PBS: Viewers Like You. Thank You.

[Sharpie66]

I'm watching a fascinating ep of Independent Lens called My Nazi Legacy: What Our Fathers Did, in which an English descendent of Holocaust victims meets with two sons of high-ranking Nazi officials who both were in charge of regions of the partitioned Poland during the war. Each son has a different view of their fathers, one not accepting the extent of his father's crimes and the other eager to condemn his father at every opportunity. As someone who has studied the Holocaust ever since I was 12, I had never seen nor read anything from this perspective before, and I am glad I have now.

[Mumbles]

I've noticed that PBS has been taking off its shows from its iPad app pretty quickly these days. I think it's linked to some membership program by which a viewer donates $60 and gets access to a lot of older shows on their website. 

[dcalley]

Yes, it's called the PBS Passport. Free viewing of Masterpiece at the website is now available for 2 weeks after airdate; it used to be 4 weeks.

[chessiegal]

I wish Create would sell an app to watch it. I'd pay for it. My PBS market (DC/MD) doesn't carry it anymore. I guess I should contact them. Start a campaign.

[dcalley]

Whoops! '70s High School Art Project Mistakenly Valued At $50K On 'Antiques Roadshow'

[biakbiak]

I was excited to note that the 5th season of Death in Paradise is finally airing where I live!

[Sandman87]

On Sunday, May 08, 2016 at 7:30 PM, Sharpie66 said:

I'm watching a fascinating ep of Independent Lens called My Nazi Legacy: What Our Fathers Did, in which an English descendent of Holocaust victims meets with two sons of high-ranking Nazi officials who both were in charge of regions of the partitioned Poland during the war. Each son has a different view of their fathers, one not accepting the extent of his father's crimes and the other eager to condemn his father at every opportunity. As someone who has studied the Holocaust ever since I was 12, I had never seen nor read anything from this perspective before, and I am glad I have now.

There's a book on a similar topic that you might also find interesting - Children of Monsters: An Inquiry into the Sons and Daughters of Dictators by Jay Nordlinger. As you would expect from the title, it's all about the kids of various dictators and their views of their fathers.

[Automne]

On 5/9/2016 at 10:22 PM, chessiegal said:

I wish Create would sell an app to watch it. I'd pay for it. My PBS market (DC/MD) doesn't carry it anymore. I guess I should contact them. Start a campaign.

Rejoice! I saw today that Create is coming back to the DMV July 1st! It's taking the place of MPT2, so channel 480 on Verizon and 799 on Comcast.

[chessiegal]

4 minutes ago, Automne said:

Rejoice! I saw today that Create is coming back to the DMV July 1st! It's taking the place of MPT2, so channel 480 on Verizon and 799 on Comcast.

Automne - you have just made my day, week, month, possibly year!!!! I'm a generous supporter of MPT - I may up my annual donation and let them know it's specifically because of Create. My husband will be dismayed - good thing there are 3 tvs in the house. :)

[ebk57]

On 5/6/2016 at 8:42 AM, Milz said:

I watched American Masters program about Janis Joplin. Oh my.....I was in tears during her interview about her high school classmates. The pain in her voice and the pain on her face were too much for me. And it was even more painful when she was trying to make light of it.

I just watched this and "oh my" would be my reaction, too.  She was such an outsize talent, but had such a lonely life.  I had no idea she and Dick Cavett were that close.

 

In making sure I spelled Mr. Cavett's name correctly, I found this additional footage of his interview.  So sweet...

 

http://www.pbs.org/video/2365707914/

Edited June 24, 2016 by ebk57

[HelenBaby]

I watched the Janis Joplin episode about a month ago, and while I appreciate her talent, I can imagine that it must have been a real chore to be around her. I can see why, maybe, people didn't enjoy her company.

[friendperidot]

Am I the only person that watches and mostly loves the genealogy shows - Genealogy Roadshow and Henry Louis Gates, Finding Your Roots? I find most of the people on Genealogy Roadshow to be genuine and interesting, but was really annoyed with one woman on tonight's show about the Schwab family of the Schwab Pharmacy in Hollywood. She had married into the family and it's very interesting to find out about your roots and to even be interested in your spouse's family roots - my ex's family had members in camps in the US during WWII because they were German, it wasn't just Japanese - but the director kept cutting to her reactions and she just irritated me. I think she was the one who had requested the info.

