There's a doc for everybody

In terms of the TV stratosphere, I hope you’re not feeling too overwhelmed this week. I know there’s a lot going on. We’ve got Shark Week taking place on the Discovery Channel, Mob Movie week over on AMC and my favorite late night host, Craig Ferguson, has taken us all on a trip to Paris for the week. And saddled in between all of that, the fourth season of everyone’s favorite guilty pleasure, “The Jersey Shore,” debuted.

Aside from all that greatness (Admit it: You want to see “The Jersey Shore” kids make a fool of themselves in Italy just as much as the next person.), Current TV is airing a weekly segment going by the title of “50 Documentaries to See Before You Die” that I suggest you check out. It’s hosted by “Super Size Me” creator Morgan Spurlock, and focuses on documentaries released in the last 25 years. From sports (“Hoop Dreams”) to animals (“March of the Penguins”) and to global warming (“An Inconvenient Truth”) to spelling bees (“Spellbound”), this documentary series touches on them all — one of my personal favorite being Errol Morris’ “The Thin Blue Line.” And what makes it even better is Current TV is airing many of the documentaries on the list throughout the month.

I might add, that aside from the typical countdown aspect of the series, host Spurlock also tracks down and interviews some the filmmakers whose movies are on the list, as well as “characters” of the films.

For instance, in the first segment Spurlock drives out to Florida to snatch a few moments away from Billy Mitchell, a main player in the 2007 documentary “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters” by Seth Gordon. Mitchell, at the time, held the world record for most points in the arcade game “Donkey Kong.” In the film, Mitchell is challenged by Steve Wiebe, an underdog in all aspects of life, who claims he can beat Mitchell’s high score. Throughout the film, we get an inside look at the world of competitive gaming — and just how intense it really gets.

The first hour-long segment of “50 Documentaries to See Before You Die” aired Tuesday, but don’t fret, you can find reruns playing constantly throughout the week, and practically up until the final installment premiers on Aug. 30. So take some time away from the shark-infested TV set, and sneak a peak at the realistic side of film — it’ll be well worth it

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NOTE: The next four segments of “50 Documentaries to See Before You Die” will air every Tuesday at 9 p.m. from here on out, with the last installment premiering on Aug. 30. For Comcast subscribers, you’ll find Current TV on channel 107. For all other subscribers, check www.current.com for channel listings.