Frontline
Season 21
TV-MA
Since it began in 1983, Frontline has been airing public-affairs documentaries that explore a wide scope of the complex human experience. Frontline's goal is to extend the impact of the documentary beyond its initial broadcast by serving as a catalyst for change.
Where to Watch Season 21
21 Episodes
- Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero
E1Faith and Doubt at Ground ZeroFor many Americans, the most difficult questions about 9/11 were not about politics, military strategy or homeland security. They were questions about God, about evil and about the potential for darkness within religion itself. What was it we saw on Sept. 11? Was it the true face of evil? Was it the face of religion? And where, if one is a believer, was God on that tragic morning? - Campaign Against Terror
E2Campaign Against TerrorIn this two-hour special, FRONTLINE recounts for the first time on television the behind-the-scenes story of the U.S. and world response to the September 11 terrorist attacks on America. Featuring interviews with key U.S. players and world leaders, "Campaign Against Terror" examines the complex diplomatic maneuvering that led to an international coalition against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. From the initial bombing raids to the futile hunt for Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda leaders in the caves of Tora Bora, the documentary traces the dramatic ups and downs of the ground war in Afghanistan as seen through the eyes of Pentagon leaders, U.S. Special Forces troops and Afghan rebel leaders in the Northern Alliance. Finally, " Campaign Against Terror " tracks the intricate political wrangling that led to the selection of Hamid Karzai - America's preferred candidate - as the new Afghan leader. - Missile Wars
E4Missile WarsFollowing America's withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, FRONTLINE examines the reason why: the Bush administration's determination to deploy an antimissile system. Supporters say national missile defense is essential to protecting America from a missile attack by rogue states. Critics argue that terrorist attacks like September 11 are a far greater threat than that posed by ballistic missiles. In "Missile Wars," FRONTLINE examines both sides of the missile defense debate. Through interviews with staunch proponents, skeptical scientists, and military and intelligence experts, the one-hour documentary investigates this multi-billion dollar--yet still unproven--weapons system, and explores how national missile defense fits into the nation's military strategy after 9/11. - A Crime of Insanity
E5A Crime of InsanityIn December 1994, Ralph Tortorici, a twenty-six-year-old psychology student at the State University of New York, walked into a classroom, pulled out a hunting knife and a high-powered rifle, and announced that he was taking the class hostage. During a three-hour standoff with police negotiators, Tortorici--a paranoid schizophrenic who believed the government had implanted tracking devices in his body--demanded to speak to the president, the governor, and the Supreme Court. Shots were fired, leaving one student seriously wounded and Tortorici charged with aggravated assault, kidnapping, and attempted murder. That Ralph Tortorici was mentally ill was apparent to everyone. What was not so clear was how the courts should deal with his case. In "A Crime of Insanity," FRONTLINE examines the controversial case of Ralph Tortorici. Through interviews with Tortorici's family and the defense attorney, prosecutor, and judge charged with trying his case, the one-hour documentary explores the personal, political, and societal fallout that occurs when the legal and psychiatric worlds collide. - Let's Get Married
E6Let's Get MarriedMarriage is in trouble. The past half-century has witnessed staggering changes in the makeup of the American family as the number of single-parent households and children born out of wedlock has skyrocketed. The traditional American family structure is crumbling, and no one's sure why. Now everyone from the government to church leaders to intellectuals--on both the right and the left--are pushing marriage, especially among the poor. But can such efforts turn the social tide and make marriage once again the norm? Should the government have a role in such an intimate, private institution? And for those along the margins, why doesn't marriage seem to matter any more? FRONTLINE correspondent and author Alex Kotlowitz explores the biggest demographic mystery of the last half-century and examines the modern marriage movement. - In Search of Al Qaeda
E7In Search of Al QaedaIn December 2001, as American forces blasted mountain hideouts in the Tora Bora region of Afghanistan, hundreds of Al Qaeda soldiers fled seemingly disappearing into thin air. In this 2002 documentary, FRONTLINE investigates what happened to the fighters who survived. - Much Ado About Something
