PBS Announces Walt Disney Special, Navy SEALs Documentary

TCA 2014: PBS also announces new series “The Brain With Dr. David Eagleman” and Season 4 of “Call the Midwife”

PBS will explore the life of entertainment giant Walt Disney and the work of the U.S. Navy SEALs in its upcoming programming, the network said Tuesday.

Disney will be the subject of an installment of “The American Experience” that will premiere next fall. The four-hour, two night film will be directed by Sarah Colt (“JFK”). The film will feature rare archival footage from the Disney vaults, as well as interviews and clips from Disney’s classic films.

Also read: PBS Brings Half-Hour ‘Sesame Street’ to Afternoons

“Navy SEALs: Their Untold Story,” meanwhile, will premiere on Nov.11 — Veterans Day — at 9 p.m. ET. The documentary will explore how the SEALS evolved in response to changing threats and how their abilities shaped U.S. and world history.

Also among the offerings: The science series “The Brain With Dr. David Eagleman.” The series, which has received an order for six hour-long episodes, will tell the story of the inner workings of the brain and take viewers on a visually spectacular journey into why they feel and think the things they do. Neuroscientist Dr. David Eagleman hosts the series, which premieres next year.

Also read: ‘Homeland’ Star Damian Lewis Joins PBS’s ‘Wolf Hall’

In addition to the new offerings, the network also said Tuesday that PBS and BBC Worldwide North America have reached an agreement to bring the fourth season of the British series “Call the Midwife” to the United States, with a March 29, 2015 premiere date.

The network also said Tuesday that the 2014 PBS Arts Fall Festival will kick off Sept. 26 and feature 11 weekly programs focusing on Broadway hits, music from around the country and a theater performance by Nathan Lane. Kristin Chenoweth (“Pushing Daisies”) will make her debut as host of the annual festival, which is entering its fourth season.

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