Viewed through the rearview mirror lens of pop culture history, the Elvis Presley TV special doesn’t seem like much of a risky or edgy thing to do. Wasn’t Elvis always on TV, from his hip-wiggling appearances in the 1950s to his concert specials in the 1970s, when he rocked bejeweled white jumpsuits and exaggerated mutton chop sideburns?

True indeed — but as we are reminded in the Netflix documentary “The Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley,” the 1968 NBC special, originally titled “The Singer Presents Elvis,” was arguably the most defining hour of TV of Presley’s career. . This was also seen as a huge risk at the time because it marked Presley’s first return to live performance in seven years and perhaps represented his last chance to reclaim his authentic self. (The “Singer” in this title was for the sponsor Singer Sewing Machine Co., which tells us that Elvis was a long way from the era when he was viewed as dangerous by mainstream America.)

Governing Jason Hehir related to “Last Dance” fame, “The Return of the King” benefits from access to the personal files of Elvis and his infamous manager Colonel Tom Parker, behind-the-scenes footage, aired footage of the NBC special, and interviews from superfans Conan O’Brien, Bruce Springsteen, “Elvis” director Baz Luhrmann, Billy Corgan and the late Robbie Robertson and Priscilla Presley also provide some golden memories. (Priscilla, who was present at the taping of the special, had never seen her husband perform live until that moment.)

Elvis was 33 at the time and had spent the last ten years in “cinema prison”; he was contractually obligated to make one forgettable film after another, and after the British invasion and cutting success led by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, he had become irrelevant to young audiences. Advanced American artists such as Jimi Hendrix. In the NBC special, he lost more than 20 pounds and got in shape, donning a leather outfit and reuniting with his longtime bandmates, including guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer DJ Fontana, for jam sessions that played like the “MTV Unplugged” frontrunner. Still, there was a chance that things could go wrong; The Colonel was pushing for cheesy skits in which Elvis would show off his karate skills, and Presley was visibly nervous. (We see scenes where he sweats a lot, misses clues, and tells the director, “It’s getting embarrassing to stand here. … I have to do something.”)

Priscilla says: “Yes, he was definitely aware of the risks. And he knew it could be a failure, and it could ruin his career.”

After spending a little too much time taking us through the very familiar parts of Elvis’ career, from his embrace (and yes, appropriation) of Black music to his rise to stardom to his stint in the Army and the movie career that transformed him. As the cartoon-turned-“Return of the King” soars in the final episodes, we see Elvis rise to the challenge and achieve greatness in his live-tape performance. “This was the rebirth of Elvis Presley,” says Bruce Springsteen.

Billy Corgan sums it up best: “We sit here and judge how he handles normal life. The pressures of marriage, fatherhood, fame, Colonel Tom Parker’s bull —-. But in the middle of all this… lightning strikes. All we have left is to pick up the pieces and go, God, I wish there were more. Why aren’t there more?”