PBS to Air Two New 'New York' Documentary Episodes Covering Post-9/11 Era
Ric Burns' long-running documentary series 'New York' will debut two new episodes on Sept. 21 and 22, focusing on the city's transformation over the past 25 years. The installments, titled 'Shadows of the Past' and 'The Future of Cities,' also revisit New York's recovery from the 1970s fiscal crisis. Robert Sean Leonard takes over narration duties from the late David Ogden Stiers.
The two new installments extend a documentary project that began airing in 1999 and last released an episode in 2003, shortly after the September 11 attacks. Production on these episodes stretched over roughly 13 years, with the first interview conducted with Mayor Michael Bloomberg during his final week in office in 2013. The films incorporate interviews with four former mayors, including David Dinkins, whose remarks were recorded before his death in 2020.
Burns co-wrote both episodes with James Sanders, maintaining the collaboration that defined all prior installments. The new episodes examine New York's recovery from the 1970s fiscal crisis alongside more recent challenges including Superstorm Sandy and the COVID-19 pandemic, framing the city's 21st-century experience as its most difficult quarter-century yet.
These episodes may offer viewers a reflective lens on urban resilience during a period of heightened uncertainty about American cities. For audiences who lived through 9/11, the pandemic, or economic downturns, the documentary could provide historical perspective on recovery and renewal. The series may also serve younger viewers unfamiliar with New York's earlier crises, potentially shaping how a new generation understands the relationship between municipal governance, economic forces, and collective endurance.