Explained

Explained

2018 | 3 Seasons | TV-MA
This documentary series, made in partnership with Vox, explain some of the world's current trends, from politics, to science to pop culture.
Explained

Storyline

This documentary series, made in partnership with Vox, explain some of the world's current trends, from politics, to science to pop culture.
  • Creator
    Ezra Klein
  • Genre
    Documentary
  • Type
    Documentary
  • Network
    Netflix
  • Status
    Ended
  • Runtime
    20m
  • First Aired
    23 May 2018
  • Last Aired
    15 October 2021
  • Seasons
    3
  • Episodes
    44
  • Language
    English

Cast

Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Self (archive footage)
Estelle Caswell

Estelle Caswell

Narrator (voice)
Joe Biden

Joe Biden

Self (archive footage)
Maria Bello

Maria Bello

Narrator (voice)
Jay-Z

Jay-Z

Self (archive footage)
Samira Wiley

Samira Wiley

Narrator (voice)
George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush

Self (archive footage)
Donald Trump

Donald Trump

Self (archive footage)
Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon

Self (archive footage)
Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson

Self (archive footage)
Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin

Self (archive footage)
Joss Fong

Joss Fong

Narrator (voice)
Christian Slater

Christian Slater

Narrator (voice)
LeVar Burton

LeVar Burton

Narrator (voice)
Nick Kroll

Nick Kroll

Narrator (voice)
Aasif Mandvi

Aasif Mandvi

Narrator (voice)
Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith

Narrator (voice)

Coleman Lowndes

Narrator (voice)
Yara Shahidi

Yara Shahidi

Narrator (voice)
Kristen Bell

Kristen Bell

Narrator (voice)
Rachel Bloom

Rachel Bloom

Narrator (voice)
Jerry Springer

Jerry Springer

Narrator (voice)
Rachel McAdams

Rachel McAdams

Narrator (voice)
Kyle MacLachlan

Kyle MacLachlan

Narrator (voice)
Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Rae Jepsen

Narrator (voice)
Tablo

Tablo

Self
Park Ji-min

Park Ji-min

Self (archive footage)
Min Yoon-gi

Min Yoon-gi

Self (archive footage)
Kim Tae-hyung

Kim Tae-hyung

Self (archive footage)
Kim Seok-jin

Kim Seok-jin

Self (archive footage)
Kim Nam-joon

Kim Nam-joon

Self (archive footage)
Jeon Jung-kook

Jeon Jung-kook

Self (archive footage)
Jung Ho-seok

Jung Ho-seok

Self (archive footage)
Park Chung-hee

Park Chung-hee

Self (archive footage)
Yang Hyun-suk

Yang Hyun-suk

Self (archive footage)

DJ Tukutz

Self

Mithra Jin

Self
Lee Soo-man

Lee Soo-man

Self (archive footage)
Kim Dae-jung

Kim Dae-jung

Self (archive footage)
Psy

Psy

Self (archive footage)
Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton

Self

Valentine Rugwabiza

Self
Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren

Self (archive footage)
Kirsten Gillibrand

Kirsten Gillibrand

Self (archive footage)
Sandra Day O'Connor

Sandra Day O'Connor

Self (archive footage)
Anderson Cooper

Anderson Cooper

Self (archive footage)
Hilary Swank

Hilary Swank

Narrator (voice)
Maggie Siff

Maggie Siff

Narrator (voice)
Abigail Disney

Abigail Disney

Self
Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan

Self (archive footage)
Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban

Self
LaKeith Stanfield

LaKeith Stanfield

Narrator (voice)
J.K. Simmons

J.K. Simmons

Narrator (voice)
Bill Gates

Bill Gates

Self
Vincent Kartheiser

Vincent Kartheiser

Narrator (voice)
Natasha Lyonne

Natasha Lyonne

Narrator (voice)
Cleo Abram

Cleo Abram

Narrator (voice)

Andrew Carnegie

Self (archive footage)
Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett

Self (archive footage)
John D. Rockefeller

John D. Rockefeller

Self (archive footage)

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Self (archive footage)
John Maynard Keynes

John Maynard Keynes

Self (archive footage)

Mehrsa Baradaran

Self - Author
Cory Booker

Cory Booker

Self - U.S. Senator

Thomas Shapiro

Self - Sociologist

Beth Jacobson

Self - Foreclosure Specialist
James Baldwin

James Baldwin

Self (archive footage)

Edward A. Bouchet

Self - First Black Ph.D Recipient (archive footage)
Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Chisholm

Self (archive footage)
Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton

Self (archive footage)
Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Self (archive footage)
Stephen Colbert

Stephen Colbert

Self (archive footage)

Bessie Coleman

Self - First Black Licensed Pilot (archive footage)
Alan Greenspan

Alan Greenspan

Self (archive footage)
Jesse Jackson

Jesse Jackson

Self (archive footage)
Robert L. Johnson

Robert L. Johnson

Self - First Black Billionaire (archive footage)
Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Self (archive footage)

