THE U.S. AND THE HOLOCAUST

Viewers are bound to be shocked while watching Ken Burns' three-part, six-hour look at The U.S. and the Holocaust, an American tragedy that played out against a distant, victorious World War II. But the gasps may have less to do with seeing somewhat familiar concentration camp images and more with taking in historical facts uncovered through time and dogged research.

Premieres Sunday, Sept. 18, 8/7c, PBS (check local listings at pbs.org]

"Many of us think we understand the Holocaust," says Sarah Botstein, who codirected and produced the series with Burns and Lynn Novick. "But many Americans don't understand the deep-seated seeds of American antiSemitism and how that dovetails with... the persecution of Jews of Europe."