This Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks that forever changed the course of U.S. history. That fateful day spawned boundless destruction and devastation that will never be forgotten.
To help you commemorate the lives lost, we’ve compiled this list of upcoming 9/11 programming airing and streaming this week, all of which chronicles one of America’s darkest days. From special news programming, to documentaries, docuseries and more, journalists and filmmakers of all kind are highlighting the day’s tragic events, showcasing the resiliency of a bruised nation and the fortitude of Americans who have learned to carry on.
Our curated list below includes a smorgasbord of content airing on broadcast TV, cable and various streaming services, some of which can be watched right now. The week’s programming includes Discovery+’s No Responders Left Behind — which features Jon Stewart’s commendable efforts to get first responders the financial support and medical care they were promised — and Apple TV+’s 9/11: Inside the President’s War Room documentary, which explores the events through the eyes of former President Bush and his closest advisors.
In addition, CNN hosts the Shine a Light tribute concert, and Spike Lee wraps up his NYC Epicenters docuseries. Plus, there are heaps of other offerings from Paramount+, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, Netflix and many more. For full details of what’s airing and when, scroll down.
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NOW STREAMING
Image Credit: 'Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror'/Courtesy of Netflix 9/11: Inside the President’s War Room (Apple TV+) | This documentary explores the events of September 11, 2001 through the eyes of President Bush and his closest advisors, as they detail the crucial hours and key decisions from that historic day. (Available to watch on September 11 for free in honor of the tragedy’s 20th anniversary.)
9/11: One Day in America (Hulu) | This six-part series re-lives the day’s events through first-person narratives of first responders and survivors.
NYC Epicenters 9/11 -> 2021 ½ (HBO Max) | Produced and directed by Spike Lee, this four-part series deep-dives into New York’s greatest challenges from the last two decades, sharing stories, memories and insights from eyewitnesses who lived through it all. (First three episodes now available on HBO Max; series finale airs Saturday, Sept. 11 at 10 pm on HBO.)
Reporting 9/11 and Why It Still Matters (Wondrium) | This two-hour doc provides a definitive account of what journalists encountered at the attack sites, traveling with President Bush aboard Air Force One, reporting from the anchor desk, at New York’s Ground Zero, at the Pentagon, and in the fields of Shanksville, Penn. following the crash of United Flight 93; features first-person accounts from Tom Brokaw, Scott Pelley, Byron Pitts, Dana Bash, Barbara Starr, Savannah Guthrie and more.
Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (Netflix) | This five-episode series documents the 9/11 terrorist attacks from Al Qaeda’s roots in the 1980s to America’s forceful response, both at home and abroad.
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
Image Credit: 'Rebuilding Hope: The Children of 9/11'/Magnolia Network/Discovery+ screenshot 3:00 am Rebuilding Hope: The Children of 9/11 (Discovery+/Magnolia Network) | This new documentary chronicles the past two decades of four children who were born after their fathers died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
9:00 pm America After 9/11 (PBS) | This two-part Frontline special examines the U.S. response to the terrorist attacks, and the devastating consequences it had across three presidencies, from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to the Jan. 6 insurrection.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
Image Credit: 'Women of 9/11'/ABC screenshot 9:00 pm Too Soon: Comedy After 9/11 (Vice TV) | Comedians and entertainers discuss the state of comedy in the turbulent wake of the terrorist attacks, and how comedy can be used to unite and heal a nation; David Cross, Janeane Garofalo, Marc Maron, Matthew Broderick, Aasif Mandvi, Sarah Silverman, Nathan Lane, Gilbert Gottfried, Cedric the Entertainer, Chris Kattan, Lewis Black and more appear.
9:00 pm Women of 9/11: A Special Edition of 20/20 With Robin Roberts (ABC) | This two-hour special looks at some of the women whose lives were forever changed on Sept. 11, 2001, including the last survivor pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center.
