The American Experiment - Season 1

First aired: 6/24/2026 5 episodes

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, this historical documentary reexamines the improbable achievement that was the nation's founding, and the radical question at the center of the American Revolution: Can a people govern themselves?

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Episodes

1. Freedom

Aired: 6/24/2026

A young George Washington establishes his military bonafides, and the American colonies begin to chafe at new taxes imposed by the British Crown.

2. Tyranny, Like Hell, Is Not Easily Conquered

Aired: 6/24/2026

Thomas Jefferson is tapped to draft the Declaration of Independence. Led by Washington, the Continental Army suffers a devastating series of defeats.

3. The United States Are Not United

Aired: 6/24/2026

With the outcome of the war hanging in the balance, the Americans deploy Benjamin Franklin's charms to solicit support from Britain's longtime rival.

4. We the People

Aired: 6/24/2026

The war is won, but the "perpetual union" is on the verge of collapse. Delegates from each state gather to devise an innovative form of government.

5. Washington's Warning

Aired: 6/24/2026

George Washington steps into the unknown as the nation's first president. Partisanship dawns with an ideological rift between Jefferson and Hamilton.