NEW Documentary From Producer of "Baseball" and "Civil War"

By Alfonso Chang  |  BwB  Entertainment Desk

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and PBS announced Tuesday a sweeping new 27-hour, nine-part series exploring what they describe as “the overlooked, underappreciated history of extremely minor details.”

Titled The History of Minutiae, the series will examine, in exhaustive depth, a collection of events, objects, and decisions widely regarded as too insignificant to matter, but now presented with the full weight, gravitas, and slow zooms typically reserved for the Civil War.

“For too long, history has focused on the big picture,” Burns said in a statement. “Battles, presidents, sweeping social movements. But what about the small things? The moments that didn’t change anything, didn’t influence anyone, and ultimately went nowhere? That’s the story we’re telling.”

According to PBS, the series will feature Burns’ signature style, including extended still-image pans, somber narration, and a haunting violin score, all dedicated to subjects described as “profoundly trivial.”

Among the highlights:

Part 2: “The Letter” — A detailed, 90-minute examination of a single envelope being addressed, sealed, and ultimately placed on a table, where it remains for the duration of the episode.

Part 4: “The Hinge” — Widely expected to be the emotional centerpiece of the series, this episode explores the evolution of a single door hinge from 1840 to 1844, featuring a 42-minute slow pan across its surface.

Part 6: “Two Minutes in June” — Historians revisit the critical period between 2:14 PM and 2:16 PM on an otherwise unremarkable afternoon, a stretch of time Burns calls “quietly uneventful, yet undeniably there.”

Part 7: “The Adjustment” — A painstaking reconstruction of a chair being moved slightly to the left, including expert analysis on whether the movement was “intentional or just kind of happened.”

Part 8: “The Pause” — A contemplative look at a man briefly considering standing up, ultimately deciding against it, in what scholars are calling “a non-decision of remarkable restraint.”

Burns confirmed that the series will also revisit several subjects multiple times, offering viewers the chance to experience the same uneventful moments from slightly different angles.

“We return to the hinge in Part 5,” Burns noted. “Not because anything has changed, but because it’s important to sit with these things.”

PBS executives expressed confidence that the documentary will resonate with audiences seeking a deeper understanding of history’s quieter moments.

“There’s something powerful about slowing down and really examining the details,” said one executive. “Even when those details are, objectively speaking, nothing.”

Early reviews have praised the series for its commitment to tone, with critics noting that the documentary “feels important,” despite covering material that clearly is not.

At press time, Burns confirmed he is already considering a follow-up project, tentatively titled The History of Waiting Around, a 19-hour series chronicling a group of individuals standing near a door, unsure of whether they are supposed to go in.

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