Link to full release

Nearly two decades after its 1987 premiere, the groundbreaking Eyes on the Prize returns to PBS on American Experience this October. Three, two-hour episodes will air on three consecutive Mondays—October 2, 9, and 16 at 9pm. An additional eight hours will be available at a later date.
Produced by Blackside, Eyes on the Prize tells the definitive story of the Civil Rights era from the point of view of the ordinary men and women whose extraordinary actions launched a movement that changed the fabric of American life and embodied a struggle whose reverberations continue to be felt today. Winner of numerous Emmy Awards, a George Foster Peabody Award, an International Documentary Award, and a Television Critics Association Award, Eyes on the Prize is the most critically acclaimed documentary on Civil Rights in America.

Hailed as “required watching” (New York Magazine) and “indispensable” (Time), Eyes on the Prize recounts the fight to end decades of discrimination and segregation. It is the story of the people—young and old, male and female, northern and southern—who, compelled by a meeting of conscience and circumstance, worked to eradicate a world where whites and blacks could not go to the same school, ride the same bus, vote in the same election, or participate equally in society. It was a world in which peaceful demonstrators were met with resistance and brutality—in short, a reality that is now nearly incomprehensible to many young Americans.

Through contemporary interviews and historical footage, Eyes on the Prize traces the civil rights movement from the Montgomery bus boycott to the Voting Rights Act; from early acts of individual courage through the flowering of a mass movement and its eventual split into factions. Julian Bond, political leader and civil rights activist, narrates.

“We are elated that this landmark series will once again be broadcast across the country, reaching millions of viewers—many of whom may never have seen the original airing. It is our hope that the television programs together with our comprehensive outreach campaign will spark a national dialogue about this important topic,” says Judi Hampton, president, Blackside, and sister of the late Henry Hampton (1940–1998), executive producer of the series.

Link to full release