# The Family (2019)

> A five-part docuseries that examines the secretive Christian network known as the Family and its quiet influence on Washington power.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/77508

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 5
- Episode runtime: 50 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, documentary
- Created by: Jesse Moss
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: James Cromwell, Jeff Sharlet, Fred Trump, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mike Pence, Adolf Hitler, Hillary Clinton, Vladimir Putin
- TMDB rating: 6.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10715148/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: none
- Tone: measured, unsettling, watchful, sober

## What critics say

Audiences find the docuseries-style reenactment of a secretive Christian political network informative but uneven and mixed in its impact.

## Synopsis

The Family (2019) is a American documentary miniseries created by Jesse Moss for Netflix, a five-episode limited series that pulls back the curtain on an enigmatic conservative Christian group operating in Washington, D.C. Built from reenactments and archival footage, the series follows the network's influence through the lens of journalist Jeff Sharlet, whose reporting on the group frames the investigation, while James Cromwell plays Douglas Coe in dramatized scenes that give the organization a human face. Each episode moves through private prayer breakfasts, quiet relationships with lawmakers and the slow accumulation of access that the group uses to pursue its global ambitions. Archive clips of American presidents and other political figures place the story within a long history of power brokers working behind closed doors. The tone is measured and watchful, more unsettling than sensational, as it asks how faith and ambition combine in private rooms far from public view. Viewers who enjoyed the reenactment style of The Vow or the political intrigue of House of Cards will find a similar appetite for hidden networks. The show runs as a single continuous investigation rather than a set of standalone cases, and it leaves the viewer weighing the implications of influence that rarely announces itself. It is a sober, carefully paced look at secrecy and the quiet machinery of American politics.

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