PBS Announces "Ken Burns Presents The Gene: An Intimate History," New Collaboration with Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., Three-Hour Documentary to Premiere Spring 2020 on PBS

PBS announced Ken Burns Presents The Gene: An Intimate History, a new three-hour documentary executive produced by Ken Burns, will premiere over three nights in Spring 2020 on PBS.  Pulitzer Prize-winning author Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., and acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns will collaborate on the new documentary inspired by Mukherjee’s best-selling 2016 book, The Gene: An Intimate History. Award-winning filmmaker Barak Goodman will produce and, in addition to Burns and Goodman, the film will largely have the same production team behind the Emmy Award-nominated CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES, an adaption of Mukherjee’s earlier 2010 book that aired in 2015 on PBS.

Ken Burns Presents The Gene: An Intimate History, much like the book, will use science, social history and personal stories to weave together a historical biography of the human genome while also exploring the stunning breakthroughs in understanding the impact genes play on heredity, disease and behavior. From the story of the remarkable achievements of the earliest gene hunters and the bitterly fought race to read the entire human genome, to the unparalleled ethical challenges of gene editing, the documentary will journey through key genetics discoveries that are some of the greatest achievements in the history of science.