Best Show or Series – Documentary – Other
Winner
All In – Naperville North Huskies Football – Comcast – CN100 Chicago
In this moving documentary about the Naperville North Huskies, viewers glimpse a rarely seen side of high school football. Clearly, the players, coaches and community believe they’re participating in something far greater than themselves. And that’s what makes it compelling. Couple that with top production value,
strong editing and upbeat music, and it’s the makings of a stellar documentary, with stories and plot points helping it to succeed. An injury-prone player whose mother suffers from breast cancer; the dramatic ending of a season; the complex process of college recruitment; and a tearful confession from a coach that must ultimately let go of these bands of brothers, who he cared for as if they were his own sons.
Honorable Mentions
America’s Gun: The Rise of the AR-I5 – CNBC – Here we find a finely balanced slice of American viewpoints on the AR-15 gun—from within a shooting range to an atypical gun-owning dentist to survivors and family members of victims.
Blackboard Wars – Discovery Studios/OWN – Education is a hot topic, and this doc tells it well, as one principal attempts to transform a failing high school into a successful one.
Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 – EPIX – Built upon the premise that the character of James Bond was Ian Fleming’s alter-ego, several experts provide fascinating accounts, confirming the books were indeed ahead of their time.
Oprah’s Master Class/Stevie Nicks – Harpo Studios – This incredibly intimate portrayal of Stevie Nicks’ adventures in music, marriage and the seedy side of show business provides a rich tapestry of useful life lessons.
Werner Herzog’s Into the Abyss – Investigation Discovery – Typically a filmmaker, Herzog takes to television with exclusive—and often shocking—interviews of inmates on Death Row. The skill with which he questions his subjects is well known and unparalleled—and we see plenty of that in this raw portrayal.
