Prohibition: Thirteen Years that Changes America

A defining social experiment that reshaped modern America

At midnight in 1920, a single piece of legislation set off a chain reaction that would transform a nation. This three-hour series takes that moment as its starting point, expanding it into a sweeping exploration of Prohibition not as a backdrop of folklore, but as a radical and far-reaching attempt to control behaviour, morality and power at a national scale.

Drawing on years of research and an extraordinary range of first-hand testimony, the series builds a richly layered portrait of a country in flux. From political lobbying and moral campaigning to organised crime and institutional corruption, it brings together competing forces into a single, coherent narrative — revealing how the 18th Amendment reshaped attitudes to authority, gender, class and power in ways still felt today.

What defines the project is the scale and originality of its storytelling. Combining rare archive, nationwide location filming and one of the last opportunities to capture eyewitness accounts from those who lived through the era, the series creates an immersive historical record that is both immediate and expansive. These voices — from law enforcers and journalists to bootleggers and high-society insiders — transform history into lived experience, offering perspectives rarely seen on screen.

Narrated by Ed Asner, and accompanied by an original 1920s jazz soundtrack and a companion book, the project extends beyond the screen into a multi-platform exploration of the period.

Ambitious in scope and execution, the series challenges accepted narratives and reveals the true scale and consequences of a moment that continues to shape modern society.