Eight, Arizona PBS premieres seven-part Ken Burns film The Roosevelts: An Intimate History beginning September 14

Eight kicks off its fall season with an epic seven-night premiere, featuring two-hour episodes airing at 7 p.m. and repeating at 9 p.m. each night through Sept. 20. The Roosevelts: An Intimate History marks the first time the individual stories of one of the most prominent and influential families in American politics have been woven into a single narrative. “We are pleased to offer our viewers the fascinating and complex story of the Roosevelt family through the lens of Emmy Award-winning, Academy Award-nominated Ken Burns. The week of September 14 will give our viewers insight to what happened behind the scenes of historical events,” says Eight's Associate General Manger of Content Nancy Southgate.

The Roosevelts: An Intimate History presents a personal human story about love, betrayal, courage, family loyalty and the conquest of fear. The series encompasses the history the Roosevelts helped to shape: the creation of National Parks, the digging of the Panama Canal, the passage of innovative New Deal programs, the defeat of Hitler and the postwar struggles for civil rights at home and human rights abroad.

THE ROOSEVELTS: AN INTIMATE HISTORY

• Episode One: “Get Action”

Young Theodore Roosevelt transforms himself into a vigorous champion of the strenuous life and later becomes the youngest president in American history at 42. Franklin Delano Roosevelt follows his older cousin’s career and begins to think he might one day follow in his footsteps. Sunday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.

• Episode Two: “In the Arena”

President Theodore Roosevelt battles corporate greed, builds the Panama Canal and preserves American wilderness. FDR marries Eleanor Roosevelt, the daughter of Theodore’s brother, Elliott, and they begin a family. Offered an opportunity to run for the New York State senate, Franklin jumps at the chance. Monday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m.

• Episode Three: “The Fire of Life”

Theodore Roosevelt leads a Progressive crusade that splits his own party, undertakes an expedition into the South American jungle, campaigns for American entry into WWI – and pays a terrible personal price. Franklin masters wartime Washington as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, while Eleanor engages in war work. Teddy’s death provides Franklin with a golden opportunity. Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m.

• Episode Four: “The Storm”

Franklin Roosevelt runs for vice president in 1920. Stricken with polio, he spends seven years struggling without success to walk again, while Eleanor builds a personal and political life of her own. FDR returns to politics in 1928 and, as governor of New York, acts with such vigor and imagination during the first years of the Great Depression that the Democrats nominate him for president in 1932. Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m.

• Episode Five: “The Rising Road”

Aimed at ending the Depression, FDR’s sweeping New Deal restores the people’s self-confidence and transforms the relationship between them and their government. Eleanor rejects the traditional role of first lady and becomes a sometimes controversial political force. As the decade ends, FDR questions whether to run for an unprecedented third term and how to deal with the rise of Hitler. Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.

• Episode Six: “The Common Cause”

FDR shatters the third-term tradition, struggles to prepare the country to enter World War II and, after Pearl Harbor, helps set the course toward Allied victory. Meanwhile, Eleanor struggles to keep New Deal reforms alive in wartime and travels the Pacific to comfort wounded servicemen. FDR runs for a fourth term. Friday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.

• Episode Seven: “A Strong and Active Faith”

Frail and failing but determined to see the war through to victory, FDR wins re-election and begins planning for a peaceful postwar world, but a cerebral hemorrhage kills him at 63. After his death, Eleanor proves herself a shrewd politician and a skilled negotiator, as well as a champion of civil rights, civil liberties and the United Nations. When she dies in 1962, she is widely mourned. Saturday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.

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