CNN series from Stern & Wild clients shows why the stories that made America still resonate today

Shout out to Stern & Wild filmmakers Fred Hepburn and Duncan Singh whose brilliant new series exploring the history of America’s expansion premiered on CNN on Sunday night.

An epic six-parter, THIS LAND examines how ambition, conflict and power redrew the country’s map and traces the impact of key territorial shifts on the nation’s history including the Louisiana Purchase, the westward push to California and the contest over Texas.

Reviewing the series for the Wall Street Journal, TV critic John Anderson, acknowledges the scale of the challenge of taking on 250 years of American history. THIS LAND, he writes “offers one example of how to navigate a history too unwieldy even for six compact episodes” describing it as “something of an alternative account of how America came to be, with a bit of myth-busting along the way (Davy Crockett was probably killed running away from the Alamo)”.

In a crowded field of TV specials marking the country’s 250th anniversary, what truly sets the series apart, argues Anderson, is the potential for a “sense of national continuity” fostered by the introduction of living descendants of key figures involved in the events being described. “This technique, which connects present-day individuals to historical figures (such as descendants of explorers, leaders, or indigenous, enslaved, and ambitious actors), creates a direct, tangible, and personal link to the past.” It’s a fascinating watch.

The series is produced by October Films. Fred is Executive Producer and Showrunner, while Duncan is Co-Executive Producer and directed two of the episodes. Two episodes are airing weekly on CNN on Sundays at 9pm ET/PT.

To read the full Wall Street Journal review, click here.