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The United States of Television: America in Primetime

Alan Yentob

Michael Kenneth Williams

Hugh Laurie

Alan Alda

Gillian Anderson

Dennis Franz

Tim Kirby

Janet Lee

The United States of Television: America in Primetime: Episode 4: The Crusader

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Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

The Crusader

Episode 4

Episode 4: The Crusader

BBC Two - The United States of Television: America in Primetime, The Crusader

A look at TV heroes and the often slender line that separates them from the villains.

Exploring the social history of America through its primetime television. Alan Yentob looks at heroes and the often slender line that separates them from the villains.

Alan Yentob concludes the series with a look at the crusading heroes who seek truth, protect the innocent and do the right thing - the cops, the cowboys, the doctors and the spooks.

The line separating the hero from the villain has often been a fine one in American history, and the ambiguities that lie at the heart of heroism have inspired some of primetime's most popular and long-running shows, including MASH, The X Files, 24, NYPD Blue and The Wire.

From the white-hat versus black-hat pieties of the 1950s to the gritty dilemmas of the post 9/11 world, this episode talks to the stars, creators, writers and producers who have tried to 'do the right thing' for audiences. There are interviews with Hugh Laurie (House), Alan Alda (Hawkeye in MASH), Gillian Anderson (Scully in The X-Files), Dennis Franz (Sipowicz in NYPD Blue) and Michael K Williams (Omar in The Wire).

BBC Two

Knowledge, drama, comedy and the arts for a broad adult audience.

BBC Two is a lively channel of depth and substance, carrying a range of knowledge-building programming complemented by great drama, comedy and arts.

Alan Yentob presents a series documenting the history of primetime television in America.

Alan Yentob presents a series documenting the history of primetime television in America, from the age of mass television in the 1950s to the present.

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The United States of Television: America in Primetime

Episode 4: The Crusader

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