PBS will explore issues surrounding sexual harassment and assault — with an emphasis on a path forward — in a five-part series titled “#MeToo, Now What?,” scheduled to premiere in February.
The project, produced by Women in the World Media, will be hosted by Women for Women International founder Zainab Salbi. The half-hour series will seek to engage men and women “in dialogue about these difficult issues,” according to PBS, which will unveil the program as part of its portion of the TV Critics Association tour on Tuesday.
Each episode will explore the topic from a different angle. Those will include looks at popular culture’s role regarding women in the workplace, race and class, pay inequity, and constructive solutions.
Since allegations surfaced in October regarding producer Harvey Weinstein, the #MeToo hashtag, and subsequently the Time’s Up campaign, have pressed for action, amid a wave of disclosures regarding abusive behavior that has gradually filtered beyond Hollywood to media, politics and business in general.
The announcement comes at a moment when public broadcasting faces the prospect of serious budget cuts under the Trump administration. PBS officials have noted that the proposed reduction would most seriously impact stations in rural areas — many of which voted for Trump in the 2016 election — that rely on federal funding.
Women in the World is devoted to championing journalism about female leaders and role models, and will hold its ninth annual summit this April in New York.
The question of where the Time’s Up movement goes was also discussed over the weekend in a CBS “Sunday Morning” segment reported by Oprah Winfrey, asking how to channel the tide that’s been unleashed.