This American Life Returns To Television

Sometimes the beauty of a story lies as much in the telling as in the tale itself. No one is more aware of that than Ira Glass, the creator, host and executive producer of the hugely popular, award-winning radio and television series “This American Life," which returns for its second season on Showtime this Sunday night.

Each show features a handful of real life stories centering on a single theme. What makes theses stories stand out is their ability to reveal so much with so little contrivance. The stories emerge with startling simplicity, leading to revelations that often seem to surprise even the producers themselves.

In the coming television season, a rancher refuses to believe that the clone of his favorite pet bull is different from the original animal even after it seriously injures him. A fourteen- year-old boy decides, even before he’s experienced it, that love will never be worth the pain. An Iraqi travels around the country setting up a booth with a large sign inviting people to “Talk To An Iraqi” and engaging in conversation with a variety of people including and eleven-year-old girl whose father is a soldier in Iraq. And a small town Southern politician runs his Congressional campaign with total honesty—to the point of admitting affairs, homosexual experiences, drug use and STDs.

Tonight, you can experience a rare opportunity to see “This American Life” on the big screen. In an exclusive broadcast live from New York via satellite to select theaters around the country, Glass will show previously unreleased footage, outtakes, and answer audience questions. Check the Showtime website for a theater near you.

The show, which began its life on Chicago Public Radio more than fifteen years ago and now boasts more than 1.7 listeners, airs Sunday nights at 10:00 p.m. on Showtime beginning this Sunday, May 4. It can be heard weekly on over 500 NPR stations around the country.