Other "John Adams" Related Viewing

HBO's miniseries John Adams will be ending very shortly. For those who have enjoyed this miniseries and are interested in viewing other content that is related to John and Abigail Adams, there many options. This article focuses on only two of these programs. One is a movie musical and one is a documentary that originally aired on PBS's American Experience.
In 1969, a musical called 1776 premiered on the Broadway stage. The musical focuses on the founding fathers of the United States and the conflicts that arise as they attempt to break free of England's hold over the colonies. Most of the show takes place in the chamber of the Continental Congress. The lead character in 1776 is John Adams. All of the other members of Continental Congress are portrayed as well, though Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson are given more of the focus than others. Abigail Adams is not literally present, but instead appears through various fantasy sequences. 1776 ran on Broadway for close to three years and earned the Tony Award in 1969 for Best Musical.
In November of 1972, the film version of 1776 was released. Among those in the cast who were also in the original Broadway version were William Daniels (John Adams), Howard DA Silva (Benjamin Franklin), Ken Howard (Thomas Jefferson), and Virginia Vestoff (Abigail Adams). Though the film received a great amount of critical praise upon it's release, it has been somewhat overlooked over the years as far as movie-musicals are concerned. Fortunately, in 2002 Columbia Tristar released the restored directors cut of 1776, which includes sequences that were not included in the original film's release. The DVD directors cut of this film is highly recommended to anyone who either loves musicals or has an interest in John Adams.
The PBS series American Experience has covered many topics in a very distinctive manner over the years. The 2006 American Experience documentary on John and Abigail Adams is no exception to the series' continuing excellence. This documentary is very much like the HBO miniseries in that it does not just cover the better known aspects of Adams' life, such as the his role in the Continental Congress. It delves into Adams role in the years that followed America becoming an independent nation. Also demonstrated is how important of a role Abigail Adams played in his decision making throughout his life. She played a role in his life that was of greater importance than most wives of that time. He respected and appreciated her intelligence and thoughtfulness. David McCullough, who wrote the book upon which the HBO miniseries is based, is the host of this episode of American Experience.