Coming in February on FRONTLINE

Share:

January 28, 2015

Death is something we will all one day face. So why is it so hard for doctors to talk about dying with their patients? And how can the medical profession better help people navigate the final chapters of their lives with confidence, direction and purpose?

Renowned surgeon and New Yorker writer Atul Gawande explored those questions in his #1 New York Times bestselling book, Being Mortal.

Now, Gawande teams with FRONTLINE on a Feb. 10 documentary that challenges us all to reexamine how we think about death and dying.

Two years in the making, Being Mortal is a provocative, powerful, and deeply personal look at how and why, in Gawande’s words, “medicine fails the people it’s supposed to help” at the end of life.

Through the intimate stories of patients, their families and their doctors, the documentary also explores what’s being done to turn the tide — and how asking the simple question, “What matters most if your time becomes short?” can help every single one of us live lives that are meaningful all the way until the very end.

Also this month, we’ll bring you a rebroadcast of our investigation into the relationship between the iconic tire company Firestone and the infamous Liberian warlord Charles Taylor — a film Fortune called “gripping,” and The New York Times praised as “an example of the reason we bother to scrutinize history.”

Here’s a closer look at our February lineup:

Feb. 3 | Firestone and the Warlord

FRONTLINE and ProPublica investigate Firestone’s secret history in Liberia.

Feb. 10 | Being Mortal

FRONTLINE follows renowned author and surgeon Atul Gawande as he explores the relationships doctors have with patients who are nearing death.

Check your local PBS listings here.


Patrice Taddonio

Patrice Taddonio, Senior Digital Writer, FRONTLINE

Twitter:

@ptaddonio

More Stories

Coming This Fall on FRONTLINE
Plus: How you can support our journalism at a critical time for public media. Read a message from FRONTLINE Editor-in-Chief & Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath.
October 1, 2025
What the O.J. Verdict & Its Aftermath Revealed About Race in America
On the 30th anniversary of a verdict that shook the U.S., revisit a seminal FRONTLINE documentary on the stark truths and lasting impact of the O.J. Simpson trial, now streaming on YouTube for the first time.
October 1, 2025
Exclusive: Iran Won't Allow Nuclear Inspections if Sanctions Are Reimposed, Says Iran’s Chief Nuclear Negotiator
In an exclusive interview with FRONTLINE, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator said the country will end its participation in international weapons inspections if sanctions are reimposed.
September 26, 2025