Historical Programming Archives - Page 9 of 14

JFK assassination 50th anniversary TV programming

October 31, 2013 Jeff Pfeiffer

50 years ago this month — on Nov. 22, 1963 — President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas by, it is presumed, Lee Harvey Oswald (himself later shot and killed by Jack Ruby). The JFK assassination caused political, social and emotional upheavals throughout the world, especially, of course, in America. But while the JFK assassination is an event embedded forever in American history, the 50-year distance may put its significance out of the reach of generations born well after the fact. Rob Lowe, who plays JFK in the film Killing Kennedy, told me in a recent interview, “I don’t think [younger […]

9/11 anniversary TV programming 2013

September 5, 2013 Jeff Pfeiffer

This Wednesday marks the 12th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that devastated America. Once again, there are several notable new and returning documentaries, specials and movies on TV recalling those events and their impact on our nation. Here are a few, airing on and around the 9/11 anniversary. All times ET; check back for updates and additions. Attack on the Pentagon — Sept. 7 at 8pm & 11pm on Military Channel. This is an account of what happened inside the Pentagon at the moment the building was attacked on September 11. Osama Bin Laden: The Finish — Sept. […]

TV coverage of the March on Washington 50th anniversary

August 23, 2013 Jeff Pfeiffer

Aug. 28 will be the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, the Aug. 28, 1963, gathering for human rights that saw Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial, an event that proved to be a watershed moment in the American Civil Rights Movement. Leading up to the March on Washington 50th anniversary, and on the day of the commemoration itself, various TV coverage will include documentaries about the original event, movies about Dr. King and other civil rights figures and events, and live coverage of this […]

Air Aces: Military Channel’s new series relives great aerial battles

August 2, 2013 Ryan Berenz

Air Aces: Military Channel puts viewers in the cockpit of the most storied fighter pilots who fought in some of history’s most dangerous aerial battles. Premieres Sunday, Aug. 4, with two back-to-back episodes beginning at 9pm ET/PT. Military Channel profiles some of the most courageous military pilots ever and reenacts their missions using both actual aircraft as well as CGI re-creations. Through six one-hour episodes, Air Aces takes viewers into the cockpit of some of history’s most famous aerial battles and includes stories directly from the pilots and airmen who were there. Air Aces premieres Sunday, Aug. 4 with back-to-back […]

Comedy Central’s “Drunk History” rewrites the books

July 3, 2013 Ryan Berenz

Comedy Central’s new half-hour comedy Drunk History pairs inebriated storytellers with A-list talent to reenact some of history’s greatest moments. Based on a web series of the same name, Comedy Central’s new half-hour comedy Drunk History pairs inebriated storytellers with A-list talent to reenact some of history’s greatest moments. Drunk History takes viewers across the country as stars like Jack Black, Michael Cera, Will Forte, Bill Hader, Stephen Merchant, Chris Parnell, Aubrey Plaza, Winona Ryder, Horatio Sanz, Jason Schwartzman, Adam Scott, Kristen Wiig, Fred Willard, and Luke and Owen Wilson bring history — as explained by drunken comedians — to […]

First Look Photos: A&E Networks’ “Bonnie & Clyde”

May 22, 2013 Jeff Pfeiffer

Seventy-nine years ago — on May 23, 1934 — the infamous duo of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow met their demise. Decades later, their legend lives on, as A&E Networks have released these first look photos from the upcoming four-hour, two-night miniseries Bonnie & Clyde, which will be simulcast on HISTORY, Lifetime and A&E later this year. Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild) and Holliday Grainger (The Borgias) star as the legendary couple whose crime sprees captured the imagination of many Americans. Joining them in the cast are Holly Hunter (portraying Emma Parker, Bonnie’s mother); William Hurt (as Frank Hamer, the […]

“The Bible”: History channel brings scripture to the screen

February 25, 2013 Ryan Berenz

“The Bible”: History channel brings scripture to the screen in a 10-hour, five-part docudrama miniseries premiering Sunday, March 3. If you’ve been putting off reading the Bible and waiting for the movie, your time is up. History presents the ambitious 10-hour, five-week miniseries The Bible, dramatizing the most famous tales from the Good Book beginning with Genesis and ending with Revelation. Stories depicted include the Garden of Eden, Noah and the Flood, the Exodus, David and Goliath, and the Gospels. The series concludes on Easter with the story of the Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension and prophecy of the Second Coming of […]

Bryan Cranston narrates Discovery Channel documentary about real-life “Argo” story

February 21, 2013 Jeff Pfeiffer

Updated Feb. 27, 2013, 2pm CT Bryan Cranston, who plays CIA manager Jack O’Donnell in Ben Affleck’s Oscar-nominated winning Argo — which chronicles the CIA’s attempt to rescue six Americans during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis — will narrate ARGO: Inside Story for Discovery Channel. An updated version of its original 2002 broadcast, the one-hour ARGO: Inside Story airs on Discovery Channel Feb. 23 at 10pm ET/PT, with an encore on Oscar Sunday, Feb. 24, at 12pm ET/PT. (UPDATE 2/27/13: Discovery will be re-airing ARGO: Inside Story Feb. 27 at 8pm ET/PT and Feb. 28 at 1am ET/PT.) ARGO: Inside […]

PBS’ “Makers Women Who Make America” a strong introduction to modern women’s movement

February 21, 2013 Jeff Pfeiffer

Makers Women Who Make America “In my textbook, in college, it had one sentence [about women’s history] that said, ‘Women were given the vote.’” In our interview, legendary social justice activist and key figure in the women’s movement Gloria Steinem recalls the early days of that movement, when she and others, perhaps naively, thought that changes to a gender inequality that had existed for centuries — and even been written into law, in some cases — were going to be easy and quick. “If you don’t know how change is made,” says Steinem, “you assume that freedom or privileges or […]

Rachel Maddow hosts MSNBC documentary “Hubris: Selling the Iraq War”

February 15, 2013 Jeff Pfeiffer

Updated March 19, 2013, 11:18am CT As we approach the tenth anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War, journalist Rachel Maddow looks at the key government decisions that led the United States into the war, through a new documentary called Hubris: Selling the Iraq War, premiering Feb. 18 at 9pm ET on MSNBC. UPDATE 3/19/13: MSNBC will be re-airing Hubris: Selling the Iraq War Friday, March 22, at 9pm ET, followed by Talking Hubris at 10pm ET, hosted by Chris Hayes. Hubris: Selling the Iraq War is based on the book Hubris, co-written by NBC News National Investigative Correspondent […]