A nation teeters on the brink of civil war in a real-life political thriller about the negotiations that led to the end of apartheid in South Africa and the release of Nelson Mandela in Masterpiece Contemporary “Endgame,” premiering Tuesday, October 27 at 8:50 p.m. on WLIW21. In the mid-1980s, no nation’s future looked as hopeless as South Africa’s. Diehard supporters of the apartheid regime were pitted against a black national liberation movement that was edging toward all-out armed rebellion. Thanks to an improbable mediator, a series of risky and secret talks began. Based on Robert Harvey’s The Fall of Apartheid, the suspenseful “endgame” to apartheid plays out as a high-stakes chess match with canny moves and countermoves in pursuit of victory.

The “Endgame” cast includes William Hurt (Damages), Chiwetel Ejiofor (American Gangster, Kinky Boots), Jonny Lee Miller (Eli Stone, Trainspotting), Derek Jacobi (Gosford Park) and Clarke Peters (The Wire). David Tennant (Doctor Who) hosts.

Watch a preview: