Prohibition: Season 1

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 19 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 18 Ratings

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8.4

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8.4	User Score Universal acclaim based on 18 Ratings

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Season Details & Credits

PBS | Season Premiere Date: October 2, 2011

Summary: Ken Burns' latest documentary series focuses on the origins of the 18th Amendment and the eventual end of Prohibition.

Genre(s): Documentary

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Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E3. A Nation of Hypocrites
Air Date: October 4, 2011
tbd
S1:E1. A Nation of Drunkards
Air Date: October 2, 2011
tbd
S1:E1. A Nation of Scofflaws
Air Date: October 3, 2011

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Tom Gliatto

Sep 30, 2011

Prohibition is a merry, bullet-sprayed study of the era's rampant criminality. [10 Oct 2011, p.40]

100

Uncle Barky Ed Bark

Oct 3, 2011

In the end, it may be the most fun you'll ever have with a Ken Burns film. Read full review

100

David Wiegand

Oct 3, 2011

Great historical documentaries not only enlighten us about the past, but tell us things about our own times as well, either directly or implicitly. Prohibition, the latest project by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, states the implicit links between the passage of the 18th Amendment and contemporary politics so loudly, you'd have to be drunk on bathtub gin not to get the message. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Matt Roush

Oct 3, 2011

With deft detail, and the usual sparkling mix of vivid archival footage and jazzy period music, we're treated to an evocative portrait of a young nation wracked by alcoholism and a debauched saloon culture, taking drastic measures to ban the manufacture and sale of alcohol. Read full review

Troy Patterson

Oct 5, 2011

Over three nights and five and half hours, Prohibition provides a very fine analytic survey of the noble experiment, and most criticisms of it are quibbles. Read full review

Neil Genzlinger

Sep 30, 2011

Mr. Burns and Ms. Novick, commendably, don't beat you over the head with the obvious lessons for those today who would legislate personal behavior; they largely let the story of Prohibition speak for itself. Read full review

Hank Stuever

Oct 3, 2011

It's rare for Burns and Novick to get lost in their own material, but it happens here. Read full review

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8.4

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User Reviews

Shortfuse

Dec 21, 2011

Fascinating, as usual. Ken Burns is a master, and this is another masterpiece. As is his staple, he breaks the subject into logical, manageable chunks, and turns even the dry (read: boring) parts of the story into a dramatic, engaging piece of television. If you like this, I stronglyFascinating, as usual. Ken Burns is a master, and this is another masterpiece. As is his staple, he breaks the subject into logical, manageable chunks, and turns even the dry (read: boring) parts of the story into a dramatic, engaging piece of television. If you like this, I strongly recommend any other Ken Burns documentary (especially Baseball). At a time when "American Idol" passes for respectable content, do yourself a favour and invest some time in PBS.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

CritiqueGirl

Oct 4, 2011

Bottom Line: I know all of this already. It seems Burns has pieced together a lot of other documentaries, statements, photos, footage and such already readily available. I don't think I saw or heard anything that has not been brought out on other programs through the years. Not thatBottom Line: I know all of this already. It seems Burns has pieced together a lot of other documentaries, statements, photos, footage and such already readily available. I don't think I saw or heard anything that has not been brought out on other programs through the years. Not that history changes but really his other works are so much better. It is like he used wiki for his main source of information. I watched it because there was nothing else on. Watching the behind the scenes footage made me cringe. Actors are full of themselves and I could care less about how much fun they had and the talent and insight for so and so. I wish Tom Hanks would just go away.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Seasons & Episodes

86

Series Overview
Season 1

86
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: October 2, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E3. A Nation of Hypocrites
  Air Date: October 4, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E1. A Nation of Drunkards
  Air Date: October 2, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E1. A Nation of Scofflaws
  Air Date: October 3, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E1. A Nation of Drunkards
  Air Date: October 2, 2011