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Arts & Culture

Return To The Wild - The Chris McCandless Story

The Bus in Alaska.
Courtesy of Coneflower Studios
The Bus in Alaska.

Airs Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015 at 11 p.m. & Sunday, Jan. 11 at 3 p.m. on KPBS TV

Landscape around the bus in Alaska.
Courtesy of Coneflower Studios
Landscape around the bus in Alaska.
The bus in Alaska.
Courtesy of Coneflower Studios
The bus in Alaska.

Take a fresh look at the enigmatic story of a young American hiker named Chris McCandless, the accomplished son of successful middle class parents, who was found dead in an abandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness and became the subject of the best-selling Jon Krakauer book and Sean Penn-directed movie "Into the Wild."

McCandless’ letters, released for the first time, as well as new and surprising interviews, probe the mystery that still lies at the heart of a compelling story that has become part of the American literary canon.

“PBS is the only place for a sensitive and thoughtful revisit of this heartbreaking and forgotten mystery,” said Beth Hoppe, PBS’ Chief Programming Executive and General Manager of General Audience Programming. “'Return To The Wild' puts the story back the national spotlight, delivering unseen evidence and revelatory details to the forefront of a tragic story.”

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"Return To The Wild - The Chris McCandless Story" was co-produced by Lincoln Square Productions in association with Coneflower Studios for PBS.