Retro Report on PBS
Making sense of the present by revealing the past. Journalists Celeste Headlee and Masud Olufani connect the present to the past through four distinct and varied stories, and New Yorker humorist Andy Borowitz adds his signature wit.
Episodes
Episode 1
Learn social media's addictive power. Discover NFL protests’ ties to 1968. See how Wall Street women fought harassment, and a python invasion. Andy Borowitz compares politics ads to cigarettes.
Episode 2
Uncover crime evidence pulled from DNA websites. See how drug rules stem from a pill’s side effects. Learn how a screen addiction cure is rooted in the past and why Americans are ambivalent about robots. Andy Borowitz objects to “no news.”
Episode 3
Learn why crime witnesses fail to act. Meet a Naval officer who transformed the military. Psychedelic drugs like LSD are back in the lab. Follow the voyage of a trash barge that persuaded us to recycle. Andy Borowitz highlights lunar hoaxes.
Episode 4
Hear how President Trump is taking on the press with a time-tested strategy. Learn the origins of vaccine fears. Discover the story behind free agency, and a law that was meant to rescue wild horses. Andy Borowitz bemoans the no-apology apology.
Episode 5
Learn how texting could reduce suicides. See why surrogate parenthood is still being shaped by Baby M. Shine a light on lead, banned but not gone. Climate help may come from the Cold War. Andy Borowitz recalls a flaming river.
Episode 6
Discover the lessons from a 1970s public housing experiment. Understand the roots of newborn testing. Explore head injuries in pro sports. See why too few people, not too many, is a problem. Andy Borowitz takes on Space Force.
Episode 7
Understand immigration controversies that echo the past. Learn the truth about a lawsuit over hot coffee. Uncover the origin of special ops. See how risks are measured after Challenger. Andy Borowitz looks at Anita Bryant’s unintended influence.
Episode 8
Discover how sex ed programs are informed by past failures. Debunk a myth about crime. Uncover the story behind new AIDS hot spots. Learn the legacy of Napster. Andy Borowitz tackles TV bullying.
Top Cast
Celeste Headlee
Herself
Masud Olufani
Himself
Andy Borowitz
Himself
