The only doc that made a Navy SEAL cry.
Across six episodes, it captures the chaos, panic, and bravery of that morning using more than 950 hours of archival footage and 54 original interviews.
Trailer for “9/11: One Day in America”
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- Two Port Authority officers (Will Jimeno and John McLoughlin) were found alive under 50 feet of rubble thanks to two ex-Marines and a retired paramedic who volunteered and went rogue to search the wreckage.
- Lt. Heather Penney and her commanding officer scrambled fighter jets with no live ammo—prepared to ram Flight 93 in a suicide mission to stop it from hitting Washington, D.C.
- Firefighters climbed past fleeing civilians—many of them never made it out. Their final radio calls are played in real time.
Watch “9/11: One Day in America”
You can stream “9/11: One Day in America” on Apple TV or check JustWatch for current streaming options.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 95/100
- IMDB Rating: 9.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 96/100 (Users), na (Critics)
Director’s Note: Daniel Bogado directed this 5-hour and 20-minute miniseries. He is also known for “Killer Ratings” and the Syria episode of “Frontline”. It aired in 2021 to mark the 20th anniversary of the attacks.
Release Date: Premiered August 29, 2021 (National Geographic); available on streaming platforms in September 2021.
My Review of “9/11: One Day in America”
The Setup
The doc covers 24 hours—starting with a perfect blue-sky morning and ending deep into the night at Ground Zero. Each episode is like a ticking clock, with stories from inside the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and Flight 93.
More Highlights from the Doc
- The first plane impact is shown from multiple unheard-before 911 calls and camcorder footage—it doesn’t feel like a history lesson, it feels like you’re watching it live.
- A hotel worker guides dozens through pitch-black smoke to safety, using only memory and instinct after the stairways collapse.
- Interviewees are often seen side-by-side with footage of themselves on that day—running, saving others, covered in ash. It creates a surreal, time-bending effect.
- The Pentagon strike and the aftermath are just as detailed—military staff pulling coworkers out of rubble while trying to make sense of the attack.
- Flight 93’s story is told through voicemails, cockpit recordings, and family interviews that somehow still manage to surprise you with the bravery of its passengers.
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- One of the volunteer rescuers at Ground Zero was Dave Karnes, a former Marine who put on his old uniform and drove in from Connecticut to help.
- The final moments of many victims are pieced together not through dramatization, but from radio transmissions, voice mails, and the dust-covered pages of office logs.
- Numerous interviewees had never spoken publicly before. The doc often captures their very first attempt to share what happened.
Wrap Up:
This isn’t just a documentary—it’s history etched in our minds. If you want to understand 9/11 from the ground level, this is the definitive version.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc