How Scorsese Reshaped Cinema: A Riveting TV Deep Dive

Martin Scorsese turns biographer of his own legend, tracing five decades of breakthroughs, stumbles, and the contemporaries who shaped him in a propulsive, all-access documentary that doubles as a crash course in film history.

Apple TV+ has a five-hour deep dive on Martin Scorsese coming, and it is exactly the kind of thing you hope it would be: personal access, previously unseen material, and people who actually know the guy sitting down to talk. The trailer leans hard on the emotional core of Scorsese's work — the messy business of human nature, and that constant push-pull between good and evil — and the series itself follows through.

What this is

"Mr. Scorsese" is a five-episode docuseries from filmmaker Rebecca Miller, presented as "A Film Portrait by Rebecca Miller." It started life as a single feature (in the vein of her doc about her father, "Arthur Miller: Writer") before expanding into a series. Miller had the keys to the kingdom here: unfettered access to Scorsese, his personal and professional archives, and a wide circle of family, friends, collaborators, and peers. The result is affectionate without being soft, honest about the lows, and thorough enough to feel definitive — even when a few choices make you scratch your head.

How it plays

• Episode 1, "Stranger in a Strange Land": Scorsese's New York City childhood comes into focus through family photos, candid reflections, and material he shot of his parents for his 1974 doc "Italianamerican." There are glimpses of his early shorts and pre-fame features ("Who's That Knocking at My Door," "Boxcar Bertha," "Mean Streets"), plus friends whose lives fed directly into his early characters.
• Episode 2, "All This Filming Isn't Healthy": The Robert De Niro partnership sparks here, with De Niro on camera as the series walks through "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," "Taxi Driver," "New York, New York," and the concert film "The Last Waltz." Friends and contemporaries like The Band's Robbie Robertson and Steven Spielberg add first-hand color.
• Episode 3, "Saint/Sinner": The rough stretch. Scorsese is frank about drug addiction, and the work from this era — "Raging Bull," "The King of Comedy," "After Hours," "The Color of Money," "The Last Temptation of Christ" — gets a clear-eyed reassessment. Longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker and Isabella Rossellini weigh in, as do Scorsese's daughters on what life with Dad was like then. You also hear from peers and younger filmmakers — Spielberg, Paul Schrader, Brian De Palma, Spike Lee, Benny Safdie, Ari Aster — about how his movies hit them.
• Episode 4, "Total Cinema": A concentrated run at the canon: "Goodfellas," "Cape Fear," "The Age of Innocence," and "Casino" get the bulk of the hour, with quicker nods to "Kundun" and "Bringing Out the Dead." Not every title gets equal time across the series, but the major ones are scrutinized properly.
• Episode 5, "Method Director": The modern era, anchored by the Leonardo DiCaprio collaborations — starting at "Gangs of New York" and moving through "The Aviator," "The Departed," and "The Wolf of Wall Street." Oddly, "Hugo" is skipped outright, even though interview footage suggests it was on the table; given how much the show talks about cinema-as-religion, not hearing Scorsese on that film is a strange omission. "The Irishman" gets about five minutes. "Killers of the Flower Moon" barely appears beyond a few set photos and brief behind-the-scenes glimpses near the end, which tracks with the fact the series was in the works while that film was still early in production.

The access pays off

You can feel Miller had years to gather this. Beyond the curated filmography tour, there is a textured look at Scorsese's personal life and obsessions: his Catholic upbringing threading through "The Last Temptation of Christ," "Kundun," and "Silence"; the lifelong imprint of New York City on his sensibility; and his tireless work preserving world cinema. There are also the quieter, human beats — his relationship with his three daughters and his care for his wife, Helen Morris, who lives with early-onset Parkinson's.

Who shows up and what they add

The mix of voices gives this thing real perspective. De Niro has stories, obviously. Spielberg pops up multiple times, and you get sharp context from Paul Schrader and Brian De Palma. Thelma Schoonmaker remains the north star in the editing room and on camera. Isabella Rossellini brings in the personal, while Scorsese's daughters fill in life at home. From the current generation, Spike Lee, Benny Safdie, and Ari Aster talk about what his work unlocked for them. And Robbie Robertson reflects on their creative run, especially around "The Last Waltz."

Does it dodge anything?

Not really, which is what makes the couple of gaps stand out. "Hugo" being MIA is genuinely puzzling, especially for a project this comprehensive. The limited space for "The Irishman" and the almost-nonexistent "Killers of the Flower Moon" coverage make more sense once you realize the production timeline; still, if you were hoping for a deep look at those, temper expectations. Outside of that, the series lands its balance: it is admiring but not airbrushed. Scorsese owns his mistakes and, just as importantly, does not apologize for the choices he still stands by.

The bottom line

At 82, Scorsese is still making movies, so calling anything a final word would be premature. But "Mr. Scorsese" is a well-timed, richly sourced portrait of six decades of filmmaking that actually teaches you something — about the man, the work, and the people around him. Even with a few odd omissions, it is an engrossing, generous watch that will send you back to the films with fresh eyes.

"Mr. Scorsese" premieres October 17 on Apple TV+.