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Generation X

Generation X

2016Miniseries1 season6 episodes~44 min/epTV-14Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

Takes a look back at the times and inventions for those who were born between 1961-81 who got to experience them and even inspire them to change the world as a result

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch Generation X?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Generation X streaming on MyOutdoorTV via Prime Video and to rent or buy on Prime Video.

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via Prime Video

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Buy

Highlights

What stands out about Generation X?

Generation X earns 2 badges, led by Hidden Gem and Wistful.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood

Reception

Is Generation X worth watching?

Generation X's Midcredits score is the 69th percentile of all shows, from 187 ratings across 2 sources. 77% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

69th percentile

Better received than 69% of shows

61st percentile among Documentary68th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)70th
Approval (how many liked it)65th

Acclaim

Mixed: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

75 /100

70th percentile of all shows

60th percentile among Documentary68th percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

Big peaks at both ends — people either love this or bounce off it hard.

Approval

How many liked it

77% liked it

65th percentile of all shows

59th percentile among Documentary63rd percentile among 2010s
77% rated it 7–1023% rated it 1–6

Reach

Hidden Gem: Loved by those who saw it, seen by few

How many have seen it

17th percentile

185 ratings across platforms

34th percentile among Documentary23rd percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 8% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Detractors panned

  • offensive political agenda beyond relevant history
  • factually wrong generation definition skewing narrative
  • sidelined hip-hop's influence on Gen X culture

What stands out

Atmosphere30

nostalgic moments undermined by false framing

Pacing25

lost viewers by episode 3

Originality20

biased agenda over balanced documentary

Episodes

1 season

Season 1 · 2016 · 6 episodes

  • S1E1

    Alternative Goes Mainstream

    Feb 14, 201644 min
  • S1E2

    Truth Be Told

    Feb 21, 201644 min
  • S1E3

    The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth

    Feb 28, 201644 min
  • S1E4

    The Power of Disruption

    Mar 6, 201644 min
  • S1E5

    Family, Reimagined

    Mar 13, 201644 min
  • S1E6

    The Politics of X

    Mar 20, 201644 minFinale

Watch experience

What is Generation X like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, serious and gentle — a slow-burn watch that leaves you wistful.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
ContemplativeWarmBittersweet
Heaviest: late
Wry humor: Amused and slightly dry about it.
Register
Warm
Told as
Unscripted · 15% of showsSingle-season story
ToneThe documentary treats its subject with affection and earnest nostalgia.
The rideA reflective, cozy viewing experience with a slight melancholic edge as the series looks back on a past that has definitively passed.
StructureStraightforward retrospective documentary series.
Episode formatA documentary series structured as standalone episodes exploring different aspects of a generation's experience.
Season formatThe series concluded after one season, presenting a complete survey of Generation X within a single season.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Wistful · 6% of showsRousing · 9% of shows
Why it leaves you this wayThe series invites nostalgia for the Generation X era and a sense of pride in its cultural impact.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 40% of shows: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeDocumentary series exploring Generation X; no central narrative plot.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27%: Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% (this title) · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10% (this title): Community 25% (this title) · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3% (this title)
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Society

CommunityMemory · 3% of showsLegacy · 3% of shows
Celebrates its theme: Affirms its theme — this is good and worth having.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe series examines the shared cultural experiences and inventions that shaped Generation X, exploring both the bonds formed by those experiences and how the generation remembers and passes on its identity.
StanceThe series affirms and honors the collective identity and cultural contributions of Generation X.

The world

Late 20th centuryUrbanSuburbanRealistic
PopRockSupportive music · licensed compilation
SettingThe cultural landscape of North America during the 1980s and 1990s

Content guide

Is Generation X okay for kids?

TV-14

Generation X is rated TV-14.

Ratings in 6 other countries
  • Canada14+
  • South Korea12
  • Brazil16
  • ItalyT
  • PhilippinesG
  • SingaporeG

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does Generation X have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Generation X?

Cast

Christian Slater
as Narrator
Gimel Keaton
as DJ
Kevin Smith
as Director
Kimberly Peirce
as Director, Boys Don't Cry
Kurtis Blow
as Producer
Dan Savage
as Author
Neil Howe
as Historian
Kamala Lopez
as Director
Kato Kaelin
as Actor
A.J. Jacobs
as Journalist

Crew

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What are shows like Generation X?

TMDB's suggestions for shows like Generation X include The Food That Built America (2019), Top Gear (1978) and Mysteries at the Museum (2010).

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