At the 2017 Academy Awards the most talked about documentary of the year won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in Erza Edelman’s OJ: Made in America. What made that documentary create more nationwide buzz than most documentaries do was that it was over seven hours long, split into five parts, and aired on the ESPN and ABC networks. The best praised of ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary series was incredibly successful because it centered on one of the most controversial athletes and Americans in history: O.J. Simpson.

A seven plus hour documentary on O.J. Simpson however wasn’t popular because he’s liked, but because he’s infamous. He was one of the most beloved sports stars and celebrities from the late 1960s to the early 1990s until his image was forever changed in mid-June 1994. His ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend named Ronald Goldman were found murdered and Simpson was the only suspect, and then he fled in the infamous Bronco chase. His murder trial became the most watched trial ever and was even dramatized last year’s in FX’s The People vs. O.J. Simpson but he was still acquitted. While he was found “Not Guilty” many still believed he did it, and his arrogance and need for money put him back in jail for good as the leader of a disastrous robbery in a Las Vegas hotel in 2007. When Director Erza Edelman won the Oscar for his film that night, did the right thing by dedicating the win not to O.J. Simpson for the inspiration, but to Nichole Brown and Ron Goldman in their memory.

It is considerably remarkable that a seven-plus hour documentary centering on one man who isn’t even dead yet managed branch out into other issues like racism, police brutality, domestic violence and celebrity culture. So when thinking about it, are there any other infamous people whose story is just as intriguing as O.J. Simpson’s? Are they both infamous yet fascinating enough to have documentary made about them with the same length and addressing current issues that connected with them?

For those few who are, their story is the classic “Rise-and-Fall Tragedy” that makes for great theater, for others it is a character study as to how a human being can become so psychologically cruel.

For some of these individuals there are multiple documentaries made about them already but as OJ: Made in America showed, their definitive documentary has yet to be made.

Donald Trump

The obvious answer as to who’s life story is both fascinating and infamous is the man who is currently the President of the United States. For Donald Trump his story is not over yet as the climax of this possible tragedy will be the end of his presidency. How it will end is completely uncertain but as his administration has shown throughout the past several months, it should be dramatic and interesting.

Seeing how Trump became rich with his company and then became a celebrity to becoming the President is a story that is already fascinating and nearly unfathomable. Like O.J. Simpson in 1994 and 1995, Donald Trump dominated the media headlines in 2016 and 2017, and will continue to do so for the rest of his Presidency. In fact there is already enough footage of Trump for a long documentary to be made without any interviews or narration.

And if Trump is still the President and running for reelection in 2020 my advice to his opponent is to not rely 30 second attack ads, but produce a long documentary that takes an honest look at him, exposing some of the terrible qualities that show why he should not be elected President again.

Pablo Escobar

Pablo Escobar’s rise and fall story has been told on Netflix’s Narcos with some fictionalized details, but it nevertheless fascinating on the chaos of Columbia at the time and the pursuit the government took in trying to take down Escobar.

Like The People vs. OJ Simpson and O.J. Made in America, there can also be a documentary to coincide with Narcos to show what really happened and how this average Columbian became the most powerful and cruelest man in the country.

Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby was once seen as both a comedy god and the TV dad everyone sought his advice and wisdom from. That all changed dramatically a couple years ago when dozens of women came forward and accused Cosby of drugging and raping them throughout the years. Cosby’s image was instantly destroyed and while statute of limitations might keep him out of jail, his legacy is forever tainted.

A documentary about how Cosby could commit so many heinous acts and create a public image contradicting that can be just as intriguing as O.J. Simpson’s story. Along with that brings the issue of rape and the fear a rape victim could receive by being publicly ridiculed for telling the truth about a universally beloved celebrity.

Charles Manson

There have already been a bunch of Charles Manson movies, documentaries, and even television shows, but a long documentary chronicling his life and family story would capture national interest. The lives he ended and affected along with the psychological horrors he created are still discussed to this day.

The Manson Family is the most famous murder cult in history and has inspired several horrible cults since. A long documentary could explore how “Hate” can consume someone and lure others into creating a cult, along with an argument of how that has become mainstream in society and politics.

Chris Benoit

Pro Wrestling may be dismissed for being “Fake” or, having the outcome predetermined, but that doesn’t mean the wrestlers don’t feel pain when their backs or heads are being slammed on the mat every week.

For over twenty years, Chris Benoit was one of the best wrestlers in the world, whose maneuvers and techniques in the ring are influential to wrestlers even to this day. He didn’t have the popularity or charisma of WWE stars like Hulk Hogan, The Rock, or John Cena, but among dedicated fans he was as respected and beloved as any wrestler ever.

So in June 2007, the Wrestling World was shocked to find that Benoit committed a double-murder suicide in his own Georgia home, killing his wife and young son before taking his own. A decade later, everyone, even his close friends and fellow wrestlers like Chris Jericho and Chavo Guerrero still can’t comprehend what Benoit did in the last days of his life.

Authorities discover the crime scene at the Benoit residence.

With stories of concussions and CTE issues from athletes coming out today and being cited as the cause for their violent outbursts and suicide, a Benoit documentary should be necessary. It could lead to some answers to the impossible question as to what made Benoit along with other athletes commit such horrible acts?

Henry Hill

Henry Hill’s story was immortalized in Martin Scorsese’s gangster epic Goodfellas, but little do people know that shortly after the release of the film Henry Hill couldn’t help but brag to everyone that the movie was about him, and so he was kicked out of the Witness Protection Program.

A long documentary about Henry Hill that compares Goodfellas to what actually happened along with the fame he got after the movie he came would be a fascinating look at the history of American mobsters and just how much power they held in society up to this day.

Edward Snowden

Like the President, Snowden’s story is not over yet as he still remains in hiding in Russia. Whether or not his story ends by living out the remainder of his days in recluse or being captured and put in jail in America, or being pardoned someday and welcomed back into open arms as a hero in the future, the Snowden story is one the world can’t get enough of.

There has already been a feature film about him in Oliver Stone’s Snowden and an award winning documentary called Citizenfour, but a long documentary about his life and his discoveries about what the government is doing would be must-see television.

While Snowden is albeit aloof and very intellectual, he is a relatable person as American just like you and me, so when he discovers unsettling information about the government, what would you do?

Stay loyal to the system? Or expose the truth to your people?

Exclusive interviews he’s already done along with interviews of his allies and enemies will make a great long documentary about Patriotism and just how far should we let the government take stock in our private lives?

Some will say that by making a documentary about these people who are infamous and have made terrible life decisions are being promoted. That shouldn't be the case however because if those documentaries are done right, they can unveil some disturbing and unsettling questions about our society we never thought were true. These controversial figures allow us to show an ugliness in the world we either knew existed but wasn't a big deal, or didn't know of it at all.

In those tragic lessons of the morality tales in history that left many casualties we can learn from those mistakes powerful and influential people have made and move forward with a better society thanks in part to our awareness of it.