PBS Sets Public Affairs Content & More

Ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential election, PBS has slated the public affairs titles Counting the Vote: A Firing Line Special with Margaret Hoover, Deadlock and Citizen Nation for debut, among other series and specials.

Produced by The Documentary Group and set to debut on August 27, the hour-long Counting the Vote will examine how votes are counted in the U.S. It will also delve into voter confidence in light of recent efforts to question the integrity of systems that vary from state to state and town to town.

“Voting is foundational to our democracy,” said Margaret Hoover, host of Firing Line. “But, our democracy is compromised, as is the very act of voting, if voters doubt the integrity of voting systems. In this special, I set out to uncover why we vote the way we do and what practices can genuinely help to restore trust in how we cast and count our ballots.”

“PBS is proud to present this program as part of our commitment to extensive, thoughtful and all-encompassing looks at the 2024 election,” said Margaret Ebrahim, senior director of programming and development for general audience programming at PBS. “This powerful film carries on the PBS tradition of thoughtful storytelling, in this case looking closer at the core civic function of voting. We are excited to share this with audiences as viewers are actively thinking about elections in their local communities and the national stage.”

Deadlock, a new one-hour special from GBH, is set to bow on September 20. Moderated by Aaron Tang, a professor at UC Davis School of Law, the series will feature a panel of influential figures from legal, political and cultural spheres delving into ethical dilemmas based on real-life scenarios.

Deadlock will be filmed before a live audience on September 7 in New York City.

“The current climate of American discourse finds us deeply entrenched and overconfident in our own beliefs,” said Tang. “Deadlock aims to illuminate how, for many of the difficult challenges facing our nation, the honest answers are nuanced and complex. Our goal is to spark open-mindedness and help people find the middle ground instead of retreating to our usual corners.”

“As viewers grow weary of ‘winner/loser’ debates, Deadlock offers a refreshing alternative,” said executive producer Andrew Lack, executive chairman and founder of Mississippi Today. “We hope it will humanize the conversation on important topics, explore areas of common ground and facilitate a deeper understanding of diverse perspectives.”

“Deadlock will bring together participants with a diverse range of viewpoints,” said executive producer John Bredar, VP of national programming at GBH. “The goal is to help audiences connect on all sides of a topic and to further the heartfelt dialog Americans are seeking.”

The four-part docuseries Citizen Nation, following a teen civics competition, is slated to premiere on October 8. Produced by Retro Report, the series shadows high school students over ten months across eight states as they grapple with critical questions about democracy.

“Citizen Nation captures Gen Z’s brightest as they vie for championship glory,” said Margaret Ebrahim, senior director of programming and development for general audience programming at PBS. “We are honored to elevate the voices of these inspiring students as they demonstrate resilience and grace amidst today’s political environment.”

“This was an amazing opportunity to capture a portrait of daily life of teenagers all across the country,” said Kyra Darnton, executive producer for Retro Report. “Our journalists were embedded in their lives for months, and that gave us the opportunity to understand the issues they are confronting today and how they are thinking about the future.”

PBS and Chautauqua Institution have also slated a new one-hour documentary film, Chautauqua at 150: Wynton Marsalis’ All Rise, to air on PBS in early 2025. Produced by Black Robin Media, the title will tell the institution’s story through the voices of its current patrons and partners, including those who have spoken and performed from Chautauqua’s iconic stages over the past several years.

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) with Wynton Marsalis will be in residence at Chautauqua during the final week of its 150th anniversary season. Chautauqua’s partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center also features two special performances of Marsalis’s seminal work, All Rise, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. In addition to capturing the performance for inclusion in the documentary, Black Robin Media will also produce a full-length version of the All Rise performance for streaming.

“As America’s largest stage, we’re thrilled for PBS audiences to experience this unique and uplifting story about the power of the arts and its ability to bring us together,” said Sylvia Bugg, chief programming executive and general manager of general audience programming for PBS. “Chautauqua is one of America’s premiere destinations for arts education, and in presenting this film together, we hope to enrich millions of Americans with thought provoking dialogue and performances.”

Michael E. Hill, Ed.D., Chautauqua president, noted, “People often describe Chautauqua as Disneyland for PBS watchers or NPR listeners, and that’s actually a good way of describing what we do and who we serve. We are honored and grateful that Paula and her team found our story and our vision for the future compelling enough to share it with their national audience which includes many of the people who we consider patrons of Chautauqua. To lift up Wynton’s work in our 150th anniversary year underscores Chautauqua’s historic convening power in a truly special way.”

Deborah Sunya Moore, Chautauqua’s chief program officer, commented, “These very special performances of All Rise will include Chautauqua’s Music School Festival Orchestra, which is composed of 80 young musicians enrolled in the Chautauqua School of Music. Joining them will be the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and guest vocalists alongside the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, creating an intergenerational performance of this important work. In the amphitheater and out in the world, Chautauqua continues to bring many voices and perspectives together at a time when we find ourselves moving further apart. Amplifying voices of thought leaders such as Wynton is why we exist to challenge each other’s thinking, inspire community curiosity, and convene the conversation with grace and conviction. That is how we will rise together.”

Additionally, the BBC Studios-produced Lucy Worsley’s Holmes vs. Doyle is set to premiere on December 8. In the upcoming three-parter, the popular British historian and lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan will seek to answer why author Arthur Conan Doyle came to despise the character that made him rich and famous.