10:00 pm Memory Box: Echoes of 9/11 (MSNBC) | A set of eyewitnesses tells the story of Sept. 11 by recording testimonials in a small video booth in the months following the attacks; 20 years later, those same sources reflect on the past two decades.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
Image Credit: 'No Responders Left Behind'/Courtesy of Faye Murman, Discovery+ 3:00 am The 26th Street Garage: The FBI’s Untold Story (Paramount+) | Learn the untold story of how the FBI evacuated its New York headquarters, and transformed a parking garage into a new command center shortly after the attacks. There, the agents questioned whether the attacks could have been prevented, and re-wrote the rules for counter-terrorism operations forever; Tom Selleck (Blue Bloods) narrates.
3:00 am No Responders Left Behind (Discovery+) | This new documentary centers around many of the first responders who were on the scene in New York City that fateful day; Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) tirelessly fights to get the brave men and women the financial support and medical care they were promised.
9:00 pm CIA vs. Bin Laden: First In (Reelz) | CIA leaders who played critical roles in the hunt for Osama Bin Laden offer their accounts of how the search went down. (Encores Sept. 11 at 7 pm and 10 pm.)
11:00 pm Remembering 9/11: Reflections From Those Forever Changed (Start TV Network) | This hour-long special recalls intimate stories of women who were forever changed as a result of the attacks, and honors the lives of those lost, as loved ones continue to keep their memories alive. (Encores Saturday, Sept. 11 at 8:00 am.)
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Image Credit: '9/11: The Legacy'/History Channel/YouTube screenshot 3:00 am I Can Hear You: President Bush at Ground Zero (Stream on Fox Nation) | This documentary focuses on former President George W. Bush’s visit to ground zero and how his impromptu speech there became an important part of America’s response to the attacks; Martha McCallum hosts.
7:00 pm 9/11: The Legacy (History Channel) | This hourlong program focuses on the children, now adults, whose lives were impacted by the events of 9/11.
8:00 pm The Race Against Time: The CIA and 9/11 (CBS) | This two-hour doc traces the agency’s greatest failure (failing to prevent the attacks) and success (tracking down Osama bin Laden).
8:00 pm Rise and Fall: The World Trade Center (History Channel) | Those directly affiliated with the Twin Towers are interviewed, including those who helped create and construct them, and those who ultimately survived their terrible destruction on 9/11.
8:00 pm Return of the Taliban: A Vice Special Report (Showtime) | The one-hour special details the current Taliban takeover in the war-torn Afghanistan, including a deeper look inside the U.S. military’s withdrawal, and the militant group that seized control after.
9:00 pm 20/20 Specials (ABC) | David Muir (World News Tonight) reports on how the events of Sept. 11, 2001 forever changed the world; then at 10 pm, Diane Sawyer unites the children of nearly 40 families who lost fathers in the attacks to showcase their resiliency and hope.
9:00 pm Detainee 001 (Showtime) | The mysteries that led a young American man to become known as the “American Taliban” are explored, including what led him to fight alongside the people who were supposed to be his enemy in Afghanistan.
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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
Image Credit: Courtesy of HBO 7:00 pm Shine a Light: 9/11 Tribute Concert (CNN) | Artists unite to pay tribute to the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001; H.E.R., Brad Paisley and Common perform; Jake Tapper hosts.
8:00 pm 9/11: Fifteen Years Later (CNN) | In this minute-by-minute portrayal of the World Trade Center attacks, two filmmakers document the heroic rescue efforts throughout the day, filming the collapse of both towers, even from inside Tower One as it began to fall.
8:00 pm 9/11: Four Flights (History Channel) | Marking 20 years since the 9/11 terror attacks, this two-hour special focuses on the four flights that took off that morning, telling the stories of those on board and the loved ones they left behind.
10:00 pm The 9/11 Classroom: Front Row to History (CNN) | Victor Blackwell documents the events of 9/11 through the eyes of the second grade students, their teacher and the former White House aides who were in the classroom with President George W. Bush when he was told about the terrorist attacks.
10:00 pm 9/11: I Was There (History Channel) | This film features the footage captured by a dozen ordinary people who chose to pick up their cameras that day.
10:00 pm NYC Epicenters 9/11->2021 1/2 (HBO) | In the finale of Spike Lee’s four-part docuseries, the city is united in grief in the wake of 9/11; the impact of the tragedy is explored through the health problems of first responders, and the persecution of Sikhs and Muslims following; New Yorkers reflect on the hardships the city has faced.
