# How to Become a Tyrant (2021)

> A six-episode Netflix documentary series narrated by Peter Dinklage that profiles well-known authoritarian leaders through archival footage.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/105706

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: documentary
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Peter Dinklage, Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler, Idi Amin, Fidel Castro, Muammar Gaddafi, Madeleine Albright, George W. Bush
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14832996/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: darkly satirical, cool-eyed, critical, wry, unsettling

## What critics say

Audiences rate the miniseries positively as a sharp, darkly witty documentary-style look at how dictators rise and rule.

## Synopsis

How to Become a Tyrant (2021) is a US documentary miniseries created for Netflix, running six thirty-minute episodes in a single season. Peter Dinklage narrates the series in a wry, measured voice, guiding viewers through archival footage of authoritarian rulers including Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, Muammar Gaddafi, Idi Amin and Vladimir Putin, with appearances by George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Madeleine Albright. Rather than a single narrative, each episode turns to a different political figure and examines how their rise and grip on power were built, using archival clips and a steady narrator to pull the viewer into the mechanics of control. The tone is darkly satirical and cool-eyed, treating dictatorship almost like a how-to guide while staying clearly critical of its subjects. Fans of The Dictator's Playbook, Hitler's Circle and The Last Dictator will find resonance here. Its power lies in the contrast between the calm narration and the disturbing footage of propaganda, rallies and repression, making it a sharp, accessible entry into twentieth century political history.

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