Ken Burns set the standard for historical documentaries, starting with 1990’s The Civil War, which “forever changed the medium,” according to the Peabody Board of Jurors, which has honored the auteur four times. His latest project on the Vietnam War airs Sunday on PBS.

Almost 40 million people saw at least part of The Civil War when the multipart Ken Burns documentary premiered in September 1990, making it the most-watched PBS broadcast ever. It’s still the record holder, and it’s coming back this Monday, September 7, for a special anniversary encore on PBS.

Two things will be different.

First, what viewers will see over the course of five consecutive nights is a newly restored, high-definition version of the series. “The Civil War has never been seen in such visual clarity,” said Daniel J. White, who oversaw frame-by-frame rescanning of 50,000 feet of the original 16mm film negative. “The colors are brighter and you will see more details in the images.”

Second, the political climate in our country is dramatically more polarized. In 1990, The Civil War was embraced almost universally by viewers, regardless of region, its horrifying images, vintage letters read aloud and wistful theme music touching off a long-delayed period of mourning and reflection. Its grand encore is coming at a time when some Southern legislators have made secession threats and the belated removal of a Confederate flag from the South Carolina state house – this in reaction to a white supremacist’s shooting rampage at a black church – ignited a bitter debate about the meaning of that flag and even the causes of the war.

With this climate in mind, we interviewed Ken Burns about his Peabody-winning series.

Read the full interview here.