Six years after the COVID-19 pandemic and a bitter presidential election exposed deep divisions across the United States, a new PBS documentary returns to ordinary Americans to explore how their lives, political views and hopes for the country's future have changed.
“American Voices 2026,” a 90-minute documentary from PBS's FRONTLINE, follows more than a dozen Americans in eight states as the nation approaches the November midterm elections.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Mike Shum, the documentary revisits people first interviewed in 2020, when the pandemic, protests following George Floyd's murder and a contentious presidential election transformed American life.
The project began when Shum and emergency physician Blair Woodbury assembled approximately two dozen cinematographers to document how communities were experiencing those historic events. The filmmakers returned in 2024 — and again this year.
The participants include a central Texas doctor, an Iowa pastor, an Oregon barber, California nail salon owners and other Americans representing different backgrounds and political perspectives.
Their conversations examine economic uncertainty, immigration enforcement, the ongoing war with Iran and growing political polarization.
Rather than concentrating on candidates, campaigns or polling, the documentary explores how national events affect everyday lives and whether Americans with opposing political beliefs can find common ground.
Filmed in communities ranging from the Austin area to Minneapolis, Portland and rural Virginia, the documentary offers a longitudinal portrait of Americans confronting significant political and social changes.
"American Voices 2026" premiered October 13 and is available through PBS FRONTLINE, the PBS app and FRONTLINE's YouTube channel.
Guest:
Mike Shum is a filmmaker who explores the ways in which we perceive and define home within contexts of historical and cultural struggle.
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This interview will be recorded live Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 12:00 p.m.
