PBS Rolls Out New Dramas, Arts, Performance, History and Election Coverage is Fall

Image: (L) MASTERPIECE Poldark, Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark. Robert Viglasky/Mammoth Screen for MASTERPIECE. (R) GREAT PERFORMANCES Hamiltons America, Phillipa Soo and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Joan Marcus

PBS Confirms Premiere Date for HAMILTON'S AMERICA, a Behind-the-Scenes Special on the Making of the Tony Award-Winning Broadway Phenomenon and Centerpiece of PBS Arts Fall Festival

MASTERPIECE Offers New Seasons of Poldark and Indian Summers

Ren e Fleming Performance to Headline PBS TCA Press Tour Sessions Also Featuring Josh Radnor, John Singleton and Aidan Turner, andTony Award-winner Sophie Okonedo

Election and History Specials Bring New Insights Into Past and Present

ARLINGTON, VA; June 23, 2016 - PBS' fall 2016 primetime schedule is rich in politics, arts, drama and political history, covering a span from the American Revolution to the upcoming Presidential election. FRONTLINE's acclaimed series The Choice 2016 returns on September 27 with an in-depth look at this year's presidential candidates, while THE CONTENDERS - 16 FOR '16, debuting September 13, looks back at previous elections through the stories of former candidates. History and politics carry over into the arts with Hamilton's America from GREAT PERFORMANCES, an intimate look at the making of the wildly successful Broadway production of Hamilton, winner of 11 Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize, which kicks off the sixth season of the PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL on October 21. Fall 2016 also brings the highly-anticipated return of Poldark on MASTERPIECE (date TBA), whose Season 2 continues the story of Captain Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) in a love story set in windswept Cornwall of the late 1700s. On September 6, PBS presents 9/11 INSIDE THEPENTAGON, a documentary that goes behind the scenes at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, and airs in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the attack [VIEW CLIP]. On September 20, Ken Burns's DEFYING THE NAZIS: THE SHARPS' WAR tells the moving story of an American couple who rescued hundreds trying to escape the Nazis [VIEW CLIP].

As part of PBS' commitment to education, the fall season will kick off with SPOTLIGHT EDUCATION , a week of primetime programming focused on the challenges facing America's education system. Starting Monday, Sept.12, PBS will lead a national dialogue on-air, online and across communities, exploring ideas and solutions to improve outcomes for all of America's youth. National broadcast programs include POV All the Difference, TED TALKS Education Revolution, [VIEW CLIP] FRONTLINE The Diploma Mill, (w.t.), NOVA School of the Future, CRAFT IN AMERICA Teachers and TIME FOR SCHOOL. Funding for these programs is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), in partnership with PBS, as part of the public media initiative, American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen.

On October 25, Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You on AMERICAN MASTERS celebrates the life of the acclaimed, and often controversial, TV writer and producer. In BLACK AMERICA SINCE MLK: AND STILL I RISE, which debuts in two-parts on November 15 and November 22, acclaimed scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the last 50 years of African-American history, looking at culture, politics and an ever-changing racial landscape to explore the remarkable progress, daunting setbacks and deep contradictions of black America. ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, a new feature film starring Martin Sheen and based on the iconic book by L.M. Montgomery, will air on Thanksgiving night, November 24.

As part of PBS' partnership with NPR to cover the 2016 elections, the 2016 Campaign Connection site offers a round-up of election coverage from across public media. FRONTLINE's The Choice 2016 and THE CONTENDERS - 16 FOR '16 are part of the PBS ELECTION 2016 lineup, which brings together venerable news and public affairs shows with new programs and specials to offer viewers information and insights about the 2016 elections, the candidates and key issues for voters. PBS NEWSHOUR, WASHINGTON WEEK WITH GWEN IFILL and PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND will provide distinctive coverage of the ongoing national, state and local campaigns, as well as presidential and vice presidential debates. On election night, PBS NEWSHOUR will offer live coverage of national and local results.

PBS' fall programming truly stands out for its amazing variety, quality and diversity, said Beth Hoppe, PBS' Chief Programming Executive and General Manager. Like the artists who populate our Friday primetime cultural programs this fall, PBS brings new perspectives to stories both well-known and untold. PBS viewers will discover everything from joyous musical creations to thoughtful approaches to presidential elections, learn from biographies of acclaimed Americans and find inspiration even in history's darkest hours.

MASTERPIECE enhances PBS' Sunday night drama block with the September 11 debut of CHURCHILL'S SECRET, with Emmy Award-winner Michael Gambon as Winston Churchill in an all-star production based on a little-known incident in Churchills illustrious life. Following CHURCHILL'S SECRET on September 11 is INDIAN SUMMERS, set during the tumultuous period of British Colonialism in the 1930s. Rachel Griffiths and Art Malik join Julie Walters, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, and Nikesh Patel for Season 2 of the picturesque series. POLDARK, starring Aidan Turner in a love story set in windswept Cornwall in the late 1700s, returns for a second highly-anticipated season (date TBA).

The PBS Arts Fall Festival kicks off on October 21, and continues with a number of new programs on Friday nights throughout the fall. Joining Hamilton's America from GREAT PERFORMANCES are Imelda Staunton as the iconic Momma Rose in a British revival of the classic America

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