HBO Examines President Biden's Rookie Year in Documentary

HBO debuts the documentary Year One: A Political Odyssey, about President Joe Biden's first year on the job, Wednesday, October 19. John Maggio directs.

"Bookended by Inauguration Day 2021 and the State of the Union speech of March 2022, Year One: A Political Odyssey is a front-seat account of the Biden administration's tense first year, marked by security threats both at home and abroad," said HBO. "Assuming office only two weeks after the January 6th attack on the Capitol, Biden's presidency entered the maelstrom of an ongoing global pandemic, renewed conflicts with Russia and China, and America’s international standing in decline."

The film follows the president's inner circle, taking viewers inside the White House, the State Department, the CIA, and the Pentagon, and looking at historical events, including the pandemic, January 6, the withdrawal from Afghanistan and adversarial relations with Russia and China. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February gets an examination too.

Participants in the film include Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Central Intelligence Agency director William Burns, White House chief of staff Ron Klain, special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry and former White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

Ark Media produced the film. The producers are Caroline Cannon and Caroline Pahl and the executive producers are John Maggio and David E. Sanger, with Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller on behalf of HBO. ■