Frontline poster

TV series

Frontline

1983TV-MA45 seasons6.6 / 10

Since it began in 1983, Frontline has been airing public-affairs documentaries that explore a wide scope of the complex human experience. Frontline's goal is to extend the impact of the documentary beyond its initial broadcast by serving as a catalyst for change.

Streaming, rental and purchase options

Where to watch in United States

Checked Jul 24, 2026

Frontline is available to stream on DirecTV On Demand in United States. You can also rent or buy it from Google Play, Amazon, and Apple TV. Use the direct links below to open the provider.

Availability and prices can change. Confirm the details on the streaming service before you subscribe, rent or buy.

Synopsis

Since it began in 1983, Frontline has been airing public-affairs documentaries that explore a wide scope of the complex human experience. Frontline's goal is to extend the impact of the documentary beyond its initial broadcast by serving as a catalyst for change.

Season 18 episodes

Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.

← Season 17

Episode 4

The Lost Children of Rockdale County

Conyers, Georgia is a prosperous bedroom community just outside Atlanta. FRONTLINE examines the link between an outbreak of syphilis among a group of its teenagers and the well-off community in which they live. The film reveals a parent's worst nightmare--children as young as fourteen naming scores of sexual partners; others telling of binge drinking, drugs and sex parties. In a series of intertwining profiles, FRONTLINE uncovers the roots of the Conyers syphilis epidemic and reveals the turbulent psychology of America's suburban teenagers.

Where to watch Frontline

Episode 8

The Killer at Thurston High

56m

FRONTLINE explores what led Kip Kinkel, a 15-year-old Oregon boy, to kill his parents and two classmates, and shoot and injure 25 others at his high school.

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Episode 14

Jefferson's Blood

1h 26m

In "Jefferson's Blood," FRONTLINE correspondent Shelby Steele and producer Tom Lennon re-examine Jefferson's life, and piece together the little that can be known about Sally Hemings. Steele and Lennon also explore the repercussions of the Jefferson-Hemings relationship for the couple's modern-day descendants, many of whom are still attempting to find their place along America's blurred color line. "[Jefferson] spawned two lines of descendants--one legitimate, one not," Steele says in the documentary. "And this bastardized part of his family would be driven by a sense of incompleteness."

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Episode 16

The Battle Over School Choice

finale

During the election year of 2000, George Bush and Al Gore battled over issues regarding education. This program explores the heated political debate over the reform of public education and investigates the spectrum of "school choice" options, from vouchers to charter schools to for-profit academies

Where to watch Frontline

Episode information updated Jul 25, 2026

More about Frontline

Cast

Jessica SavitchSelf - Host
Will LymanSelf - Narrator (voice)
Judy WoodruffSelf - Host
Reuven FrankHimself
Larry Storch
Roger StoneSelf (archive footage)
Jared KushnerSelf (archive footage)
Newt GingrichSelf

Credits

Created by
David Fanning
Written by
Neil Docherty, Ric Esther Bienstock, Michael Kirk, Mike Wiser, Rick Young

Production details

Status
Returning Series
Series type
Documentary
Episodes
854
Original language
English

Networks & production

  • PBSUnited States
  • GBHUnited States
  • FRONTLINEUnited States

Themes

investigative journalism