The shortcomings of this well-produced, twelve-part series lie primarily in the selection of commentators. It was not clear why celebrities were selected over scholars, but the choice came back to bite the filmmakers. Martha Stewart, Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, and David Petraeus have all had their careers besmirched since the series was released. The main point is that they did not provide stellar insights into U.S. history. And neither did Michael Douglas or Meryl Streep!The major strength of the episodes were the dynamic use of computer graphic images. Such technological achievements as the building of the Erie Canal, skyscrapers like New York's Flatiron Building, and the construction of Hoover Dam were brilliantly recreated. The best programs were those of the early history of the nation, leading up to the Civil War. But after 1860s, the events were telescoped into superficial capsules. A glaring omission was the progressive movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The closing segments focused far too much on scientific and cultural history (suburbia, computer revolution, NASA) at the expense of social and political events. For viewers who enjoyed these programs, there is a beautifully written book by Kevin Brown that is a companion to the series. The twelve-chapter book dovetails closely with the episodes and offers more detailed coverage of the topics. This series is briskly paced and dynamically narrated by Liev Schreiber. While it may be slanted in the area of "feel good" propaganda, it nonetheless covers the basics of American history. One of the most interesting touches was the occasional commentary from Donald J. Trump, which was delivered at a time when he did not have presidential aspirations. One of his most interesting points was that to succeed in America takes not merely perseverance, but also brains-an assertion that is borne out in the coverage of the great entrepreneurs covered in the series.

I've noticed a few negative reviews criticising the historical aspects, the omission of this or that history, the use of actors and so on. Even if some of those criticisms are valid, this series does what no other historical presentation has ever done.... and that is combine action packed theatrics with a glossy historical journey. I'm from Australia, so am not as well versed in American history as Americans would be. I found this series fascinating, and richly detailed. The pace it moves is quite funny for a documentary. It is always on the go, music, drama, effects, re-enactments, factoids, scenic landscapes, and more. I completely understand that this series doesn't cover all the history some people wanted it to. I know that American history runs deep, and this presentation is more of a surface rendering. I completely forgive it for this, because the result is still fascinating and there's much to discover.

I've watched this series once and currently watching it again, but just curious why some wars and some things were left out that were part of our history.

As a teacher, I am using the first two episodes to help fifth grade students understand and appreciate the challenges of the American Revolution. I will admit I have not watched beyond these episodes, but feel that at least the first two give an abbreviated but accurate window about the challenges of the American Revolution. I would have liked to see more about the French and Indian Wars, as well as the Stamp Act and Intolerable Acts, but there are few videos available that open the many topics of interest about the American Revolution without being COMPLETELY boring. This video, in my opinion, will interest students to research beyond what they have seen on screen. Sadly, the youth of today need a video to motivate them to learn more, so I feel this video series does a nice job of making the American Revolution interesting and accessible to young people.