PBS Gifts for the Holidays

This holiday season, PBS Distribution is offering four new products that would make great gifts for anyone that loves drama, science, history and theater.

Below we have highlighted four titles that are fan favorites and are currently available from PBS:

MASTERPIECE CLASSIC: DOWNTON ABBEY SEASONS ONE & TWO

PBS Distribution’s new limited edition set featuring season 1 and season 2 of this phenomenal program hit store shelves on October 2, 2012 in special gift-set packaging. The run time of “Downton Abbey Seasons One & Two” is 912 minutes on six discs for the DVD and five discs for the Blu-ray. The SRP for the DVD set is $59.99 and the SRP for the Blu-ray is $64.99, a 25 percent and 28 percent savings respectively from the SRP if both seasons were purchased separately. A brief synopsis of the show is below.

Welcome to Downton Abbey, the splendid ancestral home of the Earl and Countess of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern) and their daughters, who live there under the watchful eye of the Dowager Countess (Dame Maggie Smith). The household is a complicated community, with the servants below stairs as fiercely jealous of their ranks as anyone above. From the sinking of the Titanic to the First World War, the secure and ordered world of Downton is rocked as the lives of the inhabitants are shaped by romance, ambition, and heartbreak.

“Downton Abbey Season 2” was just nominated for 16 Primetime Emmy awards, one of which was for Outstanding Drama Series.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: THE PRESIDENTS

As the 2012 presidential election continues to heat up, and Americans get ready to head to the polls in November, this new collection of 11 twentieth-century biographies offers an intimate and compelling look back at the men who have shaped the modern presidency. Focusing on the intersection of public and private, character and history, these presidential biographies have captivated viewers, delighted teachers, impressed critics, and won virtually every documentary award worth winning.

Featuring “Theodore Roosevelt,” “Woodrow Wilson,” “FDR,” “Truman,” “The Kennedys,” “LBJ,” “Nixon,” “Jimmy Carter,” “Reagan,” “George H.W. Bush,” and the lastest offering from American Experience, “Clinton,” this collection provides an intimate look at many of the men who have held the highest office in the land.

“American Experience: The Presidents” is currently available on DVD. The running time of the program is 2,310 minutes. The SRP for the DVD is $99.99. The program comes on 17 discs.

SPACE, TIME AND THE UNIVERSE WITH BRIAN GREENE

This new DVD collection brings together two fascinating programs hosted by Brian Greene, professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University. Both of these programs are based on outstanding books authored by Professor Greene.

“The Elegant Universe” illuminates one of the most revolutionary theories in physics, known as string theory or superstring theory, a startling idea that proposes that the fundamental ingredients of nature are inconceivably tiny strands of energy, whose different modes of vibration underlie everything that happens in the universe. Individual episodes include: Einstein’s Dream, String’s the Thing, and Welcome to the 11th Dimension.

“The Fabric of the Cosmos” is a mind-blowing, new exploration of space, time, and the very nature of reality. Discover why empty space is not empty, at all; how our perceptions have misled us and time may be an illusion; why a hidden realm, where the seemingly impossible is possible, lies just beneath the surface of the everyday world; and how other universes – even copies of you – may exist. Individual episodes include What Is Space?, The Illusion of Time, Quantum Leap, and Universe or Multiverse?.

“Space, Time and the Universe with Brian Greene” will be available on DVD on October 9, 2012. The running time of the program is 420 minutes. The SRP for the DVD is $34.99. The program comes on four discs.

BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL

Available on Blu-ray for the first time in 2012, “Broadway: The American Musical” showcases the entire razzle-dazzle story of this uniquely American art form. Each episode explores a different era in American musical theatre, spotlighting the Broadway shows and songs that defined that period. Featuring on-camera interviews with many of the principals involved in the development of the medium, the series draws on a wealth of rare performance footage and newly-restored film clips. Hosted by Julie Andrews, the six-part series offers the best seat in the house to the greatest Broadway shows of all time.

“Broadway: The American Musical” is currently available on Blu-ray. The running time of the program is 360 minutes. The SRP for the Blu-ray is $39.99. The program comes on three discs.

Special Features: Additional Performances • More than three hours of additional interviews with Broadway composers, directors, and stars • Special Featurette: Wicked: The Road to Broadway.

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* Thank you to PBS for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*