Netflix has apparently reached the point in the pandemic where true crime narratives will no longer suffice, and so its attention has turned toward… the great beyond (eerie whooshing). The new six-part series Surviving Death relies on experts in various fields and firsthand accounts to explore different facets of life after death, including near-death experiences (BRING BACK THE OA YOU JERKS), actual death experiences, mediums (there are two whole episodes devoted to them), and g-g-g-ghosts. Netflix has released a trailer for the series, which hails from director Ricki Stern (the excellent Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work) and debuts on January 6. Please note the brief appearance of a Polaroid in which a ghost allegedly spelled out its name in smoke:
This sort of stuff is always pretty fascinating, especially when you get into the realm of near-death experiences and determining how to evaluate the validity of those claims. Hopefully the series, which is executive produced by Leslie Kean and based on her book of the same name, is more interested in the science and research aspects than ghost-hunting shenanigans. Here’s the official synopsis:
Over six episodes, Surviving Death explores questions that have been contemplated throughout time: What does it mean to die, and is death the end of our existence? Weaving together innovative new research with firsthand accounts from those who’ve been close to—and even experienced—death, the series takes viewers on an extraordinary journey into a world beyond human existence as we know it.