I also enjoy Secrets of the Dead, I always enjoy archaeology documentaries, especially the ones searching for the "real story behind..."

I guess my favorites are always history, enjoy all that I've seen of Ken Burns, but haven't seen everything. 

I don't care much for the self help during pledge drive time, prefer the music shows, can never see the John Denver or Peter, Paul and Mary shows often enough, but I was a fan from the first time around. I like the DooWop, but agree sometimes it's just too often. Used to volunteer at the KCPT years ago, loved the auctions, didn't care for working pledge drives. Moved away about 20 years ago, don't think they do the auctions any more, too much EBay now. So now that's not a fund raising option. 

I like the Brit Coms a lot, As Time Goes By has always been my favorite, but I did love Waiting for God. I've watched Vicar of Dibley a couple of times, but it just doesn't interest me - different strokes for different folks.  

I have seen Create a couple of times, may need to pay more attention. 

[chitowngirl]

My PBS station used to show Roy Orbison-A Black and White Night a lot, but I haven't seen it in a long time. I'd love to see that one again.

[stormy]

Frontline: The Mysterious History of ISIS.

An incredibly depressing in-depth story. 

Edited July 7, 2016 by stormy

[stormy]

Fun to see Rudy Maxa back on.

Edited July 7, 2016 by stormy

[meep.meep]

On 7/4/2016 at 7:42 PM, chitowngirl said:

My PBS station used to show Roy Orbison-A Black and White Night a lot, but I haven't seen it in a long time. I'd love to see that one again.

Years ago, I was equipment manager for my town's soccer league.  I had a night where I had to organize all of our pinnies:  wash, sort by size and color, and pack by team (98 of them).  That Roy Orbison special was the only thing on TV that night.  I re-upped my membership.

[kathyk24]

This is sad news Sesame Street has fired the actors portraying Bob,Gordon and Luis. Sesame Workshop tweeted that is wasn't an HBO decision but I don't believe that.

[stormy]

PBS, your DNC coverage was awful.

Instead of letting us see and listen to the many wonderful speakers, you think it's more important to interview Chelsea's mother-in-law.

I kept coming back to see if things got better but sorry, no.

[StaceyNotStacie]

I watched The Contenders earlier this week, about candidates who ran for president but didn't win. Last week's episode was about John McCain and Shirley Chisholm. It was very interesting and I'm looking forward to future episodes. 

I also have Royal Wives at War on the DVR to watch later this week. 

[stormy]

Ken Burns hit it out of the park again with the Sharp's War. 

[Spunkygal]

I have to show some love for a recent episode of Nature about Super Hummingbirds. It was fascinating. I love hummers, have a feeder in my garden and have watched hummer nest cams on the Internet often. I learned from one nest cam that the nest is the size of a golf ball and the eggs are the size of tic-tac mints. So I knew a bit about them, but I was so impressed with the naturalists who devote themselves to learning more about these gorgeous creatures. Alejandro in Colombia floored me with his research and how he was able to capture a close up of the hummer's tongue in the tube and how it had tiny filament to aid it in slurping up as much nectar as it could. Oh, and the mating ritual fluttering and the one hummer twisting its body around to impress the female, but sadly she flew away. Another oh! The female building her nest. Wow, what an architect she was. If you like birds I highly recommend this episode.

[peaceknit]

Anyone else watching 'The Durrells in Corfu'? It is hilarious!

[meep.meep]

22 hours ago, peaceknit said:

Anyone else watching 'The Durrells in Corfu'? It is hilarious!

Me!  And I agree.

I don't really understand how she can let her son wander around with a loaded gun.  But no shootings yet.

Was this ever shown on BBCAmerica?  I'm sure that I've seen parts of it before.

[editorgrrl]

6 hours ago, meep.meep said:

Was The Durrells in Corfu ever shown on BBC America?  I'm sure that I've seen parts of it before.

My Family and Other Animals, based on the same source material, aired on Masterpiece in 2006: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/myfamily/

PS. Masterpiece has its own forum: http://forums.previously.tv/forum/613-masterpiece/

[Mumbles]

I've been enjoying The Contenders, a series on various people who have run for president. I just saw the Shirley Chisholm episode and it is disgusting how nobody has acknowledged this woman's fearless and serious campaign for president in all this talk about this historic election. This woman was the real deal back when Hillary was servicing Bill at Yale.

