Frontline (American TV program)  Frontline is an investigative journalism program of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), producing in-depth documentaries on a variety of domestic and international stories and issues, and broadcasting them on air and online. Produced at WGBH-TV in Boston, Massachusetts, and distributed through PBS in the United States, the critically acclaimed program has received every major award in broadcast journalism. Its investigations have helped breathe new life into terrorism cold cases, freed innocent people from jail, prompted U.N. resolutions, and spurred both policy and social change. Since the program's debut in 1983, "Frontline" has broadcast for 38 seasons, producing over 708 documentaries from both in-house and independent filmmakers. The program has also produced original digital reporting and analysis, and worked to innovate the documentary form through interactive documentaries and virtual reality journalism projects. More than 200 "Frontline" documentaries are available on the program's website, with new "Frontline" documentaries made available for free online streaming at the same time as their PBS television broadcast. The program debuted in 1983, with NBC anchorwoman Jessica Savitch as the show's first host, but Savitch died later after the first-season finale. "PBS NewsHour"s Judy Woodruff took over as host in 1984, and hosted the program for five years, combining her job with a sub anchor place on "The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour" when Jim Lehrer was away. In 1990, episodes of "Frontline" began airing without a host, and the narrator was left to introduce each episode. Since 1988, "Frontline" has also aired "The Choice"—a special edition aired during the lead-up to the presidential election every four years, focusing on the Democratic and Republican candidates contending for the office of President of the United States. "The Choice 2016" is the most recent installment, aired on September 27, 2016, featuring Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The previous version aired on October 9, 2012, and featured a dual biography tracing the lives and careers of incumbent President Barack Obama and his challenger, Mitt Romney. A prior installment aired on October 14, 2008, using the same dual-biography format for Barack Obama and John McCain. The 2008 documentary, produced by Michael Kirk, generated favorable reviews from "The New York Times", which stated that the program helped viewers "gain perspective" about the "idea-oriented campaign", and "Los Angeles Times", which labeled it "refreshingly clear" and "informative".