Latest Gates’ Series: Nothing Fresh Here?
Brian Lowry writes: ‘PBS continues to give Henry Louis Gates Jr. an enviable platform to delve into African-American history, and the Harvard professor keeps delivering interesting but ultimately uninspired results. His latest journey, “The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross,†which premieres tonight, spans 500 years over six one-hour chapters, without bringing much fresh or new perspective to the undeniably rich material. In theory, it’s an appropriate use of public TV’s time and resources, but as told through an imperfect messenger, it falls well short of the service’s finest documentary fare.’
