Apple TV+ recently announced a new docuseries that will offer a fresh look at Abraham Lincoln and what it took to end slavery in the United States.
The four-part series, titled Lincoln’s Dilemma, will premiere globally on Friday, February 18, featuring the voices of Bill Camp as Lincoln, Leslie Odom Jr. as Fredrick Douglass, and Jeffrey Wright as the series narrator. All four episodes will be available from the time of release.
Apple has described the programme, which is based on historian David S. Reynolds’ award-winning book Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times, as a 21st-century examination of a complicated man and the people and events that shaped his evolving stance on slavery.
It will feature insights from a diverse range of journalists, educators and Lincoln scholars, as well as rare archival material, aiming to offer a nuanced look at the man dubbed the Great Emancipator.
Lincoln’s Dilemma will also give a voice to enslaved people, offering a more complete view of Lincoln’s America and divides over economy, race, and humanity, and providing an underscore to Lincoln’s battle to save his country, no matter what the cost.
Eden Productions and Kunhardt Films are joining forces to produce the series. Executive producers include Peter Kunhardt, Teddy Kunhardt, George Kunhardt, Richard Pleper, Josh Tyrangiel, Jacqueline Olive (director), Barak Goodman (director), and Jelani Cobb.
Lincoln’s Dilemma is the second Lincoln-related commission by Apple TV+ recently. Earlier this month, the subscription streaming service announced its order for Manhunt, a series based on James Swanson’s book set in the aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination.
Apple TV+ seems to be expanding its factual line-up, as the new docuseries will be joining the likes of Boys State, The Velvet Underground and Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry.
If you don’t yet have Apple TV+, you can access it via the Apple TV app in any of more than 100 countries and regions. For a limited time, you can enjoy three months of free Apple TV+ if you buy and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch; otherwise, the service is priced at $4.99 a month after a seven-day trial.
