Overview

• Now streaming on Netflix, the three-part documentary features episodes by Geeta Gandbhir and Samantha Knowles, with Spike Lee directing an extended third chapter.
• Reviews highlight a step-by-step account of levee failures, fatally late responses across governments, and an estimated death toll of roughly 1,400.
• The series contends that sensational coverage of “looting” helped shift attention away from mismanagement of the relief effort.
• Lee’s finale leans on oral histories and cultural resilience while channeling outrage over inequities that persisted long after the floodwaters receded.
• Critics note significant overlap with National Geographic/Disney+’s ‘Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time,’ released in July, even as this series elevates figures such as Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré.