I'll never forget the morning of September 11th. Like many, I was awakened by a phone call from our morning show producer. He said "turn on the TV" and I replied "What Channel?"
What he said next still haunts me. "It doesn't matter." Sure enough, I turned on the TV and the image of the second plane hitting the World Trade Center was on the screen. Our world changed forever that day.
It was a horrific tragedy. But I want to also remember the days, weeks and even months after that fateful day. Flags were on full display and neighbors were being kind to each other. I know that sounds corny, but if you're old enough to remember, you know the sense of unity that was felt from coast to coast. I wish, hope and pray we as a country could rekindle that sense of togetherness. We paused focusing on what tore us apart and honed in on common ground. It made me proud to be an American.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. There are plenty of documentaries hitting streaming services this week looking back at the day that changed America. Some of them reflect on how and why the attacks took place, while others show us the day from the lens of first responders, government officials, and those who lost loved ones.
Here’s what you can stream:
Now Available
- “9/11: One Day In America” (Hulu) – Five-part series featuring interviews with survivors and first responders.
- “9/11: Inside the President’s War Room” (Apple TV+) –Jeff Daniels narrates this doc about the 12 hours after the attack on the World Trade Center, featuring never-before-heard testimony from President George W Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and more.
- “Turning Points: 9/11 and the War on Terror” (Netflix) – Five-part docuseries diving into the who and why of 9/11, featuring interviews with US officials, military vets, retired CIA staff, survivors, Afghan government officials, warlords, civilians, and Taliban commanders.
- “Rebuilding Hope: The Children of 9/11” (Discover+) – A documentary by Oscar-winning director Ellen Goosenberg Kent, telling the story of four families whose children were born after their fathers died on September 11th, 2001.
Tomorrow, September 10th
- “9/11: The Legacy” (History Channel: 7pm ET) – Blair Underwood narrates this one-hour doc about the children impacted by 9/11, even 20 years later.
- “Rise and Fall: The World Trade Center’ (History Channel: 8pm ET) – This doc takes an architectural look at the World Trade Center Towers, from their development to their destruction.
- “The CIA: Race Against Time – The True Story of the CIA and 9/11” (CBS 8pm ET) – CIA officials and operatives who hunted down Osama Bin Laden speak out for the first time in this two-hour documentary.
Sat, September 11th
- “Spike Lee's NYC Epicenters 9/11➔2021½” (HBO) – Spike Lee’s four-part documentary features interviews with 200 people, who share their first hand accounts and reflect on the two decades since 9/11.
- “9/11: Four Flights” (History Channel: 8pm ET) – Family and friends of people on the four hijacked flights on 9/11 share their stories.
- “9/11: I Was There” (History Channel: 10pm ET) – This two-hour documentary features footage and personal video diaries from people in New York who picked up their cameras to document 9/11 and the weeks following the tragedy.