What follows is the upcoming programming line-up for this fall on PBS:
MUHAMMAD ALI
Premieres: Sunday, September 19 – Wednesday, September 22, 8:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/muhammad-ali/
A portrait of one of the best-known and most indelible figures of the 20th century, a three-time heavyweight boxing champion who insisted on being himself unconditionally and became a global icon and inspiration to people everywhere. Directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon.
NOVA “The Cannabis Question”
Premieres: Wednesday, September 29, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/nova/
Explore the story of cannabis in the U.S., as 55 million Americans say they currently use cannabis, and that number is expected to grow with voters pushing for legalization in more and more states. From the criminalization that has disproportionately harmed communities of color to the latest medical understanding of the plant, see what risks cannabis may pose to the developing brain, how much we know about its potential medical benefits and the race to understand its long-term health consequences.
CALL THE MIDWIFE Season 10
Premieres: Sundays, October 3 – November 21, 8:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/call-the-midwife/
It’s 1966, and it’s a testing time for the midwives. But there’s excitement, too, as the women’s rights movement intensifies. With Trixie’s help, Sister Julienne is determined to steer Nonnatus House out of its financial quandary. Dr. Turner deals with an array of difficult cases including a former soldier involved in nuclear test explosions. Sister Monica Joan experiences a crisis of faith. Sister Frances realizes she needs to be a little less spiritual if she’s to really connect with the local women.
POV “Fruits of Labor”
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH PROGRAM
Premieres: Monday, October 4, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/pov/
Ashley, a Mexican American teenager, dreams of graduating high school, but increased ICE raids in her coastal California community threaten the family’s stability since her mother is undocumented. A co-production of POV and Latino Public Broadcasting, co-presented by POV and VOCES.
AMERICAN MASTERS “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It”
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH PROGRAM
Premieres: Tuesday, October 5, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/american-masters/
Discover how Moreno defied her humble upbringing and racism to become one of a select group of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award winners. Explore her 70-year career with new interviews, clips of her iconic roles and scenes of the star on set today.
GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET “Three Divas at Versailles”
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH PROGRAM
Premieres: Friday, October 8, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/great-performances/
Enjoy sopranos Ailyn Pérez, Nadine Sierra and mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as they join forces at one of Europe’s cultural landmarks to perform favorite arias including “Voi che sapete” from Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” and more.
FRONTLINE “American Reckoning” (w.t.)
Premieres: Tuesday, October 12, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/frontline/
Emmett Till, James Chaney, Medgar Evers and four little girls from Birmingham — these are the stories we know. But the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act lifted the veil on many more victims of racially motivated violence for whom there still has been no justice. The federal legislation mandated that the Justice Department and the FBI investigate and, when possible, prosecute unsolved civil-rights-era murders, and it gave families new hope after years of disappointment. But since the Act was passed, the Justice Department has made no new indictments, and has closed the majority of cases of 151 known victims, leaving open wounds, and perpetuating a sense of injustice. In partnership with RetroReport, American Reckoning is the story of one of those cases, the killing of NAACP leader Wharlest Jackson in Natchez, Mississippi in 1967, a family’s search for answers, and the history and limits of a federal effort to right wrongs in our country’s past.
AMERICAN VETERAN
Premieres: Tuesdays, October 26 – November 16, 9:00 p.m. ET
America has 18 million living veterans, from the “Greatest Generation” to Afghanistan and Iraq vets. Told exclusively through veterans’ voices, AMERICAN VETERAN presents their experiences in a four-part TV series, an eight-part podcast and a 10-part digital series. Hosted by U.S. military veterans Drew Carey, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, J.R. Martinez and Wes Studi.
INDEPENDENT LENS “Ferguson Rises”
Premieres: Monday, November 8, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/
Explore the depths of the aftermath and protests following Michael Brown Jr.’s killing through a wide range of community members: from Black and white residents to police officers, to business owners and those who chose to say “enough is enough” by taking to the streets for a record 400 days straight. This varied chorus of perspectives is interwoven with an intimate portrayal of a Black father’s grief and resilience that bears witness to the human capacity to find purpose within pain.
