SERIES

Henry David Thoreau

20261 Season55m episodes1.0

Documentary

TMDB1.0

Votes1

Your rating

Runtime: 55m episodes
Genre: Documentary
Origin: US

About

Henry David Thoreau helped define modern environmentalism and nonviolent resistance, yet his life has been obscured by myth. The author of Walden and Civil Disobedience, he was brilliant but flawed, idealistic but opinionated. A writer, scientist and activist, his words resonate urgently with today’s challenges as humanity looks for ways to live in harmony with nature—and each other.

Where to watch

Region

Stream

PBS Documentaries Amazon Channel

Free

Buy

Availability from JustWatch via TMDB.

Details

Director: Ken Burns
Writing: Ken Burns
Status: Ended
First aired: Mar 30, 2026
Network: PBS
Studio: Florentine Films, Ewers Brothers Productions

Time to finish

3 hrs

3 episodes. About 1 week at an hour a night.

View on IMDb ↗

Cast

George Clooney

Self – Narrator (voice)

Jeff Goldblum

Henry David Thoreau (voice)

Ted Danson

Ralph Waldo Emerson (voice)

Meryl Streep

Various Characters (voice)

SERIES

Henry David Thoreau

20261 Season55m episodes1.0

Documentary

TMDB1.0

Votes1

Your rating

Runtime: 55m episodes
Genre: Documentary
Origin: US

About

Where to watch

Region

Stream

PBS Documentaries Amazon Channel

Free

Buy

Availability from JustWatch via TMDB.

Episodes

0 of 0 watched

E1 · Airs Mar 30, 2026 · 54m · ★ 1.0
Who Are We?
Henry David Thoreau’s early life unfolds as a changing nation struggles to live up to its ideals, while industry threatens the landscape. After attending Harvard College, he was inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson to become a writer. Then, a family tragedy deepens his bond with nature, and, disillusioned with society, he builds a cabin in the woods to live simply, deliberately, quietly — and write.
E2 · Airs Mar 30, 2026 · 57m · ★ 1.0
Being Alive
Living at his cabin at Walden Pond, Thoreau finds solace in "wild" nature and pours himself into his journal, laying the groundwork for one of two books he writes there. His two-year stay includes regular trips to town, a transformative journey to Maine, and a night in jail in protest of a government that permits slavery — experiences that redefine his understanding of freedom.
E3 · Airs Mar 31, 2026 · 1h 2m · ★ 1.0
Several More Lives to Live
After completing his two-year experiment at Walden Pond, Thoreau returns to society to test what he has learned about living responsibly. He undertakes new “experiments” as a surveyor, scientist, and abolitionist, and takes two more trips to Maine — uncovering even deeper truths about life and the world. He writes with a new urgency as a lifelong illness begins to catch up with him.

Details

Director: Ken Burns
Writing: Ken Burns
Status: Ended
First aired: Mar 30, 2026
Network: PBS
Studio: Florentine Films, Ewers Brothers Productions

Time to finish

3 hrs

3 episodes. About 1 week at an hour a night.

View on IMDb ↗

Cast

George Clooney

Self – Narrator (voice)

Jeff Goldblum

Henry David Thoreau (voice)

Ted Danson

Ralph Waldo Emerson (voice)

Meryl Streep

Various Characters (voice)

Henry David Thoreau

About

Where to watch

Details

Time to finish

Cast

If you like this

Similar

Henry David Thoreau

About

Where to watch

Episodes

Details

Time to finish

Cast

If you like this

Similar

Episodes