Plot Synopsis

FRONTLINE presents compelling and engaging documentaries that explore the stories and issues of our times -- from foreign affairs to family matters, social issues to criminal justice, and politics to the press -- offering in-depth, intelligent and objective investigations of contemporary life. FRONTLINE has built a reputation for powerful reporting that tackles the tough, controversial, and complex stories that shape our times. From Martin Smith's probe into the decisions leading to the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, to Michael Kirk's investigation of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib; from Ofra Bikel's examination of America's racial divide over the O.J. Simpson verdict, to special reports like "The Age of AIDS" and provocative journeys like Hedrick Smith's search for the answer to the question, "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?"

FRONTLINE returned for its 38th season on Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at 10pm on PBS (check local listings). The two-hour season premiere, "The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia," takes a look at the Saudi Crown Prince's vision for the future, his handling of dissent, and his ties to Jamal Khashoggi's murder -- one year since the murder of the journalist.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PBS will premiere two special FRONTLINE episodes:

"Putin's Attack on Ukraine: Documenting War Crimes" (Premiere TBA): From award-winning director Tom Jennings, producer Annie Wong, Associated Press investigative reporter Erika Kinetz and colleagues at the AP, this documentary is part of a major reporting effort investigating the evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine and the ongoing pursuit of justice. The film draws on first-hand reporting inside Ukraine since the earliest days of the war, as well as on a multi-platform journalism initiative called "War Crimes Watch Ukraine" that has been gathering, verifying, and comprehensively cataloging potential war crimes. Against the backdrop of the Ukraine war, the film traces a pattern of Russian atrocities across previous conflicts and exposes the challenges of trying to hold Russia to account.

"20 Days in Mariupol" (Premiere TBA): An extraordinary, one-of-a-kind view of the Russian siege of Mariupol, as seen through the lens of Associated Press video journalist Mstyslav Chernov -- who with two other AP colleagues were the last international journalists left in the city at the time. This film is a harrowing and visceral account of Russia's invasion of the city, including the bombing of a maternity hospital, and of Chernov's and his colleagues' eventual escape.