Watch Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV
Revisit the lives of six recent presidents—John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush—in films from our award-winning collection.
Winner of a Writers Guild Award and part of the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Peabody Award-winning collection THE PRESIDENTS, “Nixon” explores one of the most controversial and enduring figures on the American political landscape and features interviews with former presidential aides John Ehrlichman, Charles Colson, and John Dean, along with many others.
The film traces the president’s life from his boyhood in Loma Linda, California, through his resignation from office in the face of likely impeachment in 1974. The film puts his life and career in the context of history to reveal how he shaped, and was shaped by, American politics, and explores the fateful combination of strengths and weaknesses that propelled him to the presidency and then brought him down. Although "Nixon" does not deal with the post-presidential years, it highlights one of the most distinctive characteristics of his path through American politics — his ability to come back from defeat.
Related: Accepting the Republican Nomination, 1968
Because Nixon rose to power as television came of age, many of the key moments in his career are also important moments in the history of the medium — moments that remain etched in national memory: the “Checkers” speech in 1952, the Kennedy-Nixon presidential debates in 1960, Nixon’s handshake with Chou En-Lai as he landed in Peking in 1972, and the final wave before the helicopter slowly lifted from the White House lawn after the president’s resignation in August 1974.
Nixon’s story is told by many who were close to him, including former presidential aides Ehrlichman, Colson, and Dean, along with his cousin, Merle West, who grew up with him in California; Duke Law School classmate Lyman Brownfield; early campaign staffers Patrick Hillings and Ted Rogers; Nixon biographer Roger Morris, who served as an aide to Henry Kissinger in the first Nixon administration; journalist David Broder; and Watergate committee counsel Sam Dash.
THE PRESIDENTS COLLECTION: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE launched The Presidents, a digital portal showcasing more than 750 assets from the Peabody Award-winning collection of films about our nation’s most important leaders. The portal allows viewers to screen full-length films, delve deeper with experts and living witnesses, and examine more than 200 primary source documents. Video galleries on The Presidents site explore how different presidents faced issues including the economy, war, dealing with a crisis, and abuses of power.
CREDITS: A production of WGBH Boston in association with Thames Television. The executive producer is Elizabeth Deane. Part 1 is produced and edited by David Espar and written by Geoffrey C. Ward. Associate Producer: Laura Stuchinsky. Part 2 is produced by Elizabeth Deane and written by Geoffrey C. Ward. Editor: Sarah Holt. Associate Producer: Karen Cariani. Consulting Producer: David Espar. Part 3 is produced by Marilyn Mellowes and written by Geoffrey C. Ward. Daniel McCabe is co-producer. Associate Producer: Karen Cariani. Original Music: Todd Boekelheide. AMERICAN EXPERIENCE is a production of WGBH Boston. Senior Producer: Susan Bellows. Managing Director: James E. Dunford. Executive Producer: Mark Samels.
