Through Grit and Glory, a 16-episode original documentary series on the iconic American rock band The Cars, has been formally announced by Netflix. Offering a comprehensive look at the artistry, ambition, and internal dynamics that molded their extraordinary career, the series is positioned as a definitive chronicle of one of the most significant bands to emerge from the late 1970s new wave movement.
The Cars’ journey from their early days in Boston’s underground music scene to worldwide superstardom is chronicled in Grit and Glory. The band created a sound that was both commercially powerful and artistically unique by fusing rock, punk attitude, and slick pop sensibility. During a period of societal and musical change, the show examines how Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr, Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes, and David Robinson reinvented rock music.
The 16-episode documentary explores the band’s quick ascent after the publication of their self-titled first album, which yielded timeless classics including “Just What I Needed,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” and “Good Times Roll.” The careful composition approach, creative use of synthesizers, and visual style that made The Cars MTV pioneers will be shown to viewers.
The series doesn’t hide the difficulties that led to its achievement. The strains of long-term renown, creative disagreements, and internal conflicts are all candidly examined. The band’s opposing personalitiesβespecially the creative collaboration and ultimately conflict between Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orrβare highlighted, along with how those dynamics affected the band’s lifespan and sound.
Through Grit and Glory places The Cars in the larger context of rock history with rare archival video, never-before-seen demos, and interviews with surviving band members, producers, industry insiders, and current musicians. The show emphasizes their impact on successive generations of musicians and their capacity to connect underground legitimacy with popular appeal.
The project, according to Netflix, is a tale of discipline, reinvention, and subdued intensityβqualities of a band that let their music speak louder than their public personas. The series depicts the whole trajectory of The Cars’ reputation, from chart-topping triumph to personal loss and eventual induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Through Grit and Glory is a powerful homage to a band whose music has endured for decades and helped define an era.