American Experience on SDPB

For more than three decades, American Experience has been television’s most-watched history series. Hailed as “peerless” (The Wall Street Journal), “the most consistently enriching program on television” (Chicago Tribune), and “a beacon of intelligence and purpose” (Houston Chronicle), the series brings to life the incredible characters and epic stories that have shaped America’s past and present.

Senator Joseph McCarthy and Senator Millard Tydings.

Photo: US Senate Historical Office

American Experience: Joseph McCarthy

SDPB1: Monday, Jan. 6, 8pm (7 MT) SDBP2: Saturday, Jan 11, 2pm (1 MT) A compelling chronicle of the rise and fall of Joseph McCarthy, the Wisconsin Senator who would test the limits of American decency and democracy. Free of restraint or oversight, he conducted a crusade against those he accused of being Communists and enemies of the state, a chilling campaign marked by groundless accusations, bullying intimidation, grandiose showmanship and cruel victimization. Finally, after years in the headlines, he was brought down by his own excesses and overreach. He died a broken man, but his name lived on. For more than half a century, it has been linked to an all-toofamiliar phenomenon, the modern-day witch hunt we call McCarthyism. Senator Joseph McCarthy and Senator Millard Tydings.

The Poison Squad.

Photo: Food & Drug Administration

American Experience: The Poison Squad

SDPB1: Monday, Jan. 13, 8pm (7 MT) By the close of the Industrial Revolution, the American food supply was tainted with frauds, fakes, and legions of new and untested chemicals, dangerously threatening the health of consumers. Government chemist Dr. Harvey Wiley who, determined to banish these dangerous substances from dinner tables, took on the powerful food manufacturers and their allies. Wiley embarked upon a series of bold and controversial trials on 12 human subjects who would become known as the “Poison Squad.” Follow Wiley’s unusual experiments and tireless advocacy to chart the path of a forgotten man who laid the groundwork for U.S. consumer protection laws, and ultimately the creation of the FDA. Photo: Food & Drug Administration The Poison Squad.

Sara Weaver on Ruby Ridge.

Photo: Sara Weaver

American Experience: Ruby Ridge

SDPB1: Monday, Jan. 20, 8pm (7 MT) SDBP2: Friday, Jan. 31, 6pm & 11pm (5 & 10 MT) In Northern Idaho, Randy Weaver was charged with selling two illegal sawed-off shotguns to an undercover agent, Weaver had failed to appear in court and law enforcement was tasked with bringing him in. For months, Weaver, his wife Vicki, and their children holed up on their property on Ruby Ridge with a cache of firearms. Shortly before dawn on August 21, 1992, six heavily armed U.S. marshals crossed paths with members of the family and a firefight broke out. The standoff that mesmerized the nation would leave Weaver injured, his wife and son dead, and some convinced that the federal government was out of control. The film features intimate interviews with Weaver’s daughter, Sara, and federal agents involved in the confrontation. Sara Weaver on a swing outside the Weaver cabin on Ruby Ridge.

Actor David Moore as Rudolf Vrba shows his prisoner tattoo.

Photo: Oxford Films

Secrets of the Dead: Bombing Auschwitz

SDPB1: Tuesday, Jan. 1, 8pm (7 MT) In April 1944, Jewish prisoners Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzlermiraculously escaped from Auschwitz concentration camp and fled through Nazioccupied Poland to find refuge in Žilina, Slovakia, where they connected with the Jewish Underground. Once safe, they recounted what they left behind. Their harrowing testimony revealed the true horror of the Holocaust to the outside world, describing in forensic detail the gas chambers and the full extent of the Nazi extermination program. Join historians, survivors and experts as they consider one of the great moral dilemmas of the 20th century. Should the Allies have risked killing Auschwitz prisoners and bombed the camp to stop future atrocities?