Image courtesy of PBS
The American Revolution will be previewed at Mount Vernon.
“The American Revolution,” a new six-part documentary helmed by Ken Burns, debuts Sunday, Nov. 16 on PBS stations, chronicling the country’s founding struggle and eight-year War for Independence.
The film by Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, features Virginia locations including George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Colonial Williamsburg and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
Burns' previous works have included documentaries "The Civil War, "Baseball," "Jazz" and "The Vietnam War."
The series will air for six consecutive nights through Friday, Nov. 21, from 8-10 p.m. ET each evening. (The full series will be available to stream beginning Sunday, Nov. 16 at PBS.org and on the PBS App.
Audiences nationwide will be able to watch the film live in high definition streamed from their local PBS station, or – for the first time ever – stream it in 4K Ultra HD on the PBS App on supported devices. This milestone marks a new era for PBS streaming, offering audiences the chance to see the film exactly as the filmmakers intended with exceptional clarity, depth and detail. The 4K UHD presentation not only honors the artistry behind Burns’s storytelling but also opens the door to a new generation of viewers who expect cinematic quality in their streaming experiences.
PBS also announced additional rebroadcast dates for the series: a marathon from Saturday, Nov. 22 – Sunday, Nov. 23; a weekday encore from Monday, Nov. 24 – Friday, Nov. 28; and in 2026: six consecutive Fridays from Jan. 9 – Feb. 13; three consecutive Mondays and Tuesdays from April 20 – May 5; and a marathon from Saturday, June 27 – Sunday, June 28 leading up to July 4, 2026, America’s Semiquincentennial.
The much-anticipated series, which has been in production for more than nine years, was directed and produced by Burns, Botstein and Schmidt and written by long-time collaborator Geoffrey C. Ward. The filmmakers and PBS scheduled the broadcast for 2025, the 250th anniversary of the start of the war, which began in the spring of 1775, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence.
