Maren’s Watchlist
a curated list of media to empower, educate and entertain
featured media of the month
All the content I share here has been produced by others and they should be supported when you can by subscribing to their sites and donating when you can. I have split Maren’s Watchlist into various categories. The “History Content” is for those of you who want to learn about human cultures around the world. The “Political Content” is for those of you who are like minded Never Trumpers and is not for everyone. The “Funny, Irreverent & Eye Candy” section is meant to give you a laugh and is filled with what some may consider bad language. The “American History” section is just that. Many of us Americans don’t really know much about how our democratic experiment came about, and this section is filled with many documentaries that will educate and entertain at the same time. The “Cerebral Content” is for those of you who want a deep dive into subject matter and don’t mind spending your media time thinking hard about subjects. This is one of my favorite categories, but I must admit, I really need to have a clear mind to watch this stuff. And, finally, the “Natural World Content” is about our world, our climate, our fellow animals on this planet. This is a fun category but also has serious content that will make you think about how you can engage with our plant like the native people do…thinking of our behavior 7 generations into the future. If you find content you like and want to refer me to, please share it with the contact form below. Have fun watching! Maren
HISTORY CONTENT
The Fall of Civilizations - Documentaries by PauCooper
YouTube Series
This series started as a podcast back in 2019 before podcasting was a big thing. Many of these podcasts have now been turned into fully produced videos that follow civilization from inception to their fall and it illustrative for those of us trying to understand if we, as an American civilization, are in the midst of our own fall.
Paul has worked as an archivist, editor and journalist, and has a PhD in the cultural and literary significance of ruins. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, The BBC, The Atlantic, National Geographic, New Scientist and Discover Magazine.
There are over 15 of these videos, so you can choose which one you want to watch. I’ve watched them all, some several times.
Please subscribe to the Fall of Civilizations on YouTube and donate to this amazing project if you can.
POLITICAL CONTENT
The Lincoln Project - Podcasts and ads produced weekly and sometimes daily
Podcast (on YouTube & Social Media)
This series started as a podcast before the 2023 elections by a group of Republicans dedicated to defeating Trump. After he was elected, they continue to fight the battle against Trump with amazing ads and podcasts.
Per their website: The Lincoln Project launched with two stated objectives. The first was to defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box. The second was to ensure Trumpism failed alongside him. As we have seen, our fight against Trumpism is only beginning. We must combat these forces everywhere and at all times. Our democracy depends on it. Paid for by The Lincoln Project. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. www.lincolnproject.us DONATE TO THE LINCOLN PROJECT
FUNNY, IRREVERENT & EYE CANDY
Trae Crowder (The Liberal Redneck)
Podcast (on YouTube & Social Media)
I found this guy one night while scrolling through Facebook and he’s hysterical. He’s a regular “Jo’ with an amazing ability to sum of the day’s challenges in a quick, funny and extremely relevant way. He films himself in the car and seems to just ad lib his way through these tirades, which is a testament to his quick wit and comedic talents.
I hope one day to go see on of his comedy shows and you can also find that content on YouTube. Please support his by subscribing and donating if you can if you like his content.
Per his website: I am a stand up comedian from Celina, TN. Support me on Patreon for more funny stuff baybas. www.patreon.com/traecrowder Come see us on the national wellRED comedy tour! Dates are on our website: http://wellredcomedy.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/traecrowder Twitter:@traecrowder
AMERICAN HISTORY CONTENT
Benjamin Franklin - Ken Burns Documentary
PBS (Subscription / Passport Needed - click on above image to be taken to site to sign up)
This series, produced by the aclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns, is a 4 part historical exploration of the life and times of one of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin. What I liked most about this series is it’s use of archival photos and historical documents to bring to life this man who was so pivotal in starting the American democratic experiment.
This series is relevant to today’s situation where we find ourselves back in the 1700’s with a President who thinks he a King. Understanding what our founding fathers went through to make sure American wasn’t ruled by a King is so important to this time in our history.
Per the website for this series: Ken Burns’s two-part, four-hour documentary, "Benjamin Franklin," explores the revolutionary life of one of the18th century's most consequential and compelling personalities, whose work and words unlocked the mystery of electricity and helped create the United States.
Note: If you have cable TV, you can search on PBS to find this documentary series. If you stream and have problems, please contact Maren.
CEREBRAL CONTENT
The Ezra Klein Show / The Government Knows AGI is Coming
New York Times Podcast (on YouTube & Social Media)
This podcast is an extremely DEEP dive into what most of us all “AI” and features New York Times journalist and podcaster Ezra Klein interviewing Ben Buchanan, the top adviser on A.I. in the Biden White House. This interview will curl your hair about what’s going on with AI and how we are all going to be impacted drastically within a couple of years…during the Trump administration!
From the website: Artificial general intelligence — an A.I. system that can beat humans at almost any cognitive task – is arriving in just a couple of years. That’s what people tell me — people who work in A.I. labs, researchers who follow their work, former White House officials. A lot of these people have been calling me over the last couple of months trying to convey the urgency. This is coming during President Trump’s term, they tell me. We’re not ready. One of the people who reached out to me was Ben Buchanan, the top adviser on A.I. in the Biden White House. And I thought it would be interesting to have him on the show for a couple reasons: He’s not connected to an A.I. lab, and he was at the nerve center of policymaking on A.I. for years. So what does he see coming? What keeps him up at night? And what does he think the Trump administration needs to do to get ready for the A.G.I. – or something like A.G.I. - he believes is right on the horizon?
Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com. You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast.
NATURAL WORLD CONTENT
Expedition Snow Leopard / Steve Backshall
Documentary (on YouTube)
One of the strategies I use when selecting shows to watch is sometimes to just click on something totally out of my knowledge sphere. One night I saw this video about snow leopards and clicked on it. Wow! What an amazing adventurer Steve Backshall is. I was immediately enthralled with his expedition to the Tien Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan to survey an unknown population of snow leopards. Using trail cams and sheer physical determination, Steve and his crew managed to document a family of snow leopards and then make a case for these valleys and mountains in Kyrgyzstan to be conserved to save this species.
From his site: Steve Backshall is a British naturalist, explorer, presenter, and writer, best known for his work on BBC TV's "Deadly..." franchise, particularly "Deadly 60". He is also known for his expedition series like "Lost Land of the Tiger" and "Lost Land of the Volcano". Beyond television, Backshall has written numerous children's books and non-fiction works.
Please support his work by subscribing to his YouTube channel.
Maren’s story
Every night I reward myself for a hard days work by watching a documentary or two…and sometimes three. I watch podcasts, I monitor my social media, I engage with the visual media of our times, because as a “visual” anthropologist, I’m most comfortable in the visual space to get my news and other media. I scour PBS, YouTube, Disney, Amazon Prime, Disney, Hulu and many more for the best docs, movies, history films and podcasts that “empower, educate and entertain.”
So, it occurred to me one night, when a friend asked me “what are you watching that you can recommend?” that I have this list of great content that I can share with you all. That maybe the best I can use my skills to contribute to the resistance was to curate a list of documentaries, podcasts, and other media that will teach you all about history so you are empowered with knowledge to protect our amazing democratic experiment.
So, this website is my way of sharing with you the best media I’ve found that will enable you to pick something to watch that will educated you about our human cultural and American history, that will empower you to keep up to date with politics and the resistance, and all while providing great entertainment.
One caveat, I have a point of view, I have a political perspective and those may or may not fit yours. I am not trying with “Maren’s Watch List” to be politically all inclusive. I consider myself an independent thinker and an independent voter.
So, I hope you enjoy my watch list. Please let me know what you think and if you can donate to help me keep this going, that would be great.
Maren
I’m a visual anthropologist, which means I study cultures with film. I’m also a filmmaker and, most importantly, I’m an American who wants to use my skills to make a difference as we move through a challenging time for our democracy.
Many of us are choosing to stand up to the Trump administration by marching, by writing to our congressional representatives, by going to town halls, by posting to social media. I have been motivated to stand up, to RESIST by using my skills as a developer and consumer of media.
Donateengaging with the media
As we all know, the media landscape has become complicated. Gone are the days of just “point and click” time based television. Today, you have to know how to stream content on many different platforms. Some you pay for and others are free and supported by donations and optional subscriptions. Here is a basic outline of the various types of media I refer to on Maren’s Watchlist. I do pay for some and many others are free. I also pay for the ability to watch some of these without commercials.
I do help people figure this landscape out with my business the Digital Diva. If you need help figuring out how to get some of this content, please contact me and I’ll be happy to help. Maren Elwood / the Digital Diva
As you will find, MUCH of what I watch I watch on YouTube. And, I pay $13.99 / month to watch without commercials. There’s so much on YouTube and it’s a smart platform, which means the more you use it, the more it suggests what you like.
Highly recommended.
Use Rating: Easy to use
As of April 2025, Podcasts are the NEW thing! Many of them are video podcasts and can be found on YouTube and other sites. Some can only be purchased by having a podcast app, like Apple Podcasts or CastBox. There are many. If you need help figuring out which one is best for your viewing/listening pleasure, please contact me. Highly recommended.
Use Rating: A Bit Challenging To Setup
Streaming television has become a challenging environment, with the need to find the content you want on a certain channel and then figure out how to pay for it. There are SO many streaming channels and I will try to provide links and instructions on how to use these when I cite a program on these channels. Of course, if you need help, contact me.
Highly recommended that you select 2-3 streaming services and be willing to cancel them if you don’t like the content any longer.
Use Rating: Challenging to setup when you are used to point n’click TV.
Social Media is definitely a media landscape that some would rather completely avoid. However, consider this. It’s called social media for a reason. I maintain relationship and find new people/groups on social. So, if you know how to use Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms, you can make them work for you as opposed to delivering you junk.
And, the dreaded “algorithms” can actually work for you when you engage with social enough and friend/favorite sites and content you are interested in. I have found many new programs by finding them on social media first. Then, I go to the source to watch it.
Highly recommended with caution
Use Rating: Use with discretion and safety in mind
Contact Maren
Need help figuring out how to use the media in Maren’s Watchlist? Just let me know what your challenge is and I’ll reply as soon as I can.
Have you found a doc, podcast or other media that you’d like me to check out. Please share here.