For our 2nd round pick, we're going to go off the board a bit here to select, in the category of
Miniseries (with the option to flip to Educational at a later date)... Carl Sagan's epic celebration of history, space, science, thought, art, life... a magnificent depiction of all that is worth celebrating in humanity, a view that is all the more commendable when viewed in its historical context, when pessimism and fear were so easy to fall back on... 1980's
Cosmos!
A brilliant series that does a masterful job of positioning Earth and humanity within the awesome, expansive context of the cosmos. Sagan's greatest achievement was always his ability to transgress the pettiness of the moment - in the one episode that addresses the contemporary fears of nuclear annihilation implicit within the Cold War context, he does so in positive terms, choosing to present a celebration of all humanity and all we have achieved, all we are capable of, which would be thrown away in such circumstances.
His ability to articulate complex scientific concepts in accessible terms is another aspect of Sagan's enduring legacy, and Cosmos stands up to this day as one of the greatest documentary television events ever produced.