015
Cast: Alan Cumming, Brett Gelman, Marina Abramović, Ariel Levy, Andrew Garfield

Dip in and out

The New Yorker Presents adapts the magazine's best journalism, essays, and art for screen, each 30-minute episode a different story. It's genuinely peculiar television—sometimes brilliant, sometimes self-consciously precious, always staffed by actual talent. For people who love smart writing and don't mind experimental storytelling that occasionally misfires.

If you liked this

The New York Times Presents2020

Another prestige outlet adapting its journalism for film. Same DNA—meticulous reporting, visual storytelling, heavy-hitters directing. A direct companion that shows how the formula evolved when it had more resources.

But Some episodes feel more like magazine spreads than proper documentaries. The prestige-per-minute can feel exhausting rather than enlightening.

Wired2008

Another magazine series built around celebrity interviews and profiles. Glossy but genuinely entertaining; the people being interviewed are often more interesting than the format.

But It's essentially celebrity chat translated to video. If you find that concept tedious, this won't convince you otherwise.

The Toys That Made Us2017

Netflix nostalgic documentary series with craft and specificity. Single subjects, focused storytelling, genuine creative insight. Proves that small concepts, well-researched, hold attention for eight hours.

But It's comfort-watch television. If you want intellectual challenge or emotional weight, this is sugar.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The New Yorker Presents

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Phantom Thread2017

Both are deeply invested in how artists think, create, and justify their choices. Both trust that the inner life of a perfectionist is inherently dramatic.

Paul Thomas Anderson's obsessive meditation on creative control, obsession, and the cost of perfectionism. Like *The New Yorker Presents*, it takes a specific cultural world—high fashion here—and treats it as philosophically rich terrain. Gorgeously written, genuinely strange.

But It's a character study that moves at its own pace. Very little plot. If you need external action rather than psychological texture, it will feel like watching someone else's daydream.

Abstract: The Art of Design2017

Each episode profiles one designer or artist. Visually gorgeous, respectfully made, genuinely curious about how ideas become things. High production value throughout.

But Sometimes reverential to the point of blandness. An hour can feel long for what is ultimately a profile.

The Keepers2017

Documentary series that builds genuine mystery and emotional stakes over seven hours. Smart, unsettling, investigative. Shows how long-form journalism on screen should feel.

But It's about Catholic Church abuse and institutional corruption. Heavy subject matter, deliberately so.

Genius2017

National Geographic's prestige drama anthology, each season a different genius. High production values, excellent casting, careful research. Proves intellectuals can be dramatically compelling.

But Sometimes trades accuracy for dramatic convenience. Can feel like it's performing intelligence rather than demonstrating it.

Godless2017

Stylish, literary Western miniseries with a real point of view. Takes risks in form and storytelling that feel ambitious without being precious. Beautifully shot, excellently cast.

But The story itself is less interesting than the filmmaking. Once the premise settles, it's a relatively conventional Western.

Severance2022

A high-concept prestige drama that actually sustains its concept across seasons. Intellectually ambitious, formally inventive, genuinely unsettling. Science fiction made with real resources and taste.

But It moves slowly and deliberately. If you need plot momentum or quick payoffs, the philosophical pacing will frustrate you.

High Maintenance2016

Both are collections of stories united by sensibility rather than continuity. Both trust the audience to find meaning in moments rather than plot mechanics.

Episodic stories of New York life connected by a weed deliveryman. Shot like short films, written with actual insight into how people live. Started online, hugely influential. Intimate, funny, devastating by turns—proof that small-scale storytelling can be smarter than prestige drama.

But It's deliberately unglamorous and slice-of-life. Nothing is resolved. If you watch television for plot, this is anti-television.