CULTURE, DOCUMENTARY & HISTORY
FUTURE OF WORK
Premieres: Wednesdays, September 1-15, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/future-work/
Explore monumental changes in the workplace and the long-term impact on workers, employers, educators and communities. Employment is part of the American Dream. Will the future provide opportunities for jobs that sustain families and the nation?
FRONTLINE “America After 9/11”
Premieres: Tuesday, September 7, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/frontline/
On September 11, 2001, an attack carried out by 19 hijackers changed the course of history. Wars were launched, the world’s geopolitical order scrambled, and long-held American principles were compromised out of fear of another attack. America’s response to that tragic day not only transformed the Middle East, but fundamentally altered America itself. Now on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, see how four presidents responded to that fateful day and the fear it unleashed. From the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to the January 6 insurrection, learn how the events on one September morning changed everything.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Sandra Day O’Connor: The First”
Premieres: Monday, September 13, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/
Discover the story of the Supreme Court’s first female justice. A pioneer who both reflected and shaped an era, she was the deciding vote in cases on some of the 20th century’s most controversial issues—including race, gender and reproductive rights.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Citizen Hearst”
Premieres: Monday, September 27 & Tuesday, September 28, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/
Explore the life of William Randolph Hearst, who, by the 1930s, controlled a vast media empire, achieving unprecedented power. A man of prodigious appetites, he was the model for Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane and conducted a decades-long extramarital affair with actress Marion Davies. By the time he died, he had transformed the role of media in American life and politics.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS “Jimmy Carter”
Premieres: Tuesday, September 28, 8:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/their-own-words/
Hear the inspiring story of a long-shot outsider who fought his way to the top office in the world, beat the odds against him again and again, and never looked back in his quest to better the lives of millions.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS “Elon Musk”
Premieres: Wednesday, September 29, 8:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/their-own-words/
Revel in the life story of a thrilling 21st century Iron Man come alive. See how Musk went from bullied boy to young innovator to self-taught rocket scientist, ultimately becoming one of the richest men in the world.
HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARDS 2021
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH PROGRAM
Premieres: Friday, October 8, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/hispanic-heritage-awards/
Celebrate the recipients of the annual Hispanic Heritage Awards. The evening includes performances and appearances by some of the country’s most celebrated Hispanic artists and visionaries.
INDEPENDENT LENS “Cured”
SEASON PREMIERE
Premieres: Monday, October 11, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/
This David-vs.-Goliath story follows the psychiatrists and activists who fought to remove homosexuality from the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) in the early 1970s. Facing treatments such as electroconvulsive therapy, castration, and lobotomies as “cures” for homosexuality, gay people recognized that overturning the mental illness label was a crucial step on the road to equality. Through newly unearthed archival footage and incisive interviews with participants, this award-winning film illuminates a pivotal moment in the Gay Liberation movement—one that changed not only the LGBTQ community and the field of psychiatry, but also the social fabric of America.
LA FRONTERA WITH PATI JINICH
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH PROGRAM
Premieres: Fridays, October 15 & 22, 9:00 p.m. ET
Savor the sights, sounds and flavors of the U.S.-Mexico border alongside acclaimed chef and James Beard Award-winning host Pati Jinich as she experiences the region’s rich culture, people and cuisine.
VOCES ON PBS “Letters to Eloisa”
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH PROGRAM
Premieres: Friday, October 15, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/voces/
A haunting portrait of a writer’s life and struggle for artistic freedom, this film tells the story of Cuba’s José Lezama Lima, an all but forgotten figure of the Latin American literary boom that included Gabriel García Márquez, Octavio Paz and Mario Vargas Llosa.
AMERICAN MASTERS “Becoming Helen Keller”
Premieres: Tuesday, October 19, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/american-masters/
Revisit Helen Keller’s rich career and explore how she perpetually put her celebrity to use to advocate for human rights in the pursuit of social justice for all, particularly women, the poor and people with disabilities.
SECRETS OF THE DEAD “Magellan’s Crossing”
SEASON 19 PREMIERE
Premieres: Wednesday, October 20, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/secrets-of-the-dead/
Five hundred years ago, Ferdinand Magellan and his crew set sail to gain control of the global spice trade. What resulted was the first circumnavigation of the earth, laying the groundwork for colonization and globalization still felt today.
