PBS film traces making of ‘Hamilton’
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — On PBS this fall in “Hamilton’s America,” viewers get to see glimpses of the Broadway hit.
The Tony-winning musical “Hamilton” comes under the “Great Performances” microscope in the documentary film “Hamilton’s America” (Oct. 21), which includes filmed excerpts from the Broadway show.
Filmmaker Alex Horwitz documented “Hamilton” creator LinManuel Miranda’s creative process from the earliest days of the show’s creation.
“Lin had this half-baked idea it might be a concept album or it might be a show,” Mr. Horwitz said during the PBS portion of the Television Critics Association summer press tour. “I said, ‘Look, I don’t know what you’re gonna make, but let me follow you doing it.’ It’s not a behind-thescenes film, it’s a process film. I saw what he was doing to dramatize history, to musicalize history to make history alive in a way I’d never seen before. That was the hook.”
“Hamilton’s America” kicks off the PBS Arts Fall Festival, which Mr. Miranda will host.
“There are these moments when a show comes along that changes things moving forward and ‘Hamilton’ is one of those moments,” said PBS president Paula Kerger. “It’s important and a cultural treasure that will go down in Broadway history as setting a new mark.”
Other PBS Arts Fall Festival projects include a filmed version of the West End revival of “Gypsy” starring Imelda Staunton, “The Mark Twain Prize” honoring Bill Murray and “Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs” featuring the former “Good Wife” star.
Cable rebranding
VH1 Classic will become MTV Classic at 6 a.m. Monday with the rebranded network airing reruns of MTV shows from the ’90s and early 2000s, including “Daria,” “Beavis & Butt-head,” “Pimp My Ride,” “Wonder Showzen,” “MTV Unplugged,” “Laguna Beach,” “Road Rules,” “The Real World” and “Clone High.”
Locally, the network is carried on Comcast (Channel 143 on traditional systems, 144 on former Adelphia systems), Verizon FiOS TV (218), DISH Network (163) and DirecTV (366).
Channel surfing
Esquire Network renewed “Friday Night Tykes: Steel Country,” filmed in Beaver County, for an eight-episode second season. … VH1 will debut “Hip Hop Squares,” a new spin on “Hollywood Squares” executive produced by Ice Cube, this fall. … HBO renewed “Ballers” for a third season. … Reruns of “The Tudors” will air on cable’s Ovation starting Aug. 27 at 10 p.m.
Tuned In online
Today’s TV Q&A column responds to questions about “Mr. Robot,” “Royal Pains” and a WTAE personality. This week’s Tuned In Journal includes posts on “Mad TV,” Netflix’s “The Crown” and “The Get Down” and political party affiliation’s impact on TV viewing choices. Read online-only TV content at http:// communityvoices.post-gazette.com/arts-entertainmentliving/tuned-in.
Tuned In podcast has the week off.