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Screen Time: Week of October 8

By Tom White


From the doc series "ReMastered," premiering Oct. 12 on Netflix
Screen Time is your curated weekly guide to excellent documentaries and nonfiction programs that you can watch at home. 


The Circus, a four-hour series from Sharon Grimberg, tells the story of one of the most popular and influential forms of entertainment in American history. The Circus , not to be confused with the Showtime series on contemporary American politics. airs and streams on American Experience.

Capturing the most intimate moments of her story, Rx: Early Detection, A Cancer Journey with Sandra Lee highlights the importance of early detection and informed decision-making in regards to treatment options. The documentary, directed by Peabody and Emmy winner Cathy Chermol Schrijver, airs this week on HBO.

In 1977, a book of photographs captured an awakening — women shedding the cultural restrictions of their childhoods and embracing their full humanity. Feminists: What Were They Thinking?, from director Johanna Demetrakas, revisits those photos, those women and those times — and takes aim at our current culture revealing all too vividly the urgent need for continued change. The film, a project of IDA's Fiscal Sponsorship Program, premieres October 12 on Netflix.

Also premiering on Netflix on October 12 is ReMastered, a series that investigates high-profile events affecting some of the most legendary names in music, presenting groundbreaking discoveries and insights beyond what's been previously reported. Michael and Jeff Zimbalist spearheaded this project and enlisted the services of such doc luminaries as Kief Davidson, Barbara Kopple, Sara Dosa, Brian Oakes, Stuart Sender, B.J. Perlmutt, Kelly Duane de la Vega and Sam Cullman to create episodes that seek to reveal answers about seminal events in the lives of artists such as Bob Marley, Johnny Cash, Jam Master Jay and Sam Cooke.

Allison Chernick's Itzhak, which premieres October 14 on American Masters, provides an intimate look at the remarkable life and career of Itzhak Perlman, widely considered to be the world's greatest violinist.