632. When Did We All Start Watching Documentaries?

Podcast : Freakonomics Radio (LS 83 · TOP 0.01% what is this? ) Episode : 632. When Did We All Start Watching Documentaries? Pub date : 2025-05-02 Get Podcast Transcript → powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarization It used to be that making documentary films meant taking a vow of poverty (and obscurity). The streaming revolution changed that. Award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler talks to Stephen Dubner about capturing Billie Eilish’s musical genius and Martha Stewart’s vulnerability — and why he really, really, really needs to make a film about the New York Mets. SOURCES: R.J. Cutler , filmmaker. RESOURCES: Fight for Glory , documentary (2025). Martha , documentary (2024). " Reality Check: The Boom—or Glut—in Streaming Documentaries Has Sparked a Reckoning Among Filmmakers and Their Subjects ," by Reeves Wiedeman (Vulture, 2023). " Inside the Documentary Cash Grab ," by Mia Galuppo and Katie Kilkenny (The Hollywood Reporter, 2022). Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, documentary (2021). EXTRAS: “ Ari Emanuel Is Never Indifferent, ” by Freakonomics Radio (2023). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.