What is it?
A British documentary series beginning in 1964 that follows the same group of fourteen people, starting at age seven, every seven years. So there was Seven Up!, Seven Plus Seven, 21 Up, 28 Up, 35 Up, 42 Up, 49 Up, and now 56 Up.
Why do I recommend it?
"Give me the child until he is seven and I will give you the man"
-A Jesuit saying
What started as a documentary with an intent to examine class in the British society is now the granddaddy of all reality shows and an incomparable document of what a human life is and what the aging process looks like. Every seven years, you see these same people grow old, go to school, get jobs, gain children, lose jobs and spouses, gain grandchildren, but (spoiler-alert but not really) not die. Miraculously none have died yet. What is also interesting is the participants relationship to the show itself and its effect on their lives.
All of the episodes are on Netflix Instant and my wife and I binge-watched 7 Up through 49 Up. I couldn't have been more excited when 56 Up finally appeared to check in on old friends like the ballad of the mentally unstable but articulate Neil or the East Ender Tony who dreams of being a jockey. Of course it's a longer wait until 63 Up.
The series makes you think about how your own life would look in seven year chunks. In the time between my own 28 Up and 35 Up, two children arrived. What will happen between 35 and 42?
The first film Seven Up! features the group as impossibly cute children saying impossibly cute things like, "I don't want to get married because what if she makes me eat my greens and I don't like eating greens." Knowing that you'll watch these same people grow for the next half century is impossible to pass up.
Each episode does have extensive recaps so you don't necessarily HAVE to watch every one. But I think you miss the the shock of seeing them get suddenly seven years older in the next episode.
Why It Might Not Be For Everyone
If your idea of reality is so warped that you only expect/demand dancing or hot tubs or eating bugs or washed-up celebrity judges.
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