America is in the midst of a pension crisis: Around half of all states haven’t saved nearly enough money to pay for the benefits they’ve promised to government workers — and the total shortage adds up to trillions of dollars. Who is responsible — and what is at stake for the country’s teachers, police, firefighters, and other public employees? The Pension Gamble goes inside America’s pension crisis, tracing how state governments have withheld pension contributions to cover shortfalls, and waged risky bets on Wall Street. FRONTLINE goes inside the volatile fight over pensions playing out in Kentucky, a state whose once-flush pension system for its police, firefighters, teachers, and other public workers is now among the worst-funded in the nation.

Gripping and eye-opening, The Pension Gamble is a must-watch look at a system in crisis, state governments’ and Wall Street’s role, and why finding solutions matters.