Benjamin Franklin explores the revolutionary life of one of the 18th century's most consequential and compelling personalities, whose work and words unlocked the mystery of electricity and helped create the United States. Franklin's 84 years (1706-1790) spanned an epoch of momentous change in science, technology, literature, politics, and government—fields he himself advanced through lifelong commitments to societal and self-improvement.

But Franklin's life was full of contradictions, and his success as a writer, printer, scientist, and statesman came at a cost to the people closest to him. His influence was unmatched in his time, and his impact remains with us today. "If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten," he said in Poor Richard's Almanack, "either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing." Benjamin Franklin did both.

Producer: Ken Burns, David Schmidt
Executive Producer: Ken Burns
Production Company: Florentine Films
Production Year: 2022
Copyright Year: 2022
Director: Ken Burns
Narrator: Peter Coyote
Actors: Mandy Patinkin, Carolyn McCormick, Josh Lucas, Liam Neeson, David Quay, Craig Mellish, Paul Giamatti, Joe Morton, Adam Arkin, Tony Beck
Writers: Dayton Duncan
Number of Discs: 2
Length: 240 minutes
Number of Episodes: 2
Rating: TV-14
Subtitled: Y
Subtitle Languages: English (SDH)
Audio Format: 5.1 Surround
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 Widescreen