
The American Future: A History is a four-part documentary series written and presented by Simon Schama which aired on BBC Two in the UK during October 2008, in the run up to the 2008 US presidential election. The first episode was broadcast on BBC Two at 9:00pm on 10 October 2008, and it was shown over four consecutive Fridays. The series saw Schama travelling through the United States as he investigated the conflicts from its past in order to understand the country's contemporary political situation. Schama presents and discusses both presidential candidates, Democratic Barack Obama and Republican John McCain from a historical point of view, emphasizing strongly the former. The documentary takes viewer to an epic journey through the history of the modern United States, but it also why Schama personally believed Barack Obama would be the ideal choice as the next president of the United States.

Season 1
No episodes found for this season.
Featuring

Simon Schama

Keep watching
8.02003·8.0
CIA : Guerres secrètes
2003 · Series
7.32021·7.3
Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror
2021 · Series
7.81997·7.8
Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
1997 · Series
8.01990·8.0
The Civil War
1990 · Series
6.62020·6.6
Ku Klux Klan: An American Story
2020 · Series
6.32013·6.3
America: Facts vs. Fiction
2013 · Series
6.72016·6.7
The American West
2016 · Series
7.82022·7.8
Benjamin Franklin
2022 · Series
6.12025·6.1
The American Revolution
2025 · Series
10.02023·10.0
Miss Me Yet
2023 · Series
7.21993·7.2
Civil War Journal
1993 · Series
5.02017·5.0
America's Untold Story
2017 · Series
3.31997·3.3
Great Minds Think for Themselves
1997 · Series
9.02021·9.0
Face à face pour l'Élysée
2021 · Series
8.42022·8.4
The U.S. and the Holocaust
2022 · Series
8.02013·8.0
The Ultimate Guide to the Presidents
2013 · Series

2022
Hungry For Answers
2022 · Series
8.02024·8.0
In the boots of Lucky Luke
2024 · Series

2019
The Future of America's Past
2019 · Series

2007
L'Histoire de New-York
2007 · Series
Picked for you
6.51988·6.5
American Experience
1988 · Series
6.52016·6.5
The Circus
2016 · Series
7.12020·7.1
History 101
2020 · Series
8.02012·8.0
The Men Who Built America
2012 · Series
8.02005·8.0
Doctor Who Confidential
2005 · Series
7.02020·7.0
The New York Times Presents
2020 · Series
7.72001·7.7
How It's Made
2001 · Series
7.11986·7.1
American Masters
1986 · Series
8.32026·8.3
World War II with Tom Hanks
2026 · Series
6.71987·6.7
Biography
1987 · Series
7.62021·7.6
1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything
2021 · Series
8.82010·8.8
Mysteries at the Museum
2010 · Series
6.42018·6.4
Eli Roth's History of Horror
2018 · Series
7.41983·7.4
Natural World
1983 · Series
7.52006·7.5
How Do They Do It?
2006 · Series
6.02020·6.0
The Witcher: A Look Inside the Episodes
2020 · Series
7.61994·7.6
Baseball
1994 · Series
7.72011·7.7
The Story of Film: An Odyssey
2011 · Series
7.41997·7.4
Antiques Roadshow
1997 · Series
6.12010·6.1
Top Gear
2010 · Series