PBS Announces October Premiere Date for HAMILTON Documentary

This morning, PBS unveiled its fall programming schedule along with new shows and specials. This year's PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL kicks off October 21st with the highly anticipated documentary GREAT PERFORMANCES: Hamilton'S AMERICA.

"It gives us a fantastic opportunity to talk about the hottest show ever, on Broadway," PBS' chief programming exec and GM Beth Hoppe said of the hip hop musical which recently picked up 11 Tony Awards, including best musical.

PBS had access to the show's creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda along with other cast and creative team members for the two year period leading up to the show's Broadway debut. "We were in a really wonderful position," Hoppe told Deadline. "David Horne, exec producer of GREAT PERFORMANCES has a great relationship with Lin, because he had done a documentary on his earlier show, In the Heights. Through that relationship, he is a Friend Of PBS," she joked, of Miranda.

The documentary's official description follows: GREAT PERFORMANCES "Hamilton's America" - The feature film documentary Hamilton's America brings history to vivid life through the contemporary perspective of Lin-Manuel Miranda's revolutionary hip-hop musical, Hamilton. The story of Alexander Hamilton is most remembered for its dramatic conclusion, in which Hamilton was killed in a duel by Vice President Aaron Burr, but his immeasurable contributions to modern society have largely been forgotten by today's general public. Just in time for election year, Hamilton's America will provide a primetime audience with intimate access to Miranda and his colleagues during the two years leading up to the Broadway opening of the Tony Award-winning smash hit musical. This "hip-hop-historical" documentary features a young, dynamic cast of actors as our guides, along with commentary from some of today's most notable thinkers and artists, brushing the dust off America's fascinating early history. The most buzzed-about show in years and the hottest ticket in decades, Hamilton is redefining how audiences learn about history, but also how they engage with these timeless issues. Produced by Academy Award® and Emmy®-Winning producers RadicalMedia. Friday, October 21, 9-10:30 p.m. ET

Source: Deadline

Photo credit: Joan Marcus