Product docu-dramas

An emerging genre of lightly fictionalized dramas tell the true, improbable stories of how famous products came to be. Each legendary thing seems like a miraculous accident. Here are three product dramas that are extraordinarily entertaining, and mostly true to life. Tetris (Apple+) is the unlikely cloak–n-dagger tale of the Soviet KGB’s pursuit of this wayward video game’s escape to world domination. The Social Network (on Amazon or any streaming service, $4) is an oldie about Facebook that is still relevant and fascinating given its current return to grace. And the most recent is Air (Amazon Prime), the astounding story of how Air Jordan sneakers became the unlikely multi-billion dollar megahit they are. All have great casts and great scripting, but are “true stories” at the core. — KK