Dennis Kucinich

Self (archive footage)

Abraham Lincoln

Self (archive footage)

Alain Leroy Locke

Self - First Black Rhodes Scholar (archive footage)
Malcolm X

Malcolm X

Self (archive footage)

Thurgood Marshall

Self - First Black Supreme Court Justice (archive footage)
Hattie McDaniel

Hattie McDaniel

Self - First Black Oscar Winner (archive footage)
Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama

Self - First Black First Lady (archive footage)
Jesse Owens

Jesse Owens

Self - Four-Time Olympic Gold Medalist (archive footage)
Colin Powell

Colin Powell

Self - First Black Secretary of State (archive footage)

Joseph Rainey

Self - First Black Congressperson (archive footage)

Hiram Revels

Self - First Black Senator (archive footage)
Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson

Self - First Black MLB Player (archive footage)
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Self (archive footage)

Rick Santelli

Self (archive footage)

William Tecumseh Sherman

Self (archive footage)

Ruth Simmons

Self - First Black Ivy League President (archive footage)

Edwin M. Stanton

Self (archive footage)
George Stephanopoulos

George Stephanopoulos

Self (archive footage)

Brian Williams

Self (archive footage)

Neville Sanjana

Self - Biologist

Jennifer Doudna

Self - CRISPR Pioneer

John Evans

Self - Sociologist

Hank Greely

Self - Law Professor

Rebecca Cokley

Self - Disability Rights Activist

Emmanuelle Charpentier

Self (archive footage)
Francis Collins

Francis Collins

Self (archive footage)

Dick Costolo

Self (archive footage)
Don Lemon

Don Lemon

Self (archive footage)
Keith Morrison

Keith Morrison

Self (archive footage)

Reena Ninan

Self (archive footage)
Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders

Self

John Franklin Stephens

Self (archive footage)
Keri Russell

Keri Russell

Narrator (voice)
John Waters

John Waters

Narrator (voice)
Karlie Kloss Kushner

Karlie Kloss Kushner

Narrator (voice)
Aya Cash

Aya Cash

Narrator (voice)
Adolf Eichmann

Adolf Eichmann

Self (archive footage)
Big Boi

Big Boi

Self (archive footage)
Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda

Self (archive footage)
Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky

Self (archive footage)
Mike Wallace

Mike Wallace

Self (archive footage)
Rosario Dawson

Rosario Dawson

Narrator (voice)
Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro

Self (archive footage)
George W. Bush

George W. Bush

Self (archive footage)
Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler

Self (archive footage)
Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Self (archive footage)
Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela

Self (archive footage)
Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter

Self (archive footage)
Peter Jennings

Peter Jennings

Self (archive footage)
Dan Rather

Dan Rather

Self (archive footage)
Tom Brokaw

Tom Brokaw

Self (archive footage)
Ethan Hawke

Ethan Hawke

Narrator (voice)
Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson

Self (archive footage)
Jake Gyllenhaal

Jake Gyllenhaal

Narrator (voice)
Rainn Wilson

Rainn Wilson

Narrator (voice)
Sophie Okonedo

Sophie Okonedo

Narrator (voice)
Keke Palmer

Keke Palmer

Narrator (voice)
Hector Elizondo

Hector Elizondo

Narrator (voice)
Kim Cattrall

Kim Cattrall

Narrator (voice)
Kelly Rowland

Kelly Rowland

Narrator (voice)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Narrator (voice)
Connie Britton

Connie Britton

Narrator (voice)
Ruth Negga

Ruth Negga

Narrator (voice)
Doja Cat

Doja Cat

Self (archive footage)
Moon Jae-in

Moon Jae-in

Self (archive footage)
Xi Jinping

Xi Jinping

Self (archive footage)
Justin Trudeau

Justin Trudeau

Self (archive footage)
Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz

Self (archive footage)
Michael Bloomberg

Michael Bloomberg

Self (archive footage)
Seo Tai-ji

Seo Tai-ji

Self (archive footage)
Primary

Primary

Self
Jim Jones

Jim Jones

Self (archive footage)
Catherine Oxenberg

Catherine Oxenberg

Self - Mother of NXIVM Cult Member
Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg

Self (archive footage)
Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali

Self (archive footage)
Doug E. Fresh

Doug E. Fresh

Self (archive footage)
Gigi Hadid

Gigi Hadid

Self (archive footage)
Leo J. Ryan

Leo J. Ryan

Self (archive footage)
Jackie Speier

Jackie Speier

Self

Crew

Emily Kassie

Emily Kassie

Director

Claire Gordon

Executive Producer
Ezra Klein

Ezra Klein

Executive Producer

Joe Posner

Executive Producer
Cleo Abram

Cleo Abram

Producer