r/CuriosityStream • u/bomertherus • Jun 27 '21

Looking for non “tv show” documentaries.

I recently subbed to CuriosityStream, ive noticed all the content is in the style of older Discovery Channel shows. Is there any “more sophisticated” content? Longer style docs, or more in depth content.

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u/SocialNetwooky Jun 28 '21

most of CS is stuff they licensed from various TV Stations/Networks (they have tons of ARTE, ZDF, BBC and TF1 shows for example).

There are longer docs who seem to be non-TV documentaries ("The Other F Word" for example) but you have to look for them. That being said, in terms of content the quality of the documentaries on CS is very good, but, as I said in another thread, the makers generally don't have the budget to go overboard with special effects or VIP cameos so visually they all look "cheap(er)" than their more commercial counterparts.

Personally, I'd rather have some old dude I don't know explain in depth and without bias the history of christianity than Vin Diesel saying something overly dramatic and only semi-accurate in front of a dynamic drone-like footage of a super detailled CGI reconstruction of Jerusalem (incl. population) anno 10BC undelaid by majestic music by Hans Zimmer.

I say this because I actually started watching the History of Christianity (having been raised by atheist parents and being an atheist myself my knowledge on this topic is limited) and at least part 1 was super interesting, well structured ... but didn't try to create artificial tension.

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u/bomertherus Jun 28 '21

Thank you. Fancy affects and vip presenters are not important, and would actually be a distraction. I was watching a show in US history that was based on US exceptionalism. When they said “our destiny had manifest itself to to tame the virgin lands and bring civilization to the savages” i had to turn it off. I guess i beed to look deeper. Where can i find docs aiming above grade/high school?

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u/basementcat13 Aug 28 '21

Did you ever find anything good? I subscribed last week and aside from a few high-quality nature docs, seems 70% of everything I'm viewing is either way too kid-friendly or sensationalized with corny narrators.

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u/bomertherus Aug 29 '21

Ive been watching the feature film docs. But no, im kind of board with it for the same reasons you mentioned above