E8Much Ado About SomethingHis name is synonymous with great literature. Author of timeless masterpieces like "Romeo and Juliet," "Othello," and "Hamlet," William Shakespeare is widely considered to be the greatest writer who ever lived--or was he? FRONTLINE producer Michael Rubbo explores anew the centuries-old controversy over whether the literary masterpieces long attributed to Shakespeare were actually written by his contemporary, Christopher Marlowe. Born in the same year as Shakespeare, Marlowe was at the height of his literary career in 1593 when he was supposedly killed in an argument over a tavern bill. Marlowe's death, however, has been clouded in mystery, with some "Marlovians" insisting the playwright lived to write another day--but under the name of Shakespeare. FRONTLINE takes viewers inside this 16th century detective story in an attempt to unravel what some are calling the "biggest cover-up in literary history." - Failure to Protect: The Taking of Logan Marr
E10Failure to Protect: The Taking of Logan MarrIn January 2001, five-year-old Logan Marr was found dead in the basement of her foster mother's home in Chelsea, Maine. The foster mother, Sally Schofield, was a highly respected former caseworker for Maine's Department of Human Services. FRONTLINE examines the girl's short, troubled life and asks a series of tough questions: Why was a little girl who had never been abused taken from her birth mother? Was her mother given a real opportunity to regain custody? And did the state miss significant clues that she was in danger? Through extensive interviews with key figures involved in the case - including exclusive access to Schofield herself - FRONTLINE rewinds the story to look closely at the events that led up to Logan's death: from the state's decision to remove her from her birth mother's home to her troubled decline and eventual death in foster care. FRONTLINE continues its examination of Maine's Department of Human Services on February 6 with the one-hour documentary "Failure to Protect: The Caseworker Files" followed by a one-hour town meeting on child welfare policy. - Failure to Protect: The Caseworker Files
E11Failure to Protect: The Caseworker FilesThe removal of a child from an abusive or neglectful parent is one of the most drastic actions a government undertakes; and yet it does so with little or no public scrutiny. In 2001, the state of Maine gave FRONTLINE unprecedented access to observe the daily lives of its child protection caseworkers, with whom the decision to remove children begins. In a companion presentation to Failure to Protect: The Taking of Logan Marr, FRONTLINE cameras follow a small set of caseworkers in one office as they interact with families and each other, dealing with the excruciating dilemmas and heartbreaking choices that confront them every day. Failure to Protect: The Caseworker Files is both moving and probing, asking such questions as when should a child be removed? How much damage do we do to children in the name of helping them? And when should parents lose the right to raise their own child? Following the documentary, FRONTLINE will air a one-hour town meeting on child welfare policy. - China in the Red
E12China in the RedFour years in the making, this two-hour FRONTLINE documentary chronicles three pivotal years in China's historic evolution from a rigid Communist society to an exploding market economy. For more than half a century, millions of Chinese workers labored in state-run factories that provided cradle-to-grave job security. But the economic reforms that have brought the world's most populous nation economic prosperity and world-power status now threaten the livelihood of many Chinese workers. The Chinese Communist Party can no longer afford to subsidize the factories, and millions of workers are being laid off, with no social safety net to catch them. "China in the Red" follows ten Chinese citizens caught up in the social and economic transformation, and through their stories reveals a nation in flux and a people struggling to survive in a world they never dreamed would exist. - The War Behind Closed Doors
E13The War Behind Closed DoorsFRONTLINE examines the hidden story of what is really driving the Bush administration to war with Iraq. The investigation asks whether the publicly reported reasons--fear of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction or a desire to insure and protect America's access to oil--are only masking the real reason for the war. Through interviews with well-placed sources in and outside of the administration, FRONTLINE unravels a story known only to the Washington insiders. - The Long Road to War: A FRONTLINE Special ReportE14
