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Hit the Road with Peter Sagal
May 13, 2013 Leave a Comment
Constitution USA premieres 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 14. Watch the first episode online now.
By no measure is Peter Sagal a household name. But regular listener’s to the NPR quiz show “Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me!” would urge you to watch Constitution USA With Peter Sagal simply because Sagal is associated with it.
On “Wait Wait,” Sagal is masterful at making light of the week’s hard news. So who better to walk you through a four-episode series on the U.S. Constitution?
I know what your thinking; “public television, the Constitution… there’s probably some period reenactments, lots of wigs and stuff like that.” I can’t guarantee you won’t see a reenactment, but I can tell you this series focuses more on the here and now. Sagal is interested in learning how the Constitution works – and how it doesn’t – in the 21st century. And he’s going to find out by traveling the country on a Harley Davidson to visit normal people, much like yourself, to see how they employ the Constitution in their lives and work.
In the first episode, Sagal visits the family farm, albeit a medical marijuana farm, to explore federalism – a delicate balance of power between the states and the federal government that’s hard-wired for disagreement and conflict, as we’re seeing in the debate over medical marijuana dispensaries.
In coming episodes, Sagal explores several stories – ripped from the headlines – that help make sense of the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment. At the end of his travels he assess the likelihood that this 225-year-old document will survive the onslaught of partisanship and money in politics.
In all, Constitution USA With Peter Sagal is an equal balance of U.S. history and contemporary news, which should please loyal “Wait, Wait” listeners who are accustomed to testing their knowledge of today’s news. If that’s not you, at least give Sagal a chance by watching the first episode now. You just might become a fan of both shows.
