''America Undercover'' is a series of

documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...

that aired on the

cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...

network HBO from 1983 through 2006. Within the series are several sub-series, such as ''

Autopsy An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any d ...

'', ''

Real Sex ''Real Sex'' is a documentary television series broadcast on and a production of HBO. As its name implies, ''Real Sex'' is a sexually explicit "magazine" which "explores sex '90s style." ''Real Sex'' explores human sexuality. Gary R. Edgerton ...

'', and ''

Taxicab Confessions ''Taxicab Confessions'' is a television series of hidden camera documentaries that aired on HBO from 1995 through 2006. When passengers enter the cab, they are recorded with several small cameras hidden in the taxi. The producer prompts passeng ...

''.

History

The series began in 1984 and, after a brief time being broadcast weekly in 2001, was later broadcast once per month. In 2006, episodes began being rebroadcast on

A&E Network A&E is an American basic cable network, the flagship television property of A&E Networks. The network was originally founded in 1984 as the Arts & Entertainment Network, initially focusing on fine arts, documentaries, dramas, and educational ent ...

. Over the years, episodes have covered numerous subjects such as abortion, organized crime, and pedophilia. The show won several awards for the 1998 production of ''Strippers: The Naked Stages''.

Episodes

*''Hooker'' (1983) - Directed by Robert Niemack *''When Women Kill'' (1983) - Directed by

Lee Grant Lee Grant (born Lyova Haskell Rosenthal; October 31, during the mid-1920s) is an American actress, documentarian, and director. She made her film debut in 1951 as a young shoplifter in William Wyler's '' Detective Story'', co-starring Kirk Doug ...

*''The Nightmare of Cocaine'' (1984) - Directed by Fleming B. Fuller *''Toxic Time Bomb: The Fight Against Deadly Pollution'' (1984) - Directed by August Cinquegrana *''Acts of Violence'' (1985) - Directed by Imre Horvath *''UFO's: What's Going On?'' (1985) - Directed by Robert Guenette *''The Gift of Life'' (1986) - Directed by

Bill Couturié William Couturié is a film director and producer, best known for his work in the field of documentary film. Accolades He won the 1989 Academy Award for the AIDS documentary '' Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt'' that he produced with Rob Ep ...

*''

And the Pursuit of Happiness ''And the Pursuit of Happiness'' (french: La poursuite du bonheur) is a 1986 documentary film for television directed by Louis Malle about the experiences of immigrants in the United States during the 1980s. It was originally released as part of ...

'' (1986) - Directed by

Louis Malle Louis Marie Malle (; 30 October 1932 – 23 November 1995) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. Described as "eclectic" and "a filmmaker difficult to pin down," Malle's filmogr ...

*''Kids in Crisis'' (1986) - Directed by Robert Niemack *''Kids in Sports: The Price of Glory'' (1986) - Directed by Dennis Lofgren *''Surveillance: No Place to Hide '' (1986) - Directed by Joseph Angier *''Drunk & Deadly: A Day on America's Highways'' (1987) - Directed by Robert Niemack *''Murder or Mercy: Five American Families'' (1988) - Directed by Terry Dunn Meurer *''Execution: Fourteen Days in May'' (1988) - Directed by Paul Hamann *''Confessions of an Undercover Cop'' (1988) - Directed by Chris Jeans *''Warning: Medicine May Be Hazardous to Your Health'' (1988) - Directed by Veronica L. Young *''Why Did Johnny Kill?'' (1988) - Directed by Robert Niemack *''Transplant'' (1988) - Directed by Vincent Stafford *''Into Madness'' (1989) - Directed by Susan Raymond *''Battered'' (1989) - Directed by

*'' Crack USA: County Under Siege'' (1989) - Directed by Vince DiPersio and Bill Guttentag *''One Year in a Life of Crime'' (1989) - Directed by

Jon Alpert Jon Alpert (born c. December 13, 1948) is an American journalist and documentary filmmaker, known for his use of a cinéma vérité approach in his films. Life and career A native of Port Chester, New York, Jonathan B. Alpert is a 1970 gr ...

*''Convicts on the Street: One Year on Parole'' (1990) - Directed by Robert Niemack *'' Doing Time: Life Inside the Big House'' (1991) - Directed by Alan Raymond *''Rape: Cries from the Heartland'' (1991) - Directed by Maryann DeLeo *''Attempted Murder: Confrontation'' (1991) - Directed by Tom Spain *'' Death on the Job'' (1991) - Directed by Vince DiPersio and Bill Guttentag *''The Iceman Tapes: Conversations with a Killer'' (1992) - Directed by Arthur Ginsberg and Tom Spain *''Suicide Notes'' (1992) - Directed by Robert Niemack *''Asylum'' (1992) - Directed by Joan Churchill *''Abortion: Desperate Choices'' (1992) - Directed by Deborah Dickson, Susan Froemke, and

Albert Maysles Albert Maysles (November 26, 1926 – March 5, 2015) and his brother David Maysles (January 10, 1931 – January 3, 1987; ) were an American documentary filmmaking team known for their work in the Direct Cinema style. Their best-known films i ...

*''My Mother's Murder'' (1992) - Directed by Charles C. Stuart *''Never Say Die: The Search for Eternal Youth'' (1992) - Directed by Antony Thomas *''Women on Trial'' (1992) - Directed by

*'' I Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School'' (1993) *'' Gang War: Bangin' In Little Rock'' (1994) *'' High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell '' (1995) - Directed by

, Maryann DeLeo and

Richard Farrell Richard Farrell (30 December 1926 – 27 May 1958) was a New Zealand classical pianist. Musical career Early life Thomas Richard Farrell was born in Auckland in 1926 to Thomas and Ella Farrell, and spent most of his young years in Wellingto ...

*''

The Celluloid Closet ''The Celluloid Closet'' is a 1995 American documentary film directed and written by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. The film is based on Vito Russo's 1981 book ''The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies'', and on lecture and film clip ...

'' (1995) *''

Fetishes A fetish (derived from the French , which comes from the Portuguese , and this in turn from Latin , 'artificial' and , 'to make') is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a human-made object that has power over o ...

'' (1996) - Directed by Nick Broomfield *''Dragtime'' (1997) - Directed by Patti Kaplan *''Bellevue: Inside Out'' (2001) - Directed by Maryann DeLeo *''

Blue Vinyl ''Blue Vinyl'' is a 2002 documentary film directed by Daniel B. Gold and Judith Helfand. With a lighthearted tone, the film follows one woman's quest for an environmentally sound cladding for her parents' house in Merrick, Long Island, New York. ...

'' (2002) *''

My Flesh and Blood ''My Flesh and Blood'' is a 2003 documentary film by Jonathan Karsh chronicling a year in the life of the Tom family. The Tom family is notable as the mother, Susan Tom, adopted eleven children, most of whom had serious disabilities or diseases. ...

'' (2003) *'' Shelter Dogs'' (2003) *'' Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She'' (2005) *'' Dealing Dogs'' (2006)

References

External links

* HBO original programming 1983 American television series debuts 2006 American television series endings 1980s American documentary television series 1990s American documentary television series 2000s American documentary television series English-language television shows {{US-nonfiction-tv-prog-stub