Overview
- The six-part, roughly 12-hour docuseries debuted Nov. 16 on PBS and is airing nightly through Nov. 21.
- Episodes open with Native context via the Haudenosaunee and conclude with George Washington’s presidency to trace consequences beyond the war.
- Production blends historian interviews, large-scale re-enactments, archival documents voiced by Claire Danes, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks, and Meryl Streep, and music recorded by Yo-Yo Ma.
- Lesser-known figures from Philadelphia and South Jersey are featured, including printer James Parker, poet Hannah Griffitts, reverend Nicholas Collin, and patriot-abolitionist James Forten.
- The filmmakers sidestep popular myths such as Betsy Ross and correct lore like Paul Revere’s warning, a project conceived in 2015 that noted research parallels like smallpox as Covid began.