[peaceknit]

1 hour ago, editorgrrl said:

My Family and Other Animals, based on the same source material, aired on Masterpiece in 2006: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/myfamily/

PS. Masterpiece has its own forum: http://forums.previously.tv/forum/613-masterpiece/

Thanks, I found the other board after my OP.

[SunnyBeBe]

I was hoping to find a thread for the series called A Place To Call Home.  It's airing now on PBS, Sunday nights.  Anyone watching this? I really like it. 

[chessiegal]

2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I was hoping to find a thread for the series called A Place To Call Home.  It's airing now on PBS, Sunday nights.  Anyone watching this? I really like it. 

Doesn't a show air depend on your market, not alone if it shows at all or when? I've never heard of the show, but I watch mostly cooking and travel shows on PBS.

[dcalley]

5 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I was hoping to find a thread for the series called A Place To Call Home.  It's airing now on PBS, Sunday nights.  Anyone watching this? I really like it. 

PBS stations can vary in what they show and when. I hadn't heard of this, but one of my stations is showing it on Sunday afternoons (but of course I've missed a bunch). It is available on Acorn.tv. If I ever sign up for that I'll catch it there. Thanks for the recommendation.

[annzeepark914]

We'll mostly be watching PBS tonight (occasionally checking in with the others for numbers).  I'm hoping to avoid Bitchell, Brian Williams and Chris Matthews if I can.

[SunnyBeBe]

On 11/8/2016 at 0:31 AM, dcalley said:

PBS stations can vary in what they show and when. I hadn't heard of this, but one of my stations is showing it on Sunday afternoons (but of course I've missed a bunch). It is available on Acorn.tv. If I ever sign up for that I'll catch it there. Thanks for the recommendation.

A Place To Call Home has a flare similar to Call the Midwife. It's set in Australia in the late 1950's.  It covers controversial topics, especially for that time period. 

[TheGreenKnight]

On ‎11‎/‎7‎/‎2016 at 4:32 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

I was hoping to find a thread for the series called A Place To Call Home.  It's airing now on PBS, Sunday nights.  Anyone watching this? I really like it. 

I've seen it before via Netflix, but I was glad my PBS began to play it so I could re-watch.

Has anyone else's local PBS aired Gypsy with Imelda Staunton? It aired last night where I am, and she gave a tremendous performance. I was surprised by how small she is; I never really got that impression on film before.

[ebk57]

10 minutes ago, TheGreenKnight said:

Has anyone else's local PBS aired Gypsy with Imelda Staunton? It aired last night where I am, and she gave a tremendous performance. I was surprised by how small she is; I never really got that impression on film before

I watched that.  It was a different take on Rose than I've seen before.  She almost seemed unhinged at times.  I'm still trying to decide how I feel about it.  

[MulletorHater]

Oh, dear God  in heaven--NO!

Gwen Ifill Has Died

[annzeepark914]

This is shocking and so sad.  When Judy announced early last week that Gwen was taking some time off for a health issue, we realized that something not good was going on. But so suddenly?  She will be missed.  A good journalist and a kind person.

[dcalley]

I just saw the news and am shocked and sad.

Quote

she liked to note that she was likely the only Washington journalist covering the Department of Housing and Urban Development who had also lived in federally subsidized housing.

Quote

She recalled getting letters from readers brimming with racial slurs and, in return, receiving a grin-and-bear-it response from less-than-understanding editors.

Her brother was on Jeopardy a couple of years ago. When they announced his name I immediately wondered, and she confirmed it!

Edited November 14, 2016 by dcalley

[Bastet]

Quote

This is shocking and so sad.  When Judy announced early last week that Gwen was taking some time off for a health issue, we realized that something not good was going on.

I, too, became concerned when she took time off for health reasons again, since she'd taken a leave earlier this year.  And I knew it had to be quite serious for her to miss election night coverage.  But I still let out a gasp when I read the news. She was one of my favorite journalists, and this is a big loss (and at such an important time!).

[dcalley]

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/remembering-gwen/

[jazzpno]

RIP Gwen. Your work and professionalism will be missed.

