The HISTORY® Channel will premiere its new, two-part documentary series “The Great War” executive produced by “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts, and RadicalMedia in association with Rock’n Robin Productions and GrouPM Motion Entertainment, across two consecutive nights on Monday, May 27 and Tuesday, May 28 @ 8PM ET/PT. Across the critical years of 1917 and 1918, this four-hour documentary series weaves together the stories of three different groups showcasing how their separate, yet intertwined narratives, experiences, immense contributions, and extreme adversity faced during those pivotal years of battle culminate to tell one larger, more complex story of how an isolationist America reluctantly entered World War I and emerged a global power.
After four years of horrific battle in the trenches of France and Belgium, the Allies were on the verge of collapse and Germany the cusp of victory. “The Great War” covers America’s involvement in World War I through the eyes of General John J. Pershing, leader of the American Expeditionary Forces, who is charged with training and deploying an army almost from scratch; Michael B. Ellis, a young man fighting with the Army’s soon to be legendary Big Red One; and a courageous group of brave African American soldiers including Henry Johnson and Horace Pippin whose regiment will come to be known as the Harlem Hellfighters, earning France’s highest battlefield award even as they faced shocking racism at home.
The documentary series is told through dramatic narrative sequences, insightful interviews contemporary scholarship, and dynamic archival footage. Expert interviews include retired United States Army General and former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director David Petraeus, best-selling author Max Brooks, and historians, professors, and authors including Col. USMC Ret. Doug Douds, Chad Williams, Edward T. O’Donnell, Dr. Yohuru Williams, Adriane Lentz-Smith, Andrew Carroll, Richard S. Faulkner, Geoffrey Wawro, Le’Trice D. Donaldson, Col. Robert J. Dalessandro, Richard Rubin, Michael S. Neiberg, and more.
For more information, please visit: https://www.history.com/shows/the-great-war
