# Explained (2018)

> A Vox-produced Netflix docuseries that breaks down wide-ranging topics, from cryptocurrency to diets to K-pop, in short explainer episodes.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/68544

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 44
- Episode runtime: 18 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: documentary
- Created by: Ezra Klein
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Joss Fong, Maria Bello, Christian Slater, Estelle Caswell, LeVar Burton, Nick Kroll, Aasif Mandvi, Kevin Smith
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8005374/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: curious, enlightening, breezy, witty, accessible

## What critics say

Audiences find the series an enlightening, accessible explainer that unpacks complex topics with clarity and visual flair.

## Synopsis

Explained (2018-2021) is an American documentary explainer docuseries created by Ezra Klein for Netflix, produced with Vox Media's studio. Across three seasons and forty-four episodes, each roughly eighteen minutes long, it takes a single contemporary subject and unpacks it with data, research, and clear visual diagrams. Topics range from the rise of cryptocurrency and why diets fail to the business and fandom behind K-pop, so each episode works as a self-contained investigation rather than a continuing story. Narration is delivered by a rotating roster of voice performers, including Joss Fong, Estelle Caswell, Maria Bello, LeVar Burton, Nick Kroll, Aasif Mandvi, Christian Slater, Yara Shahidi, and Kevin Smith, each guiding viewers through a different topic. The tone is brisk, curious, and enlightening, with a friendly, accessible energy that turns dense subjects into approachable lessons. Its episodic structure makes it easy to dip into a single topic, and the mix of pop culture and science appeals to viewers who want to learn something new in a short sitting. Fans of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver will find similar pleasure in informed, witty explanation of the modern world.

## Shows like Explained

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- [How to Become a Cult Leader (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/148007)
- [Dark Net (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/57147)
- [Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/62328)
- [Sex, Explained (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/81669)
- [Rotten (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/65974)
- [The World According to Jeff Goldblum (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/78528)
- [Adam Ruins Everything (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/57093)
- [Coronavirus, Explained (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/85788)

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