Premieres Friday, Sept. 22, 2023 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 / PBS App + Encore Monday, Oct. 2 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV
Follow the 50-year career of preeminent First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams in AMERICAN MASTERS "Floyd Abrams: Speaking Freely." See how his landmark cases—from the Pentagon Papers to Citizens United to Clearview AI—helped define free speech as it is known today.
Join Dan Abrams, Ari Melber, Nina Totenberg and more as they explore how Abrams' career has shaped major changes in law, public discourse and civic action since the 1960s.
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AMERICAN MASTERS shares the stories of political “Thought Leaders” with seven new documentaries on PBS:
As the U.S. enters a new election cycle, examine the lives and legacies of political changemakers Floyd Abrams, Bella Abzug, Jerry Brown, Max Roach, William F. Buckley Jr., Cesar Chavez and Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
Political discourse in the United States is shaped by audacious ideas of what a society should be. But who are the influencers and disruptors of American political thought that have paved the way for the systems that we currently have—and those still to come? Beginning in September 2023, AMERICAN MASTERS seeks to answer this question with Thought Leaders, a collection of documentaries spotlighting key figures in American politics, law and music.
Films under the Thought Leaders banner include "Bella! This Woman’s Place is in the House", "Jerry Brown: The Disrupter," "Floyd Abrams: Speaking Freely", "A Song for Cesar", "Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes", "Buckley" (w.t.) and "Moynihan."
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Credits:
Directed by Yael Melamede. Produced by Clare Smith Marash. Executive produced by Michael Kantor. Edited by Harry Jackson. A Production of SALTY Features in association with American Masters Pictures.
