NEW YORK: A Documentary Film

By Jennifer Robinson / Web Producer

Published September 21, 2026 at 12:32 PM PDT

Stream now with KPBS+ / Watch Monday, Sept. 21, 2026 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV + Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV

Explore the story of New York from the end of the 20th century through the first quarter of the 21st, and witness an epic portrait of America’s largest city across decades of challenge, growth and change.

Writer Adam Gopnik reflects on New York’s remarkable resilience and its ability to reinvent itself.

EPISODE GUIDE:

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EPISODE 1 "Shadows of the Past" - Trace New York’s turbulent journey through the final decades of the 20th century, from postwar decline and economic crisis to a stunning rebirth that helped restore safety and set the city on a path to renewed prominence by the early 2000s.

Trace New York’s turbulent journey through the final decades of the 20th century. In this follow-up to the landmark 8-part NEW YORK: A DOCUMENTARY FILM, witness the dizzying story of decline and rebirth that sees America’s largest city plunged into the gravest downturn in its history, only to rise again in a remarkable transformation by century’s end.

EPISODE 2: "The Futures of Cities" - Follow New York's transformation in the decades since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, as the city rebuilds through financial collapse, Superstorm Sandy, and a devastating pandemic—emerging each time more resilient.

Follow New York’s stunning transformation in the decades since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. As the city reckons with multiple major crises, including financial collapse, Superstorm Sandy, and a devastating pandemic, it defies the predictions of doomsayers and rebuilds—emerging each time more resilient.

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By 2010, construction of the One World Trade Center site stalled until a massive push from angry workers transformed Ground Zero into a symbol of resilience. From architect Michael Arad’s "Reflecting Absence" memorial and the underground museum guarding the original slurry wall, to the Mohawk ironworkers guiding the final beam into place, witness the decade-long rebuilding of Lower Manhattan.

NEW YORK: A Documentary Film

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