New York (TV series) · Flickorian

New York

A compelling portrait of the greatest and most complex of cities

TV series
1999–2026
1 season
PBS
Documentary

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This eight-part, 16½-hour television event explores New York City's rich history as the premier laboratory of modern life. A sweeping narrative covering nearly 400 years and 400 square miles, it reveals a complex and dynamic city that has played an unparalleled role in shaping the nation and reflecting its ideals.

About the show

New York: A Documentary Film is a ten-part, 21½ hour, American documentary film on the history of New York City directed by Ric Burns. It originally aired in the U.S. on PBS, with eight episodes first airing between 1999 and 2003, and an additional two in 2026. The film was a production of Steeplechase Films in association with WGBH Boston, Thirteen/WNET, and The New-York Historical Society.

The series was written by Burns and James Sanders and produced by Burns's company, Steeplechase Films. Several noted New York City historians, including Mike Wallace, Kenneth T. Jackson, David Levering Lewis and Robert Caro participated in the making of the series as consultants, and appeared on camera. It was narrated by David Ogden Stiers (episodes 1–8) and Robert Sean Leonard (episodes 9–10).

Other notable figures who appeared in the series include Rudolph Giuliani (then the mayor of New York City during episodes 1–7), former mayor Ed Koch, former New York governor Mario Cuomo, former U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, poet Allen Ginsberg, novelists Alfred Kazin and Brendan Gill, director Martin Scorsese, journalist Pete Hamill, former Congresswoman Bella Abzug, historian Niall Ferguson, philosopher Marshall Berman, writer Fran Lebowitz, engineer Leslie E. Robertson, architect Robert A.M. Stern, high wire artist Philippe Petit, real estate developer (and future President) Donald Trump, and author David McCullough.

From Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0