POV “Things We Dare Not Do”
Premieres: Monday, October 25, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/pov/
In the small Mexican coastal village of El Roblito, 16-year-old Ñoño lives what seems to be an idyllic existence with his loving family. But he holds a secret. Defying gender norms, Ñoño works up the courage to tell his family he wants to live his life as a woman. Yet when violence interrupts a community celebration, he must face the reality of a country shrouded in machismo and transphobia.
POV “North by Current”
Premieres: Monday, November 1, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/pov/
Filmmaker Angelo Madsen Minax returns to his rural Michigan hometown after the death of his young niece. Decades of home movies and ethereal narration reflect on struggles with grief and addiction as Madsen examines family, faith, and trans identity. NORTH BY CURRENT asks more questions than it answers, and like the relentless Michigan seasons, the only sure things are time and change. A POV co-production.
FRONTLINE “Police on Trial”
Premieres: Tuesday, November 2, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/frontline/
FRONTLINE and the Star Tribune give an extraordinary on-the-ground view of the trial of the Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd and show how the incident of police brutality that shook the country is forcing the city to re-examine its relationship with its own police force. As part of FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative, filmmakers Mike Shum and Marcia Robiou and the award-winning staff of the Star Tribune report from the epicenter of the country’s debate over race and policing, providing a one-of-a kind vantage of the trial, conviction and aftermath.
POV “Storm Lake”
Premieres: Monday, November 15, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/pov/
A dogged family-run paper in Iowa gives citizens the scoop on forces threatening to overwhelm their precarious small-town existence.
VOCES ON PBS “American Exile”
HONORING VETERANS
Premieres: Tuesday, November 16, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/voces/
Brothers Manuel and Valente Valenzuela both volunteered and fought in Vietnam. Fifty years later, they are among thousands of veterans who are being deported. The brothers don their uniforms for one last fight, to bring all the veterans back home.
POV “Duty Free”
Premieres: Monday, November 22, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/pov/
After 75-year-old Rebecca is fired from her lifelong job, her son takes her on a series of bucket list adventures while reflecting on America’s plight of ageism and insecurity.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
GREAT PERFORMANCES “Yannick—An Artist’s Journey”
Premieres: Friday, September 3, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/great-performances/
Experience the music director of the Metropolitan Opera’s meteoric rise to become one of the most acclaimed and sought-after music directors of his generation in this documentary from cinema verité filmmaker Susan Froemke.
GREAT PERFORMANCES “The Red Shoes”
Premieres: Friday, September 17, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/great-performances/
Experience Hans Christian Andersen’s dark fairytale from acclaimed director-choreographer Matthew Bourne with this Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation starring Ashley Shaw, Adam Cooper, Dominic North and Michaela Meazza.
GREAT PERFORMANCES | NOW HEAR THIS Season 2 “Beethoven’s Ghost”
Premieres: Friday, October 29, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/great-performances/
Go inside the mind of a genius as host Scott Yoo and fellow musicians undertake a recording of Beethoven’s most personal music at a historic Berkshires manor to explore the composer’s brilliant career—where they are visited by some unexpected guests.
THE ORATORIO: A DOCUMENTARY WITH MARTIN SCORSESE
Premieres: Friday, November 5, 9:00 p.m. ET
Learn the long-forgotten story of the 1826 performance that brought Italian opera to New York City, and meet the colorful personalities involved, including a freed slave, opera’s first diva, and Mozart’s librettist. Filmmaker Martin Scorsese hosts.
DA PONTE’S ORATORIO: A CONCERT FOR NEW YORK
Premieres: Friday, November 5, 10:00 p.m. ET
See a full concert performance of the piece featured in THE ORATORIO.
GREAT PERFORMANCES “Coppelia!”
Premieres: Friday, November 26, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/great-performances/
Enjoy this contemporary reboot of the 1870 classical ballet favorite. Featuring a blend of live action ballet with CGI animation, the film features ballet stars Michaela DePrince and Daniel Camargo.