The Long Road to War: A FRONTLINE Special ReportAmerica appears to be within days of attacking Iraq. Many observers believe President Bush may soon signal to weapons inspectors, diplomats and members of the press that Iraq will come under fire and they should leave the country. Once again, the U.S finds itself about to battle Iraq, although this time it will likely not be part of a grand coalition. How did the nation come to the brink of war of another war with Saddam Hussein? In a two-hour special "The Long Road to War," FRONTLINE draws on its extensive archives of more than 12 years of reporting on Iraq to tell the history of the U.S. confrontation with Saddam. The special will examine how the West armed Iraq, the mind and methods of Saddam Hussein, the origins of the first Gulf War and its ragged end, the frustrating effort to disarm Iraq through U.N. inspections, how Saddam survived efforts to undermine his power, and the long-standing effort by Washington hawks to remove him. - Blair's War
E15Blair's WarFor the past few months, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been fighting the biggest political battle of his career. Caught in the center of a high stakes political storm, he tried to personally bridge the gap between the United States and its European allies -- particularly France and Germany -- over the impending war in Iraq. FRONTLINE examines the roots of the discord within the Western alliance, the perilous role Blair has played, and the stakes for him and the West should this old alliance fall apart. - Kim's Nuclear Gamble
E16Kim's Nuclear GambleThe world is running out of time to strike a peace-preserving deal with North Korea's strange and reclusive leader Kim Jong Il. For ten years threats deceptions and diplomatic ploys have shaped U.S. relations with the Hermit Kingdom. Now what happens next depends on the outcome of a raging debate within the Bush administration over how best to handle Chairman Kim. FRONTLINE traces the delicate maneuvers and clumsy turns that have brought the world to the brink of a nuclear showdown in Asia. - Cyber War!
E17Cyber War!The Slammer hit on Super Bowl Sunday. Nimda struck one week after 9/11. Code Red had ripped through the system that summer. Moonlight Maze moved from the Russian Academy of Science and into the U.S. Department of Defense. A new form of warfare has broken out and the battleground is cyberspace. With weapons like embedded malicious code, probes and pings, there are surgical strikes, reverse neutron bombs, and the potential for massive assaults aimed directly at America's infrastructure -- the power grid, the water supply, the complex air traffic control system, and the nation's railroads. FRONTLINE investigates the threat of cyber war and reveals what the White House knows that the rest of us don't. - Burden of Innocence
E18Burden of InnocenceIn recent years, media headlines have trumpeted the release of more than 100 longtime inmates who have been exonerated by DNA testing. But what happens to these wrongly accused inmates after the media spotlight turns elsewhere and they must attempt to rejoin a world far different from the one they left behind? In a new one-hour documentary, FRONTLINE producer Ofra Bikel examines the many social, psychological, and economic challenges facing exonerated inmates, the vast majority of whom must re-enter society with no financial or transitional assistance whatsoever. The film highlights the cases of several recently exonerated inmates and the hurdles they face as they attempt to repair the damaged inflicted upon their lives. It also examines efforts to pass laws that would allow the wrongfully convicted to sue the government for compensation. - The Wall Street Fix
E19The Wall Street FixWith the nation's biggest banks about to finalize a record $1.4 billion settlement for securities violations, FRONTLINE investigates what New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer calls Wall Street's "corrupt business model" that cost American investors trillions. Tracing the stunning rise and fall of WorldCom, the hottest stock and then biggest bankruptcy of the 1990s, correspondent Hedrick Smith uncovers the hidden ties that enabled superbanks and Wall Street insiders to shape and profit from the telecom boom while leaving ordinary investors holding worthless stock when the bubble burst. - The Other Drug War
E20The Other Drug WarThrough interviews with consumers, legislators, scientists, top industry leaders and analysts, "The Other Drug War" examines the efforts of states like Maine and Oregon to control escalating drug costs in the face of strong opposition from the pharmaceutical industry. The program also explores the tension between the high cost of scientific innovation and society's need to keep drugs and health care affordable. - Public Schools, Inc.
E21Public Schools, Inc.Ten years after "edupreneur" Chris Whittle first announced his bold plan to revolutionize the way we educate children, Whittle's Edison Schools continue to be a lightening rod for the issue of for-profit, public education. FRONTLINE and the PBS education series The Merrow Report join forces with The New York Times to investigate the intertwined fortunes of Edison Schools and its charismatic yet controversial leader, and examine whether it's possible to create world-class schools that turn a profit.
