About this season
A documentary series focusing on the ongoing Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, evolving music industry, the Iran Hostage Crisis, the sexual revolution, and the rise of foreign and domestic terrorism.
Episodes (8)
1. Television Gets Real
7.0Aired 11 June 2015 • 60 min
The 1970s were known for extremes, perhaps nowhere more than on television. PBS and C-SPAN launched, but so did "The Love Boat" and "Three's Company." We talk with Norman Lear, Ed Asner, LeVar Burton and Vince Gilligan, among many others.
2. The United States vs. Nixon
7.0Aired 18 June 2015 • 60 min
How did a "third-rate burglary" lead to the only presidential resignation in American history? We trace the story of Watergate with, among others, John Dean, Pat Buchanan, Elizabeth Drew and Dan Rather.
3. Peace with Honor
6.5Aired 25 June 2015 • 60 min
The Vietnam War is one of the defining events of recent American history. It still exerts enormous influence on our military and foreign policy. Why did it end the way it did? Interviewees include: Neil Sheehan, Evan Thomas, Karl Marlantes, and Winston Lord.
4. Crimes and Cults
7.0Aired 9 July 2015 • 60 min
America suffered through one of its most violent decades as crime rates soared and Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, the Son of Sam and the Jim Jones made headlines. We hear from Vincent Bugliosi, Lawrence Wright, and James Wolcott.
5. The State of the Union is Not Good
6.5Aired 16 July 2015 • 60 min
That unlikely phrase is taken from President Gerald Ford's 1975 State of the Union address and reflects an America that careened from crisis to crisis in the second half of the decade. Richard Reeves, Lesley Stahl, Douglas Brinkley, and Rick Perlstein help us understand why.
6. Battle of the Sexes
4.2Aired 23 July 2015 • 60 min
Sex was everywhere in the 1970s. No decade in our history witnessed such a seismic shift in sexual mores, customs and gender roles. Hear stories from the front lines from Gail Collins, Gloria Steinem, Gay Talese, and Billie Jean King.
7. Terrorism at Home and Abroad
6.5Aired 30 July 2015 • 60 min
From the massacre of athletes at the Munich Olympics to the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, the 1970s gave birth to the modern face of terrorism. Interviewees include: Robert Baer, Robin Wright, Brian Jenkins, and Peter Bergen.
8. What's Goin' On
6.7Aired 6 August 2015 • 60 min
After the breakup of the Beatles, popular music exploded into a variety of new formats and genres as artists including Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Donna Summer, The Jackson Five, Stevie Wonder, The Talking Heads and hosts of others reshaped the art form. Hear from Mick Fleetwood, Questlove, Nelson George, and Giorgio Moroder.