| Genre: | Documentary |
| Starring: | Rick Rubin |
| Narrated: | Rick Rubin |
| Opentheme: | "Shangri-La" by The Lettermen |
| Composer: | Daniel Wohl |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 4 |
| List Episodes: |
|
| Cinematography: | Nicola Marsh |
| Runtime: | 48–58 minutes |
| Company: | Tremolo Productions |
| Network: | Showtime |
Shangri-La is a four-part television documentary miniseries, directed by Morgan Neville and Jeff Malmberg, that aired on Showtime from July 12 to August 2, 2019. The series concerns the Shangri-La recording studio in Malibu, California and its owner, record producer and Def Jam Records co-founder Rick Rubin.[1] [2] [3] A "work-in-progress" cut of the docuseries was screened at the 2019 SXSW Festival.[4] [5] [6] [7]
The miniseries was nominated for Best Music Film at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
[8] According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 based on 9 critics, the series received "generally favorable" reviews.[9]
Time called the series "flawed but sublime."[10]
Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter called the miniseries "inspiring and oddly riveting" and said, "There is more creativity, weirdness, thoughtfulness and ambition — both achieved and failed — in the new Showtime docuseries Shangri-La than in a good portion of recent TV dramas." Goodman also felt, however, that series should have got "a little dirtier and messier in the examination" of Rubin's mid-career years.[11]
On November 20, 2019, the miniseries was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Music Film at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.[12]