Generation X (2016)

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https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5510904/episodes?season=1

America’s neglected middle child: That’s what a 2014 Pew Research study called Generation X, the 65 million people born in 1961-1981. Sandwiched between the baby boomers and millennials, Gen-Xers have always seemed to live in the shadow of those who came before and after them. But these so-called cynics have turned their childhood experiences into some of the biggest achievements the world has ever seen.

Each hour examines one major milestone of Generation X — from the premiere of “Reality Bites” to the remarkable presidential election of 2008 to the legalization of gay marriage — and then breaks it down to explore the political, cultural and economic forces at play. Using original interviews with gen X members and archival footage from the era, the series puts the Generation in the spotlight it has long deserved.

An impressive group of authors, journalists, politicians and celebrities — many of them gen X-ers themselves — lend their voices and their personal stories to the series, including Kevin Smith, Courtney Love, Sarah Palin, Molly Ringwald, Gavin Newsom, Cory Booker, Julian Assange, Alison Stewart, Rachel Dratch, Tabitha Soren, Sway Calloway, Nas and many others.

The stories explored in each episode include:

• How the stalemate of the Vietnam War, the increasing divorce rate, the growing "latchkey kid" phenomenon, the resignation of Nixon and the rise of grunge led to the disillusionment found in the cult classic Reality Bites
• How the Pentagon Papers, Iran-Contra and Dr. Strangelove opened the door for WikiLeaks
• How Star Trek, the moon landing, the cell phone and Pong drove a thirst for technology that inspired the creation of Google
• How MTV, Napster and Drudge Report drove a "must have now" sensibility that ensured the instant success of Amazon
• How The Brady Bunch, The Breakfast Club, the "Me" decade and online dating redefined traditional families, paving the way for the legalization of gay marriage
• How Martin Luther King, Jr., Rock the Vote, the Murphy Brown/Dan Quayle fracas and the OJ Simpson verdict uncovered deep divides in the country, making the election of Barack Obama as the first gen X president that much more of a historic event

Though many of the stories seem familiar, Generation X gives each an entirely new spin that not only gives this overlooked group its much-due credit, but proves that even cynics can change the world.