WATERTOWN, NY (September 30, 2024) – As Election season unfolds in the U.S., WPBS presents a compelling lineup of documentaries exploring both contemporary and historical American politics and elections. Viewers can also tune in for the Vice Presidential Debate on Tuesday, October 1 at 9:00 PM. Additionally, WPBS will premiere the captivating, Emmy-nominated drama series The First Lady on Fridays at 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM, starting October 11 – featuring Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford, and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt.
OCTOBER 1
American Experience: The American Vice President (8:00 pm) This film explores the fraught period between 1963 and 1976, when a grief-stricken, then scandal-stricken America was forced to confront the purpose of the vice president and the succession process.
PBS News Special: Vice Presidential Debate (9:00 pm) Live coverage and analysis of the debate between Governor Tim Walz and Senator JD Vance.
OCTOBER 4
Reagan: American Experience: An American Crusade, Part 2 (9:00 pm) A chronicle of Reagan’s last four years in office-from the loss of his closest advisors and the Iran-Contra scandal to the dawning of the fall of Communism in Europe.
OCTOBER 6
Geraldine Ferraro: Paving the Way (3:00 pm) An inspiring film about Geraldine Ferraro’s historic Vice-Presidential nomination, and the first full profile of the trailblazing woman who helped change the face of American politics forever.
OCTOBER 8
Frontline: The VP Choice: Vance vs. Walz (10:00 pm) Investigating the lives and views of J.D. Vance and Tim Walz as they run for vice president; those who know the candidates reveal the influences and ideas they’d bring to the White House.
Tuesdays, starting OCTOBER 8
Citizen Nation (9:00 pm) The four-part program is an inspiring coming-of-age story that follows teenagers from across the US with diverse personal and political backgrounds.
Fridays, starting OCTOBER 11
The First Lady (9:00 & 10:00 pm) A revelatory, dramatic reframing of American leadership through the lens of the First Ladies. Starring Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt, this series delves deep into the ladies’ personal and political lives.
OCTOBER 22
VOCES: Latino Vote 2024 (10:00 pm) Examine a range of election-related issues that matter most to the politically diverse Latino community in battleground states (Nevada, Wisconsin and Arizona) and states with large Latino populations (California and Florida).
OCTOBER 27
Geraldine Ferraro: Paving the Way (12:00 noon) An inspiring film about Geraldine Ferraro’s historic Vice-Presidential nomination, and the first full profile of the trailblazing woman who helped change the face of American politics forever.
JFK – The Making of a President (1:30 pm) The life of John F. Kennedy is so often defined by his assassination. But that reading of history can disguise the fascinating and contradictory man behind the myth.
RFK – The Lost President (2:15 pm) It is a great ‘what-if’ of the last century. What if Robert F. Kennedy, brother of the murdered JFK, had not himself been assassinated while campaigning for the presidency in 1968?Â
Jackie – A Tale of Two Sisters (3:00 pm) Jackie Kennedy Onassis remains to this day an iconic figure of high fashion and tragedy. Her sister Lee Radziwell, however, is less well-known. Yet, it is impossible to understand one without the other.
OCTOBER 29
Frontline: American Voices 2024 (10:00 pm) Return to voters filmed in 2020, to see how their hopes and fears have changed amid another polarizing election season.
About WPBS
WPBS is a PBS station serving approximately 600,000 households throughout Northern New York and Eastern Ontario via cable, satellite, Internet and over-the-air distribution. WPBS is a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and inspire diverse communities with exceptional and trusted content across multiple platforms. Its vision is to be the premier provider of relevant public service media that instills wonder and curiosity across generations and cultures. More information about WPBS, including a full channel listing, is available at wpbstv.org, or by following WPBS on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Download the free WPBS Mobile App to follow WPBS on the go.