[Bastet]

Tonight's NewsHour was difficult to get through, and not for the usual reasons it's hard to stomach the news these days.  As someone with a journalism degree from decades ago (who wound up going a different direction almost before the ink was dry for various reasons) and as someone with a desperate thirst for actual journalism in an era in which that's an increasingly precious commodity, I respected and appreciated Gwen Ifill.  To not only get a brief recap of why that was, but to hear from those who knew and loved her as a person as well -- that was a tough broadcast during a tough time.  I'm not generally one to have much more than the passing, "that's too bad" thought about the death of someone I didn't know personally, but this one is on the list of such losses that hurt.

[3pwood]

16 hours ago, Bastet said:

... I'm not generally one to have much more than the passing, "that's too bad" thought about the death of someone I didn't know personally, but this one is on the list of such losses that hurt.

She made me feel as if I did know her personally, & I'm sure I'm not the only one.  She was important because she did a good job, which was what mattered to her -- but it's even more than that for many of us, & we miss her.

[annzeepark914]

22 hours ago, 3pwood said:

She made me feel as if I did know her personally, & I'm sure I'm not the only one.  She was important because she did a good job, which was what mattered to her -- but it's even more than that for many of us, & we miss her.

What was special about Gwen was that she came across as a really nice person, someone you'd love to have for a neighbor or a friend.  I don't think you can fake that.  

[dcalley]

NewsHour just had a segment on gynecological cancers and said that Gwen Ifill had uterine (aka endometrial) cancer. There's no screening test for women with average endometrial cancer risk who have no symptoms. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/endometrialcancer/index

Edited November 17, 2016 by dcalley

[Ohwell]

I'm watching Rick Steves' 2016 Italy show and the co-host is wearing this weird hairdo.  I think her name is Patricia.  She's got all this hair on one side and I can't tell if she just cut it really short on the other side, or if it's just all swept to one side.  Anyway, I just want to grab some scissors, hunt her down, and give her a new hairstyle.

The show is entertaining though.

[Blergh]

  Globe Trekkers are a bit of hit and miss. I like them better when they explore the history, culture and cuisine of their locales but, alas, there are a few guides who can't seem to find anything but bars to venture to in different countries.

[annzeepark914]

12 hours ago, Blergh said:

  Globe Trekkers are a bit of hit and miss. I like them better when they explore the history, culture and cuisine of their locales but, alas, there are a few guides who can't seem to find anything but bars to venture to in different countries.

What ever happened to that funny host, Ian?  I stopped watching regularly when they no longer featured him and switched to a young woman who seemed (IMO) to be a bit self-absorbed.

[navelgazer]

Was there ever a critical word on The NewsHour about the putrid, superfluous, gossip-driven behavior of the corporate media during the quote/unquote campaign and the damage done by the hack to HRC?  I watched Shields and Ponnuru and nary a word.  

Edited December 17, 2016 by navelgazer

[ganesh]

They've covered it over the course of the last year. Hari I think did a piece on fake news on the last Saturday or Sunday show. Earlier in this week, Spicer was on and Judy was refuting his garbage. There's been several times when Conway was on that they pushed back against her schitck too. So I wouldn't lay it on the NewsHour. They've been spending a lot of coverage on the proposed cabinet, and they did a huge piece on Thursday about the COI for Trump.

[Ohwell]

On 12/15/2016 at 11:37 PM, annzeepark914 said:

What ever happened to that funny host, Ian?  I stopped watching regularly when they no longer featured him and switched to a young woman who seemed (IMO) to be a bit self-absorbed.

Maybe he retired?  I really liked him.  Plus, he'd eat anything!

[SmithW6079]

On 11/12/2016 at 0:28 PM, ebk57 said:

I watched that ["Gypsy"].  It was a different take on Rose than I've seen before.  She almost seemed unhinged at times.  I'm still trying to decide how I feel about it.  

I didn't care for it. "Gypsy" is one of my favorite musicals and this version just missed the mark for me. I didn't like this Rose at all.

Back in September, I watched "Royal Wives at War," about the feud between Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Wallis Simpson. At first I didn't care for the "confessionals" (as opposed to straight dialogue and action) but overall, I enjoyed it. 

"Royal Wives at War"