or


[11/24/08 - 09:11 AM]
BBC America Brings You the American Future: A History by Simon Schama
The four-part special airs Monday, January 19 through Tuesday, January 20.

[via press release from BBC America]

BBC AMERICA BRINGS YOU THE AMERICAN FUTURE: A HISTORY BY SIMON SCHAMA

- U.S. Premiere -

On the heels of one the most fascinating U.S. elections in decades, comes a new series on BBC AMERICA from Simon Schama, one of TV's most popular historians and a Professor of Art History and History at Columbia University. The American Future: A History by Simon Schama was shot against the backdrop of the US presidential campaign with Schama traveling throughout America to dig deep into the conflicts of its history to understand just what is at stake right now. To coincide with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the Presidential Inauguration, The American Future: A History by Simon Schama will premiere in four parts at the following times:

Part 1 - Monday, January 19, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT

Part 2 - Monday, January 19, 9:00 p.m. ET/PT

Part 3 - Tuesday, January 20, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT

Part 4 - Tuesday, January 20, 9:00 p.m. ET/PT

After 9/11, Katrina, Enron and Baghdad, the robustness of American optimism is struggling to reassert itself against the sobering reality of domestic anxieties and military frustration. This is an America grappling with an un-American sense of its own limits. The voters in the 2008 Presidential election expressed feelings of uncertainty about military outcomes and anxiety about their suddenly shaky prosperity leading to a weakened faith in governance that has not been felt this painfully since Watergate.

In his travels through America, Schama takes the long perspective, looking at four of the critical issues facing the country: war, moral fervor, immigration and the increasingly difficult relationship between expectations of prosperity and the reality of economic and environmental limits. Turning to fascinating moments in American history to understand the present, connecting legendary figures such as Thomas Jefferson, Henry Ford, Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln with contemporary soldiers, businessmen, truckers, schoolteachers and even politicians, Schama offers a timely and gripping vision of the United States, past and present, at a critical moment � not just for the U.S., but also for the rest of the world.

The DVD of The American Future: A History by Simon Schama, hits stores on January 20, the same day as broadcast and is available at www.bbcamericashop.com. Schama's accompanying book to the series, The American Future: A History will be available by Ecco, an imprint of Harper- Collins on May 19.

EPISODE SYNOPSES

PART 1 - American Plenty

Simon Schama explores how American optimism about the infinite possibilities of its land and resources is in danger of coming to a grinding halt. Nowhere is this more evident than the American West, which has always been a symbol of opportunity and freedom. Oil at $4 a gallon may be dominating the headlines, but here it's the lack of water that's an even bigger threat to the American future. The West is in the grip of a nine-year drought. America's optimism about its natural resources has always been spiced with clashes over conservation, going back to the first man to navigate the Colorado River, John Wesley Powell. American ingenuity made farming on an industrial scale possible in the early years of the 20th century but at the cost of making Oklahoma a dustbowl. The building of the Hoover Dam, a modern American miracle, which provided essential irrigation for farming and for the new city of Las Vegas, now no longer supplies enough water for both.

PART 2 - American War

Simon Schama reveals how different the American attitude is to war from what outsiders assume it should be. �The world has got in the habit of thinking of America as the tough-guy empire; trigger-happy cowboys addicted to the rush of military power. But that's not the way America sees itself,� he says. Two of the founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, disagreed about whether America should even have a professional army � a division still evident when Simon visits America's premier military academy at West Point. From the Civil War right through to Mark Twain's denunciation of President Teddy Roosevelt's imperial adventure in the Philippines, war has inspired profound debate. And nowhere more so than San Antonio, Texas, nicknamed Military City because of its high population of veterans and serving soldiers, where Simon finds feelings about the war are deeply divided - it's a debate which forces America to dig deep and rediscover what it stands for.

PART 3 - American Fervor

Simon Schama explores the ways in which faith has shaped American political life. His starting point is a remarkable fact about the recent election: for the first time in a generation it's the Democrats who claimed to be the party of God. It was Barack Obama, not John McCain, who spoke about his faith. The British have long regarded American religion as largely a conservative force, yet Simon shows how, throughout American history, it has played a crucial role in the fight for freedom. Faith helped create America; it was the search for religious freedom that led thousands to make the dangerous journey to the colonies in the 1600s. After American independence, that religious freedom was enshrined in the Constitution, the first country in the world to do so. Simon also looks at the remarkable role the black church has played, first in the liberation of the slaves in the 1800s, and again in the civil rights movement of the Sixties � neither would have happened without it. It's this very church that was been the inspiration for Barack Obama, who traces the roots of his political inspiration to his faith.

PART 4 - What is an American?

