The Sixties (U.S. TV series)

The Sixties (U.S. TV series) is a ten-part documentary miniseries that originally aired on CNN in 2014. The series provides a comprehensive overview of the political, social, and cultural upheavals that defined the decade in the United States. Narrated by actor and producer Ashton Kutcher, it utilizes extensive archival footage, newsreels, and interviews with prominent figures and historians. The program was produced by Ashton Kutcher's Katalyst Films in collaboration with Herzog & Company.

Premise and format

The series adopts a sweeping, chronological approach to explore the major events and movements of the 1960s, framing the decade as a pivotal period of transformation. Each episode functions as a standalone documentary focused on a specific theme, such as the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, or the British Invasion in music. The format relies heavily on archival material from sources like CBS News and The Associated Press, intercut with contemporary interviews. Key interviewees include journalists like Dan Rather and Bob Schieffer, activists such as John Lewis, and cultural figures including Graham Nash and Jann Wenner.

Production and release

The project was spearheaded by executive producers Ashton Kutcher, Mark Herzog, and Christopher G. Cowen, with Katalyst Films and Herzog & Company handling production. The collaboration with CNN represented a strategic move by the network into long-form documentary programming aimed at a broad audience. Principal photography and archival research spanned over a year to secure footage from global archives. The series premiered on CNN on May 29, 2014, with new episodes airing weekly on Thursday nights throughout the summer, concluding its initial run on August 7, 2014.

Episodes

The ten episodes cover a wide spectrum of the decade's defining moments. The series opens with "The Assassination of John F. Kennedy" and "The World on the Brink," examining the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War. Subsequent installments delve into "The Civil Rights Movement," featuring the March on Washington and the Selma to Montgomery marches, and "The British Invasion," highlighting the impact of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Later episodes address "The Space Race," including the Apollo 11 moon landing, "The Cold War," "The Counterculture" centered on Haight-Ashbury and the Woodstock festival, and "The Environmental movement" spurred by events like the Cuyahoga River fire. The final episode, "The Times They Are a-Changin'," serves as a summary of the decade's enduring legacy.

Critical reception

The series received generally positive reviews from television critics, who praised its extensive use of archival footage and accessible narrative style. Reviewers from The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter noted its effectiveness as an introductory overview for a generation that did not live through the events. Some criticism focused on the broad, surface-level treatment of complex subjects, with Variety suggesting it occasionally favored nostalgia over deep analysis. The narration by Ashton Kutcher was described as competent, though his involvement as a producer attracted more media attention. The series was commended for giving substantial weight to the Civil Rights Movement and the Anti-war movement alongside more pop-cultural topics.

Awards and nominations

*The series was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series in 2014. *It received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Limited Series in 2015. *The episode "The British Invasion" was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Editing for Nonfiction Programming. Category:2014 American television series debuts Category:CNN original programming Category:American documentary television series Category:2010s American documentary television series