The Staples Singers appear in "1971: The Year that Music Changed Everything" on Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple TV+ won its very first BAFTA TV Awards Sunday for two documentaries, 9/11: Inside the President’s War Room and 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything.
Each year the BAFTAs honor the best British programs and productions in addition to honoring films, such as CODA on Apple TV+, with separate awards.
Jason Sudeikis, center, plays a clueless college football coach in the Apple TV+ comedy. Photo: Apple TV+
The popular Apple TV+ comedy Ted Lasso notched more nominations than any other show for the inaugural HCA TV Awards, with eight. Apple TV+ got 15 nominations overall.
Even the Staples Singers can't save this nostalgia-riddled mess. Photo: Apple TV+
With 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything, Apple TV+ tried to buy itself a Ken Burns-style documentary about the potent cultural impact of rock and soul. Unfortunately, the eight-episode documentary series, which premieres Friday, proves so low-energy it will put you to sleep.
This deceptively “comprehensive” look at a single year in music history proves as scatterbrained and toothless as a school project. The impression it leaves is not that 1971 really changed everything, but that no one is even remotely willing to admit that their favorite bands really aren’t that interesting.
Coming to Apple TV+ later this month. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple offers a compelling sneak peek at its upcoming 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything documentary series in a new trailer. Set to debut on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 21, the documentary argues 1971 — a.k.a. 50 years ago — was a crucial juncture for music and society.
As one of the interviewees quoted in the trailer notes, “I don’t think the music was a reflection of the times, as much as the music also caused the times.”