9 Things to Expect From the Hamilton Documentary

A year after Hamilton‘s Broadway opening, people are still buzzing about the show and its famed creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Adding to the excitement, this month PBS will air Hamilton’s America, a behind-the-scenes documentary featuring the show’s entire journey—from inception to Broadway debut, and everything in between. It’ll be a wonderful all-things-Hamilton extravaganza, but here’s what you should be most excited about. —Kelly Munzenberger

1. Behind the Scenes from the Very Beginning

Filming began in 2013 two full years before Hamilton hit the Great White Way and wrapped one year into the musical’s Broadway run.

2. Historic Inspiration

The documentary will show the Hamilton cast visiting historical sites that were important to the real-life Hamilton and other Founding Fathers to better connect with the life and history of their stage characters.

3. Exclusive Performance Footage

The doc will include some never-before-seen-on-film footage of the actual show.

4. Fun Facts

You’ll be set for trivia after watching—Hamilton’s America will include some insight about Alexander Hamilton that isn’t widely known, or told in the musical.

5. Footage of Lin-Manuel Miranda at Work

Miranda’s longtime friend, Alex Horwitz, was the director of the documentary, which means he got an inside look at the play’s development and captured footage of Miranda’s creative process (like him writing original songs for the show).

6. Close-ups with the Creatives

In addition to an intimate look at Miranda’s process, the film will follow members of the whole creative team working to bring the mega-hit to life.

7. Star-studded Interviews

It’s no secret that major A-listers are serious Hamilton fans. The doc will have interviews with President Obama, former President George W. Bush, Questlove and Black Thought, of The Roots and Jimmy Fallon.

8. Input from Legendary Hip-Hop Artist Nas

The film will show Miranda interviewing esteemed rapper Nas to discuss how writing lyrics for hip hop and writing lyrics for theater can intersect.

9. New Original Music

Bill Sherman and Questlove (both of whom were producers of the Hamilton cast album) contributed some original music to the documentary.

10. #Throwback Vibes

RadicalMedia, the producers of the documentary, also worked with Miranda on his 2009 PBS documentary In The Heights—Chasing Broadway Dreams, which chronicled the underdog journey of Miranda’s first Tony-winning musical, In the Heights.