ShareThisAcclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns turns his documentarian eye to the national park system in the 12-hour story "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," debuting 8 p.m. EDT Sunday on PBS.
The six-part nightly series, directed by Burns and co-produced with longtime colleague Dayton Duncan, who also wrote the script, is the story of how the park system came together, told in chronological order. The idea behind such a system was to have the special places in the nation preserved for the enjoyment of the public.
"If you turn over the rock of any national park, you find the story of a person or people," said Duncan. "Every park has a story behind it that comes down to people with a passion for the place.
The episode order:
Sunday: "The Scripture of Nature" (1851-1890). It all starts in California's Yosemite Valley, where John Muir becomes an advocate for the idea of preserving it.
Monday: "The Last Refuge" (1890-1915). Theodore Roosevelt is one of the first national leaders to support the park system as the debate about Yellowstone continues.
Tuesday: "The Empire of Grandeur" (1915-1919). A new federal agency is created to protect the parks. Meanwhile, in Arizona, a fight breaks out over its Grand Canyon.
Wednesday: "Going Home" (1920-1933). The future of the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina is a fight between lumbermen and local advocates to save the land.
Thursday: "Great Nature" (1933-1945). The national-parks idea embraces new places and a different focus. In Wyoming, the Teton Range is the center of conflict among locals.
Friday: "The Morning of Creation" (1946-1980). America's "Last Frontier" becomes a testing ground for the future of the parks idea.
Other highlights for the week of Sept. 27 to Oct. 3 (all times EDT; listings subject to change; check local listings):
SUNDAY
-- "The Simpsons" (8 p.m., Fox). In this 21st-season opener, Homer lands the lead in a superhero movie.
-- "The Cleveland Show" (8:30 p.m., Fox). Cleveland from "Family Guy" gets his own series.
-- "Family Guy" (9 p.m., Fox). Stewie and Brian travel into parallel dimensions.
-- "Desperate Housewives" (9 p.m., ABC). A family with a dark past moves onto the block. Again.
-- "Dexter" (9 p.m., Showtime). The serial killer takes a bride and her kids as he assumes a new role.
TUESDAY
-- "The Hills" (10 p.m., MTV). The second half of season five picks up, with troublemaker Kristin Cavallari joining the cast.
WEDNESDAY
-- "Bank of Mom and Dad" (10 p.m., SoapNet). This reality show follows broke young adults who move back into their parents' home.
FRIDAY
-- "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (8 p.m., Cartoon Network). A new breed of villainy is introduced.
-- "Diet Tribe" (9 p.m., Lifetime). Groups of friends promise to support each other as they lose weight together.
(E-mail Terry Morrow of The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee at morrow2(at)knews.com.)
TV HILIGHTS
