CANCER

Ken Burns and Barak Goodman present an amazingly in-depth timeline of progress and setbacks in our ongoing fight against cancer. At once scientific and deeply human, their documentary interweaves intimate profiles of its sufferers with an overview of our evolving understanding of the disease from the preindustrial age to modern-day scientific breakthroughs. Based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning book by Siddhartha Mukherjee (paperback, 571 pages), the three-part series highlights triumphs and near-miracles as well as false hopes and mistakes. Narrated by Edward Herrmann. Color and black-and-white. PBS. Total time: 360 minutes. ©2015.