Review: 'Jerry Brown: The Disrupter' is a revealing look at the California politician

Anyone who takes civics seriously and lives in a world of facts cannot help but be dismayed by the mediocrity of much of what passes for contemporary politics — one cannot even say governance, so little are some elected officials interested in it.

And so we turn with a mixture of relief and longing to the latest edition of the biographical series "American Masters," "Jerry Brown: The Disrupter." Premiering last week on PBS, it concerns the California governor (and secretary of state, and attorney general, and mayor of Oakland); whatever you think of his politics, there's no denying his seriousness, dedication and singularity.

"American Masters" has focused typically on cultural and pop cultural figures but is