Documentary of the Week

The Netflix phenomenon "Cheer" returns for a second season, following the college cheerleading squad Navarro as they compete against rival Trinity Valley for a national championship. The show's success is now part of the story as the teams cope with fame, COVID and criminal charges against a beloved Navarro cheerleader.

Lawyer Jeffery Robinson delivers a version of history different from what's taught in schools in "Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America." Filmmakers Sarah and Emily Kunstler travel with Robinson to American landmarks where he interviews figures who connect the past to the present.

"American Insurrection" on PBS's Frontline investigates vigilante groups active in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Correspondent A.C. Thompson of ProPublica studies how groups such as the Proud Boys and Boogaloo Boys are constantly shifting.

"Fauci" profiles the doctor who's served as an adviser to seven American presidents as he grapples with the science and politics of Covid-19. Filmmakers John Hoffman and Janet Tobias look at Dr. Anthony Fauci's full career — including his previous work as an AIDS researcher.

"Reopening Night" captures the cast and crew of Shakespeare in the Park as they produce "Merry Wives" after the pandemic shutdown. The new production adapted by playwright Jocelyn Bioh sets the romantic misadventures of Falstaff in modern day Harlem.

"Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street" looks at the origins of the groundbreaking children's television show. Documentary maker Marilyn Agrelo profiles both famous figures such as Jim Henson and Frank Oz as well as lesser-known people behind the scenes.

The half-hour documentary "Takeover" recounts how the radical Puerto Rican group the Young Lords took over a South Bronx hospital in 1970. Filmmaker Emma Francis-Snyder conducts new interviews with Young Lords members to reconstruct what happened through archival footage and recreations.

The documentary "Listening to Kenny G" profiles the saxophonist whose instrumental hits helped popularize the radio format of smooth jazz and created a backlash. Filmmaker Penny Lane explores a bigger question: how do we decide what music is good or bad?

"The First Wave" profiles hospital workers in Queens during the early months of Covid-19 and the street protests against police violence. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Matthew Heineman ("Cartel Land") and his crew capture the perseverance of New Yorkers during one of the city's darkest periods.

"Hold Your Fire," premiering at the DOC NYC festival, looks at the longest hostage siege in NYPD history in 1973. Filmmaker Stefan Forbes teams with producer Fab Five Freddy to cover multiple perspectives, and mysteries that linger decades later.

The documentary "Hold Your Fire" reexamines a 1973 hostage siege in New York City.