American Experience

Last updated

American Experience
American Experience logo.svg
Genre Television documentary
Created byPeter McGhee
Theme music composer
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish (US)
No. of seasons35
No. of episodes366 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Judy Crichton (1987–1996)
  • Margaret Drain (1997–2003)
  • Mark Samels (2003–2020)
  • Cameo George (2020–present) [1]
Running timeBetween 55 minutes and two hours
Production company WGBH-TV
Original release
Network PBS [2]
ReleaseOctober 4, 1988 (1988-10-04) 
present

American Experience is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, [3] about important or interesting events and people in American history.

Contents

The series premiered on October 4, 1988, and was originally titled The American Experience, but the definite article was later dropped during a rebrand and image update. The show has had a presence on the internet since 1995, and more than 100 American Experience programs are accompanied by their own internet websites, which have more background information on the subjects covered as well as teachers' guides and educational companion materials. [4] The show is produced primarily by WGBH-TV in Boston, Massachusetts, though occasionally in the early seasons of the show, it was co-produced by other PBS stations such as WNET (Channel 13) in New York City.

Some programs now considered part of the American Experience collection were produced prior to the creation of the series. Vietnam: A Television History was one of them, airing originally in 1983 after taking six years to assemble. [5] Also, in 2006, American Experience rebroadcast Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, the first half of the 1986 documentary series about the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 16October 4, 1988 (1988-10-04)January 17, 1989 (1989-01-17)
2 15October 3, 1989 (1989-10-03)February 12, 1990 (1990-02-12)
3 12October 1, 1990 (1990-10-01)May 6, 1991 (1991-05-06)
4 12September 30, 1991 (1991-09-30)February 17, 1992 (1992-02-17)
5 15September 20, 1992 (1992-09-20)March 1, 1993 (1993-03-01)
6 7October 27, 1993 (1993-10-27)May 25, 1994 (1994-05-25)
7 9October 11, 1994 (1994-10-11)May 9, 1995 (1995-05-09)
8 9October 16, 1995 (1995-10-16)February 26, 1996 (1996-02-26)
9 9October 6, 1996 (1996-10-06)July 28, 1997 (1997-07-28)
10 18October 5, 1997 (1997-10-05)March 2, 1998 (1998-03-02)
11 13November 18, 1998 (1998-11-18)May 17, 1999 (1999-05-17)
12 15November 14, 1999 (1999-11-14)May 23, 2000 (2000-05-23)
13 13October 17, 2000 (2000-10-17)April 30, 2001 (2001-04-30)
14 14September 30, 2001 (2001-09-30)May 12, 2002 (2002-05-12)
15 13November 11, 2002 (2002-11-11)July 14, 2003 (2003-07-14)
16 9September 8, 2003 (2003-09-08)May 3, 2004 (2004-05-03)
17 12October 4, 2004 (2004-10-04)July 4, 2005 (2005-07-04)
18 13October 17, 2005 (2005-10-17)May 22, 2006 (2006-05-22)
19 18October 2, 2006 (2006-10-02)May 14, 2007 (2007-05-14)
20 18January 14, 2008 (2008-01-14)May 6, 2008 (2008-05-06)
21 10January 26, 2009 (2009-01-26)May 18, 2009 (2009-05-18)
22 8November 2, 2009 (2009-11-02)May 10, 2010 (2010-05-10)
23 12October 11, 2010 (2010-10-11)May 16, 2011 (2011-05-16)
24 7January 10, 2012 (2012-01-10)May 1, 2012 (2012-05-01)
25 6September 18, 2012 (2012-09-18)February 5, 2013 (2013-02-05)
26 9October 29, 2013 (2013-10-29)June 24, 2014 (2014-06-24)
27 8November 18, 2014 (2014-11-18)July 14, 2015 (2015-07-14)
28 10September 14, 2015 (2015-09-14)August 2, 2016 (2016-08-02)
29 10October 18, 2016 (2016-10-18)April 12, 2017 (2017-04-12)
30 6January 9, 2018 (2018-01-09)October 16, 2018 (2018-10-16)
31 9January 15, 2019 (2019-01-15)September 10, 2019 (2019-09-10)
32 9January 6, 2020 (2020-01-06)July 7, 2020 (2020-07-07)
33 5January 11, 2021 (2021-01-11)September 28, 2021 (2021-09-28)
34 7February 7, 2022 (2022-02-07)November 15, 2022 (2022-11-15)
35 8January 3, 2023 (2023-01-03)October 30, 2023 (2023-10-30)
36 TBAJanuary 23, 2024 (2024-01-23)TBA

