Iraqi cities smolder. Terrorist cells are uncovered in Europe. And US-Saudi relations enter a new and perilous phase. "There's a world out there that we desperately need to understand better," says WGBH's David Fanning, executive producer of Frontline. For more than two decades, Frontline has pushed past the sound bites to explore complex, controversial subjects commercial TV won't touch. This year, Frontline correspondent Martin Smith traveled throughout Iraq, asking what it will take to stabilize this volatile nation and accelerate the transfer of power.

Then Frontline turned its sights on the House of Saud, probing how the royal family maintains its hold in the face of rising tensions between Islam and modernity. These broadcasts are just the beginning of a conversation, Fanning says. Frontline's Web site is packed with additional research, including journals from producers in the field, interview transcripts, and streaming video of a vast archive of programs. In 2004, nearly five million people watched Frontline programs online on a range of subjects, from Is Wal-Mart Good for America? to Diet Wars. "We get thousands of e-mails from viewers who thank us for our shows," Fanning says. "But the real measure of our impact will be the cumulative audience that will find our programs over time."