Prohibition, a documentary series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, explores the extraordinary story of what happens when a freedom-loving nation outlaws the sale of intoxicating liquor - and the disastrous unintended consequences that follow.

This relevant cautionary tale raises profound questions about the proper role of government and the limits of legislating morality.

When America went dry in 1920, after a century of debate, millions of law-abiding Americans became lawbreakers overnight. Here are the stories of the petty whiskey-jobbers, big-time bootleggers, and brutal gangsters; the flappers who danced the Charleston in New York speakeasies; and the families who stomped grapes in basements and made moonshine in backyards. But beyond the cocktails, this is a darker story about what happens when lobbyists divide a country with wedge issues; the contempt unleashed by smear campaigns; and the perils of unfunded mandates.

By the 1930s, the "Noble Experiment" had bitterly divided the nation into wets, drys, and hypocrites. In 1933, with the country in the throes of the Great Depression, Americans had finally had enough. They rallied to repeal the 18th Amendment and put an end to Prohibition.

Special Features:

• Subtitles include English for the hard of hearing