PBS: Viewers Like You. Thank You.

[DanaK]

Various press releases from and around the TCAs:

New Ken Burns film on Leonardo Da Vinci to be broadcast November 18 & 19:

https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/leonardo-da-vinci-a-new-film-from-ken-burns-to-air-on-pbs-november-18-and-19-2024/

PBS announces ocean-focused programming as part of their Climate Change initiative:

https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/pbs-shines-spotlight-on-vital-oceanfocused-programming/

Leslie Odom Jr is doing Broadway play "Purlie Victorious" as part of Great Performances:

https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/broadways-purlie-victorious-starring-tony-winner-leslie-odom-jr/

PBS' science series Nova announces various 50th anniversary programming:

https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/nova-announces-50th-anniversary-activities/

PBS announces 3 part doc series "Disco: Soundtrack to a Revolution", premiering in June

https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/disco-soundtrack-of-a-revolution/

PBS Kids launches a civics content initiative for this year:

https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/pbs-kids-launches-civics-content-initiative-in-2024/

 

 

 

 

 

[DanaK]

Further tidbits from the TCAs (via reporters tweeting stuff out), either from PBS president Paula Kerger's executive session going on right now or press releases

Ken Burns will be doing a 6 part doc series on the American Revolution that will premiere in Fall 2025

PBS will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Austin City Limits this year

Kerger is asked about balancing PBS Passport, PBS' in-house streaming subscription vs the Amazon add-on and other streaming services, she said they've established a system for shows getting royalties from Amazon. On the streaming options vs local stations, Kerger said they aren't in conflict and support each other. On making deals with streamers, it's important that for instance Youtube TV and Hulu subscribers pick up local stations' live feed, directly giving local stations more audiences

Regarding investigative series Frontline's success and longevity, Kerger said there's not one really left in the space except for maybe 60 minutes

Regarding celebrity hosts and what they bring to the show, Kerger said they think carefully about who they bring in and the host is usually passionate about the subject

Asked about what PBS is doing to diversify the documentary space, Kerger said 54% of creators on current programming come from underrepresented communities

[DanaK]

New Frontline episode "Crisis on Campus" coming this Spring. It's about the crisis of hate that has exploded on campus since the Israel-Hamas conflict started

[DanaK]

The Pressroom TCA page has the various press events/discussions happening today. You can click on the press release or individual topic for more information on what's coming up in the Spring and Summer

https://pressroom.pbs.org/events/tca/winter-2024-tca-press-tour

[DanaK]

Some Masterpiece bits:

- "Moonflower Murders", sequel series to Magpie Murders, is premiering this Fall

- "Alice & Jack" is a 6 episode series that will premiere Sunday March 17 at 10pm ET. Love story over the course of 15 years that stars Andrea Riseborough and Domhnall Gleason

- "World on Fire" will  not be coming back for another season. One reason is that the BBC decided not to renew it

[ebk57]

10 hours ago, DanaK said:

Leslie Odom Jr is doing Broadway play "Purlie Victorious" as part of Great Performances:

https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/broadways-purlie-victorious-starring-tony-winner-leslie-odom-jr/

I saw this on Broadway.  It's good.  Everyone should watch!

[Shrek]

On 2/10/2024 at 9:24 AM, DanaK said:

I overlooked a new program episode for February: "Nova:  Building the Eiffel Tower", Feb 14

There looks like there's going to be some real interesting programming coming in the next couple of months plus I look forward to whatever they announce at the TV Critics press tour this Tuesday Monday

 

I thought the Eiffel tower episode was very good & well worth a watch.

[DanaK]

Highlights for March:

Frontline: "Lethal Restraints" (investigating deaths from "less lethal" force by cops), March 12

"Dante: Inferno to Paradise" (abt the great 14th century poet; by Ric Burns), 2 episodes, Mar 18 and 19

POV: "Unseen" (re-imagines the accessibility of cinema), Mar 18

"Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros" (about a French family's restaurant with 3 Michelin stars for 50 years), Mar 22 (4 hours)

Independent Lens: "Greener Pastures" (about the health care crisis in rural America), Mar 25

American Experience: "The Cancer Detectives" (the history of the fight against cervical cancer), Mar 26

"The Invisible Shield" (the efforts of public health to increase lifespans and battle disinformation), 4 episodes, premieres Mar 26 then continues in April

Scripted:

"Call the Midwife", Series 13, 8 episodes, premieres Sunday Mar 17

Masterpiece: "Nolly" (from Doctor Who's Russell Davies and starring Helen Bonham Carter), 3 episodes, premieres Sunday Mar 17

Masterpiece: "Alice & Jack", 6 episodes, premieres Sunday Mar 17

As usual, check your local listings

[DanaK]

Frontline documentary "20 Days in Mariupol" won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Film at Sunday's awards show

https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/pbs-frontline-wins-academy-award/

[DanaK]

On 2/22/2024 at 1:43 PM, DanaK said:

Highlights for March:

Frontline: "Lethal Restraints" (investigating deaths from "less lethal" force by cops), March 12

"Dante: Inferno to Paradise" (abt the great 14th century poet; by Ric Burns), 2 episodes, Mar 18 and 19

POV: "Unseen" (re-imagines the accessibility of cinema), Mar 18

"Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros" (about a French family's restaurant with 3 Michelin stars for 50 years), Mar 22 (4 hours)

Independent Lens: "Greener Pastures" (about the health care crisis in rural America), Mar 25

American Experience: "The Cancer Detectives" (the history of the fight against cervical cancer), Mar 26

"The Invisible Shield" (the efforts of public health to increase lifespans and battle disinformation), 4 episodes, premieres Mar 26 then continues in April

Scripted:

"Call the Midwife", Series 13, 8 episodes, premieres Sunday Mar 17

Masterpiece: "Nolly" (from Doctor Who's Russell Davies and starring Helen Bonham Carter), 3 episodes, premieres Sunday Mar 17

Masterpiece: "Alice & Jack", 6 episodes, premieres Sunday Mar 17

As usual, check your local listings

It looks like Frontline: Lethal Restraints got pushed in favor of a repeat and update of Boeing’s Fatal Flaw

[DanaK]

Highlights for April:

Independent Lens: "A Thousand Pines" (the hidden world of guest workers regrowing America's forests), April 1; "Matter of Mind: My Parkinson's" (3 people navigate their diagnosis), April 8; "The One with the Whale" (follows Bering Sea islanders who hunt whale for survival), April 23

"Julius Caesar: The Making of a Dictator" (3 episodes), premieres April 2

Nova: "Great American Eclipse", April 3

"A Brief History of the Future" (innovative ways to think about the future; 6 episodes), premieres April 3

American Masters: "The Incomparable Mr. Buckley" (about the conservative writer William H. Buckley), April 5

"Library of Congress Gershwin Prize: Elton John & Bernie Taupin" (special), April 8

"The Invisible Shield" continues with Part 2, April 9. Parts 3 and 4 (as well as Parts 1 and 2) can be  streamed on PBS.org

Nature: "Raptors: A Fistful of Daggers" (2 parts), premieres April 10

Next at the Kennedy Center: Season 2, Episode 4: "Ben Folds Presents: Declassified", April 12; Season 2, Episode 5: "Joshua Redman: Where Are We", April 19

Frontline: "Children of Ukraine" (looks at Ukrainian children taken to Russia during war), April 16; "Documenting Police Use of Force" (investigating deaths from "less lethal" force by cops), April 30

American Experience: "Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal" (about the 1970s Love Canal chemical disaster), April 22

"The Express Way with Dule Hill" (explores the transformative power of the arts, 4 episodes), premieres April 23

"Changing Planet, Season 3: Coral Special" (in 3rd year of 7 year project that looks at the Earth's most threatened ecosystems, examines the Maldives' coral reefs; 1 episode), April 24

"Art Happens with John Lithgow" (the transformative power of arts education), April 26

Scripted:

Masterpiece: Mr Bates vs. the Post Office (dramatization of UK Post Office scandal, 4eps), premieres April 7, plus a related documentary film set for April 28

Masterpiece: Guilt, Season 3 (final season; 4eps), premieres April 28

As usual, check your local listings

 

Edited March 29 by DanaK

[shok]

Thanks. Have my PVR now set for Elton John getting the Gershwin prize. 🙂

[DanaK]

Highlights for May:

Independent Lens: "Space: The Longest Goodbye" (Mars-bound astronauts prepare for isolation), May 6; "Tuba Thieves" (what is the role of sound and what does it mean to listen?), May 20

Nature: "Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons" (most famous bear in Yellowstone), May 8; "Saving the Animals of Ukraine", May 15; "Wild Ireland: Kingdom of Stone" (Ireland's Burren landscape), May 22

"Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story" (about a photographer's quest to document Asian American culture), May 13

Frontline: "A Dangerous Assignment: Uncovering Corruption in Maduro's Venezuela", May 14; "South Korea's Adoption Reckoning" (about foreign adoption scandal), May 28

Nova: "Secrets in Your Data" (what happens to all the data we're shedding?), May 15; "Decoding the Universe: Cosmos" (traces the ground-breaking discoveries that have transformed our picture of the universe), May 22

"Pompeii: The New Dig" doc series (biggest excavation of Pompeii in a generation; 3 episodes), premieres May 5

American Experience: "The Riot Report" (about 1967 Kerner Commission report on riots in the inner cities that gave a shockingly unvarnished assessment on US race relations and was largely ignored), May 21

Great Performances: "Purlie Victorious" (starring Leslie Odom Jr), May 24; "Rogers & Hammerstein's 80th Anniversary" (concert of their music), May 31

"National Memorial Day Concert", May 26

Scripted series:

Masterpiece: "MaryLand" (3 episodes), premieres May 5

As usual, check your local listings

 

Edited 12 hours ago by DanaK