“Bucks County, USA,” a new five-part docuseries co-directed by Barry Levinson and Robert May, examines how political polarization during the COVID-19 pandemic transformed a suburban Philadelphia school district into a flashpoint for book bans, LGBTQ+ rights battles, and school board culture wars.
In the upcoming PBS docuseries Bucks County, USA, co-directors Barry Levinson and Robert May capture four years of intense political friction inside Pennsylvania’s Central Bucks School District.
The Bottom Line
- The Project: A five-part documentary series co-directed by Barry Levinson and Robert May, tracking four years of political turmoil in Pennsylvania’s Central Bucks School District starting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Release: Following screenings at the Sundance Film Festival, the docuseries premieres on September 20 on local PBS stations and streams via the PBS website and app.
- The Focus: Beyond the screaming matches at school board podiums, the series zeroes in on the human toll through the perspective of two fourteen-year-old best friends whose families hold opposing political beliefs.
Tracing the Flashpoint in a Crucial Swing County
Bucks County has long served as a political bellwether. Located just north of Philadelphia, it represents one of the most closely watched purple voting blocks in the perennial swing state of Pennsylvania. According to election records, the county’s political pendulum swings with razor-thin margins: Donald Trump secured the county in the 2024 presidential election by a margin of just 291 votes over Kamala Harris, while Joe Biden carried it by 17,325 votes in 2020, and Hillary Clinton won by 2,699 votes in 2016.
That delicate political balance made the region a pressure cooker when pandemic-era school closures forced families into virtual learning. What began as an advocacy effort to reopen classrooms quickly spiraled into wider cultural conflicts over school board elections, library book reviews, and LGBTQ+ student rights. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights following a complaint from the ACLU of Pennsylvania regarding a hostile learning environment for LGBTQ+ students, alongside controversies involving conservative legal group policies.
From Podcast Inspiration to Prestige Docuseries Production
The genesis of Bucks County, USA dates back to late 2021, when executive producer Jason Sosnoff listened to an episode of The Daily podcast titled “The School Board Wars.” Hearing the raw anger, fear, and distrust captured in audio clips from local meetings prompted Sosnoff and co-director Robert May to investigate the community firsthand. Filming commenced in 2022 without a partisan agenda, relying instead on long-form listening to uncover the human beings behind the political factions.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Directors | Barry Levinson and Robert May |
| Format | Five-part episodic docuseries |
| Filming Window | 2020 – 2024 (Four-year production span) |
| Primary Setting | Central Bucks School District, Bucks County, Pennsylvania |
| Premiere Venue & Date | Sundance Film Festival (Episodic section, January 28, 2025); PBS premiere on September 20 |
The directors bring significant pedigree to the project. Barry Levinson’s extensive filmography includes the Oscar-winning 1988 drama Rain Man, The Natural, and documentary projects like PoliWood, which examined the intersection of celebrity culture and presidential politics. Robert May’s previous documentary work includes Kids for Cash, investigating a Pennsylvania judicial scandal, and Lust for Gold: A Race Against Time.
Among the most compelling figures are 14-year-old middle school students Evi Casey and Vanessa Martino. While Vanessa’s father, Paul Martino, actively bankrolled a slate of conservative school board candidates in 2023—including his wife, Aarthi Martino—the two teenagers maintained a resilient friendship despite their parents’ sharply conflicting political ideologies.
The Industry Landscape and Streaming Impact of Civic Documentaries
The documentary also arrives as the local political landscape continues to shift. Following the contentious school board battles featured in the series, subsequent local elections brought notable changes, including Democrat Danny Ceisler defeating Republican Fred Harran in the county’s sheriff race, and Democrat Joe Khan winning the District Attorney’s office.
As Evi Casey noted during the Sundance Film Festival post-premiere Q&A at The Ray Theatre, building connections across partisan lines remains essential for the younger generation. Whether audiences stream the series on PBS or encounter its festival coverage, Bucks County, USA challenges viewers to look past the shouting headlines and examine the human cost of a divided public square.
How do you view the role of documentary filmmakers in covering local political flashpoints? Can long-form storytelling bridge ideological divides in communities like Bucks County, or does it risk amplifying polarization? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
