The latest documentary to come to TV is “The Real Charlie Chaplin,” premiering Saturday, December 11 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.
If you don’t have cable or don’t have Showtime, here are some different ways can watch “The Real Charlie Chaplin” streaming live or on-demand online:
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Amazon Prime’s Showtime Channel
Amazon Prime subscribers (Prime comes with a 30-day free trial) can watch all live and on-demand Showtime content via Prime Channels. You can try both Amazon Prime and the Showtime Channel at no cost with a free trial right here:
Watch Showtime on Amazon Prime
Once you’re signed up for the Prime Showtime Channel, you can watch “The Real Charlie Chaplin” live or on-demand on the Amazon Video app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, various smart TV’s, Xiaomi, Echo Show or Echo Spot, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via the Amazon website.
FuboTV
Showtime is available as an add-on to FuboTV’s main 100-plus-channel package. Both the main channel bundle and the Showtime add-on can be included in your free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch “The Real Charlie Chaplin” live or on-demand on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream (formerly AT&T TV) has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” Showtime is only available in the “Premier” package or as a separate add-on to another bundle, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free 14-day trial.
Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but your “due today” amount will be $0 when signing up. If you watch on your computer, phone or tablet, you won’t be charged for 14 days. If you watch on a streaming device on your TV (Roku, Fire Stick, Apple TV, etc.), you will be charged for the first month, but you can get still get a full refund if you cancel before 14 days:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch “The Real Charlie Chaplin” live or on-demand on the AT&T TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
Hulu
Whether you already have Hulu or you want to sign up for a new subscription, Showtime is available as an add-on to either Hulu or Hulu with Live TV. If you’re a new subscriber, you can start a free 30-day trial of regular Hulu plus the Showtime add-on:
Once signed up, you can watch “The Real Charlie Chaplin” live or on-demand on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
‘The Real Charlie Chaplin’ 2021 Preview
This documentary feature chronicles the life of famous silent film star Charlie Chaplin, who rose to fame out of abject poverty. He was born in 1889 and died in 1977, leaving behind a wife named Oona O’Neill and 11 children from his four marriages, eight with O’Neill. Throughout his life, Chaplin was plagued by scandal and eventually exiled to Switzerland. It is this “fall from grace” that Showtime looks to examine.
The Showtime description of the documentary reads:
Hollywood icon Charlie Chaplin rocketed to fame from the slums of Victorian London and spent decades as one of Hollywood’s most famous and beloved stars until his scandalous fall from grace. His stage persona and incendiary media portrayal defined how he was perceived, but his private life has always been shrouded in mystery – until now. Never-before-heard recordings, intimate home movies and newly restored classic films reveal a side to Chaplin that the world never got to see.
According to a review by JB Spins, the documentary does a fair job covering the problematic aspects of Chaplin’s life.
“‘The Real Charlie Chaplin’ does a decent job of presenting a comprehensive warts-and-all portrait of Chaplin that never whitewashes his problematic personal behavior,” writes the reviewer, adding, “Chaplin was a complicated figure. To their credit, [directors Peter Middleton and James Spinney’ fully convey his complex, ambiguous persona.”
The New York Times reviewer says that the documentary “looks to restore a sense of mystery to its beyond-famous subject” and praises its “sprightly tempo” as it tries out “angles on Chaplin,” adding, “This introduction to Chaplin shines whenever he performs, displaying his comic genius for doing everything wrong to absolute perfection.”
And Variety writes, “The title suggests that we’re going to get an unvarnished look at the man behind the curtain — the brilliant and complicated human being that Charlie Chaplin was, a charmer and a scoundrel, a sweetheart and a monster, not to mention a celebrity of scandalous appetites. All of that is covered, quite ingeniously, in ‘The Real Charlie Chaplin.’ Yet the documentary doesn’t shy away from immersing us in Chaplin’s artistry.”
“The Real Charlie Chaplin” premieres Saturday, December 11 at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times on Showtime.