MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

TV series
Poster for Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

1997 · 1 season

A stately, thoughtful historical portrait that asks you to sit with the contradictions of a founding figure.

Created by
Ken Burns
Genres
Documentary
Starring
Sam Waterston, Blythe Danner, Gwyneth Paltrow
Overview
The complex life of Thomas Jefferson, who wrote that "all men are created equal" yet owned slaves, is recounted by master filmmaker Ken Burns in this probing documentary. Covering Jefferson's diplomatic work in France, his two presidential terms, his retirement at Monticello and more.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: Thomas Jefferson

You have no lists yet. Name one, and this title goes into it.

All your lists

Stream in the UK
  • PBS America Amazon Channel
More options Data from JustWatch
Created by
Ken Burns
Genres
Documentary
Starring
Sam Waterston, Blythe Danner, Gwyneth Paltrow
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
    Pacing
    measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
    Attention
    engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
    Themes
    • power
    • freedom
    • race
    • identity
    • morality
    Places
    None
    Era
    period
    Audience
    adult
    Form
    • documentary
    • true story
    • serialised
    Content intensity
    • Gore none
    • Language none
    • Violence mild
    • Sex mild
    All scales, 0 to 10
    Scales, 0 to 10
    ScaleValue0 to 10
    Action2
    Horror0
    Humour2
    Realism10
    Romance2
    Tension3
    Darkness5
    Complexity7
    Emotional weight6

    More like this

    Titles like Thomas Jefferson

    TV series

    The American Revolution

    2025

    A stately, introspective history that asks you to sit with the human cost of a founding myth.

    Same writer: Geoffrey C. Ward · About power and freedom · documentary

    Also
    Same writer: Geoffrey C. Ward
    Via
    • power
    • freedom
    • documentary
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Seasons
    1
    Details
    The American RevolutionHidden from your suggestions.
    TV series

    Country Music

    2019

    A patient, affectionate history lesson that unfolds like a long conversation, rich with music and memory.

    Same director: Ken Burns · About race and identity · documentary

    Also
    Same director: Ken Burns
    Via
    • race
    • identity
    • documentary
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Seasons
    1
    Details
    Country MusicHidden from your suggestions.
    TV series

    American Experience

    1988

    Sober, well-researched storytelling that makes the past feel immediate and consequential, rewarding patient viewers with context and quiet gravity.

    Same writer: Geoffrey C. Ward · About power and identity · documentary

    Also
    Same writer: Geoffrey C. Ward
    Via
    • power
    • identity
    • documentary
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Seasons
    37
    Details
    American ExperienceHidden from your suggestions.
    TV series

    Baseball

    1994

    A leisurely, affectionate history lesson that unfolds like a long conversation with old photographs and voices, rewarding patience with a deep sense of American nostalgia.

    Same director: Ken Burns · About race and identity · documentary

    Also
    Same director: Ken Burns
    Via
    • race
    • identity
    • documentary
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    engaged
    Seasons
    1
    Details
    BaseballHidden from your suggestions.
    TV series

    Thomas Jefferson

    2025

    A stately, talking-heads history lesson that asks you to sit up and pay attention to a complicated founding figure.

    About power and freedom · documentary

    Via
    • power
    • freedom
    • documentary
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Seasons
    1
    Details
    Thomas JeffersonHidden from your suggestions.
    TV series

    Prohibition

    2011

    A sweeping, thoughtful history lesson that makes a familiar era feel vivid and morally complicated.

    Same creator: Ken Burns · About power and morality · documentary

    Also
    Same creator: Ken Burns
    Via
    • power
    • morality
    • documentary
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Seasons
    1
    Details
    ProhibitionHidden from your suggestions.
    TV series

    Benjamin Franklin

    2022

    A stately, voice-driven history lesson that moves at a calm documentary pace, rich in letters and period detail, more illuminating than gripping.

    Same director: Ken Burns · About freedom and identity · documentary

    Also
    Same director: Ken Burns
    Via
    • freedom
    • identity
    • documentary
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Seasons
    1
    Details
    Benjamin FranklinHidden from your suggestions.
    TV series

    The American Experiment

    2026

    A sober, sweeping history lesson that mixes archival narration with reenactments, rewarding attention with context and ideas rather than spectacle.

    About power and freedom · documentary

    Via
    • power
    • freedom
    • documentary
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Seasons
    1
    Details
    The American ExperimentHidden from your suggestions.
    TV series

    Jazz

    2001

    A stately, affectionate stroll through photographs and horns, rich with music and history, rewarding patience with deep immersion.

    Same director: Ken Burns · About race and identity · documentary

    Also
    Same director: Ken Burns
    Via
    • race
    • identity
    • documentary
    Pacing
    slow-burn
    Attention
    engaged
    Seasons
    1
    Details
    JazzHidden from your suggestions.
    TV series

    The Roosevelts: An Intimate History

    2014

    A stately, absorbing historical portrait that moves slowly through a century of public and private lives, rich in archival detail and quiet emotional force.

    Same writer: Ken Burns · About power and identity · documentary

    Also
    Same writer: Ken Burns
    Via
    • power
    • identity
    • documentary
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Seasons
    1
    Details
    The Roosevelts: An Intimate HistoryHidden from your suggestions.
    TV series

    The West

    1996

    A slow, thoughtful historical documentary that feels like a somber, sweeping lesson in American myth and reality.

    Same writer: Geoffrey C. Ward · About identity · documentary

    Also
    Same writer: Geoffrey C. Ward
    Via
    • identity
    • documentary
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Seasons
    1
    Details
    The WestHidden from your suggestions.
    TV series

    Henry David Thoreau

    2026

    A thoughtful, unhurried portrait that makes a historical figure feel urgent and human.

    Same creator: Ken Burns · About freedom and identity · documentary

    Also
    Same creator: Ken Burns
    Via
    • freedom
    • identity
    • documentary
    Pacing
    measured
    Attention
    engaged
    Seasons
    1
    Details
    Henry David ThoreauHidden from your suggestions.

    Where to watch in the UK

    Stream
    • PBS America Amazon Channel
    Buy
    • Amazon Video

    Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

    Details

    Genres
    documentary
    Created by
    Ken Burns
    Written by
    Geoffrey C. Ward
    Starring
    Sam Waterston, Blythe Danner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ossie Davis, Michael Potts, Gore Vidal, George Will
    Length
    1 seasons, 2 episodes, 90 min each
    Network
    PBS
    Country
    United States of America
    Languages
    English

    TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata