As the anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot nears, TV has major plans.
ABC has announced coverage that will start Jan. 2 and sprawl across the week. It will include a documentary on two streaming services – Hulu and ABC News Live.
That’s alongside other documentaries – a new one on PBS and a rerun on HBO – plus news coverage. Congressmen are talking about a Jan. 6 memorial event; Donald Trump has said he’ll have a press conference that day. Some of the TV plans include:
PBS
“Preserving Democracy: Pursuing a More Perfect Union” airs at 9 p.m. Jan. 6.
The film looks back across centuries. This was “not the first time that the democratic process was nearly overthrown,” Eric Foner, a Columbia University historian, says in a not-final version of the film.
The current era is one of the most perilous, several people argue. Margaret Hoover, a conservative commentator (and great-granddaughter of President Herbert Hoover) points to “some of the most severe hyper-partisanship in our history”; Bill Moyers, the 87-year-old journalist-commentator, calls it “the most crucial period for American democracy since the Civil War.”
HBO
The documentary “Four Hours at the Capitol” will rerun at 2:10 a.m. Jan. 5 on HBO and at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 6 on HBO2. It’s also on HBO Max.
ABC
– Jan. 2: “This Week” will focus on the event. George Stephanopoulos will interview Liz Cheney, the ranking Republican on the House Jan. 6 committee; Margaret Raddatz will examine military extremism and will re-connect with a participant she met during the riot.
– Jan. 5: “World News Tonight” and “Nightline” will include David Muir’s interview with three of the people who testified during congressional hearings – Harry Dunn and Aquilino Gonell of the Capitol Police and Daniel Hodges of the Metropolitan Police. Also, “Homegrown: Standoff to Rebellion,” a documentary by ABC News, will start airing on Hulu.
– Jan. 6: Coverage will continue through the day, from “Good Morning America” to “The View (with Bob Woodward and Robert Costa as guests) to “Nightline.” Also, ABC News Live will have coverage and will show the “Homegrown” film.