Series synopsis
Need to Know is an American documentary news television series that premiered on PBS on May 7, 2010. It ended on September 9, 2011. It stars Alison Stewart and Jon Meacham.
Need to Know is an American public television news program produced by WNET, and broadcast weekly on all Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) affiliate-stations in the United States. It aired from May 2010 until June 2013.
PBS stated that the show was intended to fill the public-affairs and "hard"/investigative news void left by both the one-hour Bill Moyers Journal, and the cancelled, half-hour NOW on PBS. Both departing shows had been long-running, highly rated, and critically acclaimed for thei ...
Premise
Need to Know is an American public television news program produced by WNET, and broadcast weekly on all Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) affiliate-stations in the United States. It aired from May 2010 until June 2013.
PBS stated that the show was intended to fill the public-affairs and "hard"/investigative news void left by both the one-hour Bill Moyers Journal, and the cancelled, half-hour NOW on PBS. Both departing shows had been long-running, highly rated, and critically acclaimed for their journalistic quality, and focus on issues that deeply impacted regular Americans' lives, yet went largely ignored by commercial TV news outlets. "NTK" branded itself the "TV and Web newsmagazine [that] gives you what you need to know." PBS had described the show as “a multi-platform current affairs news magazine, uniting broadcast and web in an innovative approach to news-gathering and reporting."
Cast and characters
Leading cast
Episodes
This series spans 4 seasons with 166 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 46 | May 7, 2010 | April 8, 2011 |
| Season 2010 | 34 | May 7, 2010 | December 24, 2010 |
| Season 2011 | 51 | January 7, 2011 | September 9, 2011 |
| Season 2012 | 35 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot | May 7, 2010 |
| 2 | Season 1, Episode 2 | May 14, 2010 |
| 3 | Season 1, Episode 3 | May 21, 2010 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | May 7, 2010 |
| 2 |
Afghanistan, Rewriting History in Texas, Preventing Cancer Afghanistan, rewriting history in Texas, preventing cancer. |
May 14, 2010 |
| 3 | Mexico’s drug war, pot clinics |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Foster Care, A ‘Lost Boy’ of Sudan On the eve of Sudan’s historic elections, we profile a “lost boy” who returned to aid his hometown. Plus: medicating foster kids, more “fixing America” and advice from Peter Sagal. |
January 7, 2011 |
| 2 |
Gun Control, Haiti, High-Speed Rail In light of the Arizona shooting, we revisit a story on gun rights. Also: Two Haitian children treated in Boston after the earthquake, a look at high speed rail and author Peter Bergen on al Qaeda. |
January 14, 2011 |
| 3 |
Care for Disabled Adults, Michael Vick’s Dogs, China This week, we visit with parents struggling to maintain care for their developmentally disabled adult children in the face of budget cuts. Plus: where are Michael Vick’s dogs now? And: the Amy Chua phenomenon. |
January 21, 2011 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Help wanted: New Hampshire | |
| 2 | Sexual politics | |
| 3 | Voting, power and South Carolina |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | PBS |
|---|---|
| First aired | May 7, 2010 |
| Last aired | September 9, 2011 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Status | canceled |