PBS has ordered a multi-part documentary that spotlights “unforgettable” presidential and vice-presidential candidates whose dramatic campaigns may or may not have been successful, but earned a place in the history books nonetheless. Sarah Palin, Gary Hart, Michael Dukakis, Geraldine Ferraro, and Howard Dean are among those whose campaign stories will be covered in 16 for ’16. The profiles will be presented in 16 half-hour weekly episodes leading up to the presidential election in November, produced by OZY Media.
To refresh your memory: Gary Hart ultimately lost his campaign despite a 50-point lead in the polls, after a team of newspaper reporters put him under covert surveillance to try to confirm rumors of personal indiscretions, after he dared them to do so. One of Hart’s opponents in 1984 and 1988, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, not only broke racial barriers, but also helped change the rules of the electoral college, directly benefiting President Barack Obama 30 years later, PBS said in today’s TCA announcement. Other candidates featured, include Elizabeth Dole, Michael Dukakis, GMitt Romney, Al Gore, Ted Kennedy, Ralph Nader, and Ross Perot.
16 FOR ’16 is directed and produced by Cameo George and Alan Chebot of OZY Films for PBS. Major funding will be provided by the Corporataion for Public Broadcasting. OZY Films was founded in 2013 by former CNN and MSNBC anchor Carlos Watson.
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