Simon Schama looks at the bitter conflict over immigration in American history. Who should be allowed to enter America and call themselves an American has always been one of the nation's most divisive issues. He traces the roots of this conflict to the founding of America. The early settlers were themselves immigrants but they saw America as fundamentally a white and Protestant nation. Simon looks at the key events that challenged this view: the annexation of parts of Mexico in 1848 that made 100,000 non-whites American citizens, the immigration and subsequent expulsion of the Chinese in the late 19th century, and the massive immigration from Eastern Europe during the industrialization of the Twenties. Each time there have been those who have insisted America must stay white if it is to stay true to itself, and each time they have been defeated by the sheer force of history. John F. Kennedy defined America as a Nation of Immigrants in 1964 and Simon argues that the election of Barack Obama represents the final triumph of the vision of America as a multi-ethnic nation.

BBC AMERICA brings audiences a new generation of award-winning television featuring news with a uniquely global perspective, provocative dramas, razor-sharp comedies and life-changing makeovers. BBC AMERICA pushes the boundaries to deliver high quality, highly addictive and eminently watchable programming to viewers who demand more. BBC AMERICA is distributed by Discovery Networks. It is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 62 million homes.





  [november 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[09/17/25 - 03:15 PM]
Nexstar ABC Affiliates to Preempt "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Indefinitely Beginning Tonight
The company's owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will preempt "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" for the foreseeable future beginning with tonight's show.

[09/17/25 - 03:14 PM]
Buccaneers at Texans Delivers 17.4 Million Viewers, ESPN's Most-Watched "MNF" Week 2 Game Since 2008
Additionally, the Buccaneers-Texans is ESPN's most-watched individual game on weeks with multiple "MNF" games, whether a true doubleheader or two games with staggered start times.

[09/17/25 - 02:14 PM]
Apple TV+ Lands "The Off Weeks," New Drama Starring and Executive Produced by Ben Stiller and Jessica Chastain
When divorce throws writing professor Gus Adler's life into chaos, he struggles to hold things together during "on weeks" when he has custody of his kids.

[09/17/25 - 12:21 PM]
Prime Video Announces Franchise Expansion with Greenlight of "The Summer I Turned Pretty" Movie
While story details are still under wraps, the surprise news was announced this evening at the series' finale red carpet celebration in Paris, France.

[09/17/25 - 12:01 PM]
Most Valuable Promotions Moves Blockbuster Jake Paul vs. Tank Davis Event to Miami, Florida's Kaseya Center on Friday, November 14, Live Globally Only on Netflix
The blockbuster event, Jake vs. Tank, pits boxing's most-watched disruptor against one of the sport's most feared punchers in a collision that has been four years in the making.

[09/17/25 - 12:01 PM]
Next on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN - October 2025
Upcoming premieres include: "Fate" (October 8), "Murdaugh: Death in the Family" (October 15), and "LEGO Frozen: Operations Puffins" (October 24).

[09/17/25 - 12:01 PM]
"Camp Rock 3" Officially Greenlit for Disney+ and Disney Channel
Joe, Nick and Kevin Jonas will return to their iconic roles.

[09/17/25 - 12:00 PM]
"The Price Is Right" and "Let's Make a Deal" Kick Off New Seasons Beginning Monday, Sept. 22 with Special Episodes
The former returns for its landmark 54th season and will introduce a new pricing game in partnership with BetMGM, "The Lion's Share."

[09/17/25 - 10:26 AM]
USA Network Serves Up "Everything on the Menu with Braun Strowman," Premiering Friday, October 24 at 10:00 P.M. ET/PT
The travel series follows WWE legend Braun Strowman as he swaps body slams for bite-sized adventures at some of America's favorite local eateries.

[09/17/25 - 10:23 AM]
"Unaccustomed Earth" Adds Justin Bartha, Jayant Kripalani, Parveen Kaur, Swayam Bhatia and Palomi Ghosh to Cast
They join the previously announced Freida Pinto, Siddharth, Sarayu Blue, Indraneil Sengupta, Adi Roy, and Iyla Sundarsingh Mckaig.

[09/17/25 - 10:13 AM]
Video: Official Trailer - "Abbott Elementary" Returns October 1 on ABC and Stream on Hulu
Watch the season premiere Wednesday, October 1 at 8:30/7:30c on ABC and stream on Hulu.

[09/17/25 - 10:01 AM]
Award-Winning Artist and Horror Aficionado Janelle Monae Returns as "HalloQueen" for AMC Networks' "FearFest" Programming Event Celebrating Horror and Genre
The long-running, annual horror and genre programming event featuring over 650 hours of iconic horror films franchises, new series, specials and more, across linear and streaming.

[09/17/25 - 10:00 AM]
Mario Lopez Set to Host the 52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Exclusive Collaboration with "Access Hollywood"
The event will be streamed live at watch.theemmys.tv and via The Emmys app on Friday, October 17.

[09/17/25 - 09:56 AM]
"South Park" to Continue on Wednesday, September 24th at 10PM ET/PT on Comedy Central
Regarding tonight's previously scheduled episode: "Apparently when you do everything at the last minute sometimes you don't get it done," said Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

[09/17/25 - 09:07 AM]
The CW Gives Classic TV Fans the Chance to Step Back in Time with "TV We Love"
The nostalgic series celebrates eight of America's most iconic television shows and the indelible mark they left on popular culture.