Despot Housewives

White House Christmas

1998

Every year, hundreds of volunteers from across the nation decorate the White House for Christmas in just 72 hours. HGTV documents the process in the annual White House Christmas special — which is hosted by one or two hand-picked HGTV hosts who ensure the First Lady's chosen theme comes to life.

Reine du foyer

2013

Documents how women’s roles in Quebec have evolved extensively between the Second World War and today.

How to Become a Tyrant

2021 · ★ 7.4

The documentary series explores different political figures throughout history.

Mussolini: The First Fascist

2022 · ★ 8.2

Mussolini seized power in Italy in 1922, after his March on Rome. He would hold it in his grasp until his death in 1945, establishing a dictatorship that lasted more than 20 years. Long considered a buffoon and a second-rate dictator, Il Duce invented fascism that was imitated by Hitler, who viewed the Italian as his political master. He wanted to transform his country into a warrior nation and promised Italians a return to the grandeur of the Roman Empire. He governed by violence and trickery and was one of the first populist leaders of modern times, leading his country into the catastrophe of the World War II. But who was Mussolini, this former teacher who came from the extreme left to become a newspaper editor and creator of the Fascist Party? Why did he ally himself with Hitler? Were the Italians really behind him? With archives and interviews with the last-surviving witnesses of the era, this portrait takes a look back at one of the most notorious dictators of the 20th century.

First Ladies

2020 · ★ 5.3

Blending in-depth interviews, rare archival footage, and cinematic recreations, this docuseries on the lives of America's most iconic First Ladies is a bold revision of each woman's traditional portrayal, revealing how they were impacted during their time in the White House, and how their achievements fundamentally shaped American and global history.

Untitled Melania Trump Docuseries

A three-part docuseries about US First Lady Melania Trump, a companion to her 2026 documentary film.

First Ladies Revealed

2017

See how our first ladies have defined presidencies, reimagined the White House, and left their mark on American history.

The Dictator's Playbook

2018 · ★ 7.6

Learn how six dictators, from Mussolini to Saddam Hussein, shaped the 20th century. How did they seize and lose power? What forces were against them? Learn the answers in these six immersive hours, each a revealing portrait of brutality and power.

Evolution of Evil

2016 · ★ 6.6

Inside the minds of the heartless, corrupt, and cruel individuals who've seized control of their country through the infliction of appalling pain on their fellow man. From Kim Jong-il, to Osama Bin Laden, to Hitler, uncover the madness behind the merciless dictators responsible for unimaginable human atrocities that still haunt the world.

Inside North Korea's Dynasty

2018 · ★ 6.3

The Kim family's dark and surreal story provides a fresh perspective on North Korea.

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman

1976 · ★ 7.3

In the fictional town of Fernwood, Ohio, suburban housewife Mary Hartman seeks the kind of domestic perfection promised by Reader’s Digest and TV commercials. Instead she finds herself suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune: mass murders, low-flying airplanes and waxy yellow buildup on her kitchen floor.

Desperate Housewives

2004 · ★ 7.9

Looking down on her friends and family isn't a way of life for Mary Alice Young... it's a way of death. One day, in her perfect house, in the loveliest of suburbs, Mary Alice ended it all. Now she's taking us into the lives of her family, friends and neighbors, commenting from her elevated P.O.V.