SCIENCE & NATURE
NATURE “My Garden of a Thousand Bees”
Premieres: Wednesday, October 20, 8:00 p.m. ET
SEASON 40 PREMIERE
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/nature/
Martin Dohrn, a veteran wildlife cameraman and a bee enthusiast, embarked on a special challenge during the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020: to film all the bees he could find in his tiny urban garden in Bristol, England. By the end of the summer, Dohrn saw more than 60 species of bees that come in all shapes and sizes, from Britain’s largest bumblebees to scissor bees, which are the size of a mosquito. This documentary will enlighten viewers about the incredible diversity of bees and of the mini dramas playing out in our own backyards.
NATURE “Season of the Osprey”
Premieres: Wednesday, October 27, 8:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/nature/
Birds of prey exist in myriad shapes and sizes. Scores of eagles, hundreds of hawks, and countless kites and falcons have all adapted form and behavior to fit diverse habitats. But in all the world, there is only one osprey. Following a single evolutionary path, it has conquered every continent save Antarctica. Go into the life to this incredible raptor with a depth and intimacy never before attempted. Shot in and around Great Island Marsh, where the Connecticut River meets the Long Island Sound, cameraman Jacob Steinberg has achieved unlimited access to an osprey nest and captured the struggles, failures and triumphs of a single osprey family.
NOVA THE UNIVERSE (w.t.)
Premieres: Wednesdays, October 27 – November 24, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/nova/
In this five-part series, NOVA delves into the vastness of space to capture moments of high drama when the universe changed forever. State-of-the-art animation delivers astonishing, photorealistic glimpses of the birth of the very first star, the chaos created as two galaxies collide, and the power of a supermassive black hole as it flings a star across space so violently that it’s still traveling millions of years later. NOVA even takes viewers back on the ultimate time travel voyage to witness the birth of space and time itself. Informed by huge advances in scientific understanding, the series brings us face-to-face with the most surprising characters in the cosmos and reveals how their fates are intertwined with our own.
NATURE “Born in the Rockies”
Premieres: Wednesdays, November 10 & 17, 8:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/nature/
Journey deep into the wild heart of North America’s Rocky Mountains and experience this rugged land as never seen before—through the eyes of its natives. Follow the lives of the courageous animal families struggling to survive in one of the most challenging habitats on Earth: a herd of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and their newborn lambs; a mother grizzly bear and her cubs; and a flock of sandhill cranes and their offspring. Witness their struggle to survive through the seasons as they face off against predators, the elements, and sometimes, even each other.
DRAMA
GUILT ON MASTERPIECE
Premieres: Sundays, September 5 & 12, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/shows/guilt/
In this dark comedy, two Edinburgh brothers (Mark Bonnar and Jamie Sives) are involved in a hit-and-run while driving home from a wedding and decide to try to cover up the crime.
GRANTCHESTER ON MASTERPIECE Season 6
Premieres: Sundays, October 3 – November 21, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/grantchester/
It’s 1958 and trouble is brewing in the Cambridgeshire village of Grantchester. Reverend Will Davenport (Tom Brittney) relishes his role as a firebrand vicar, but it puts him at odds with his own ideals when his kind-hearted curate, Leonard Finch (Al Weaver), is caught up in a scandal. Detective Inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green) finds his principles shaken, housekeeper Mrs. Chapman (Tessa Peake-Jones) is distraught, and Geordie’s wife Cathy (Kacey Ainsworth) is defiant. With new crimes around every corner, and morality and legality at odds, it’s going to take all of Will’s skill and empathy to navigate these choppy waters and help the ones he loves.
BAPTISTE ON MASTERPIECE Season 2
Premieres: Sundays, October 17 – November 21, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/baptiste/
Fiona Shaw guest stars in the second season of this spinoff of THE MISSING. The acclaimed series follows retired detective Julien Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo) as he delves into Budapest’s corrupt underworld to find a British Ambassador’s family who go missing on a skiing holiday in the Hungarian mountains. Ambassador Emma Chambers (Shaw) is thrust into the crosshairs of Baptiste’s most complex case to date, as the detective navigates an untrustworthy Hungarian police force and international media interest as he hunts for her husband and two sons.