Critical reception

American Experience has received generally positive reviews from television critics and parents of young children. Glenn McNatt of The Baltimore Sun wrote that it is "TV's finest history series ever." [6] Steve Johnson of Chicago Tribune wrote, "History comes alive in excellent docu-series." [7]

Home media

A DVD boxset collecting episodes about United States presidents was released on August 26, 2008. [8] The collection was updated to include the documentary on Bill Clinton's presidency on August 28, 2012. [9]

A DVD boxset for the five-part documentary We Shall Remain was released on May 12, 2009. [10]

Awards

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Jimmy Carter is a 2002 two-part television documentary film about Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States. Produced by PBS for the American Experience documentary program, it recounts Carter's life from childhood in Georgia to his post-presidency as peacemaker. The film was written, produced, and directed by Adriana Bosch, and was first aired on PBS in two parts on November 11 and 12, 2002.

John and Abigail Adams is a 2006 television documentary film about John Adams, the 2nd President of the United States, and his wife Abigail Adams. Produced by PBS for the American Experience documentary program, it recounts the Adams couple's lives and partnership through both dramatizations and interviews. The film was directed by Peter Jones and written and produced by Elizabeth Deane, and it first aired on PBS in the United States on January 23, 2006.

Ulysses S. Grant is a 2002 two-part television documentary film about Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States. Produced by PBS for the American Experience documentary program, it recounts Grant's life from his childhood in Ohio to his presidency, with narration by Liev Schreiber. The film was released in two parts on May 5 and 6, 2002, with part one written, produced, and directed by Adriana Bosch, and part two written, produced, and directed by Elizabeth Deane.

The Wright Stuff is a 1996 television documentary film about Orville and Wilbur Wright, the brothers who invented the first successful motor-powered airplane. Produced by PBS for The American Experience documentary program, it recounts the lives of the Wright brothers from their early childhood in Ohio with dreams of flight to their subsequent fame after their successful 1908 demonstration in France. The film was written, produced, and directed by Nancy Porter, narrated by Garrison Keillor, and hosted by David McCullough, and was first aired on PBS in the United States on February 12, 1996.

Bataan Rescue is a 2003 television documentary film about the Raid at Cabanatuan. Produced by PBS for the American Experience documentary program, it begins with the Fall of Bataan in 1942 up to the titular event in January 1945, where more than 500 prisoners of war were liberated from a Japanese camp in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. Directed by Peter Jones and written and produced by David Axelrod, the film first aired on PBS in the United States on July 7, 2003.

LBJ is a 1991 two-part television documentary film about Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States. Produced by PBS for The American Experience documentary program, it recounts Johnson's life from his childhood to his presidency up to his death. Written, co-produced and directed by David Grubin and narrated by David McCullough, the film first aired on PBS in two parts on September 30, 1991.

References

  1. "Cameo George Named Executive Producer of AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, WGBH's Acclaimed History Series on PBS" (Press release). WGBH. July 23, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  2. "Broadcast Schedule   American Experience   WGBH". PBS. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
  3. "About the Series . American Experience . WGBH". PBS. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  4. "American Experience | Who We Are". Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) . Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  5. "American Experience | Vietnam Online | About the TV Series". PBS. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  6. Mcnatt, Glenn (January 13, 2008). "Best of This Week". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  7. Johnson, Steve (October 22, 2008). "TV can be good for you". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 16, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  8. "American Experience: The Presidents Collection". Amazon.com . Amazon.com, Inc. August 26, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  9. "American Experience: The Presidents". Amazon.com . Amazon.com, Inc. August 28, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  10. "We Shall Remain: America Through Native Eyes". Amazon.com . Amazon.com, Inc. May 12, 2009. Retrieved July 12, 2020.