#SmallScreenScenes @PBS PROGRAMMING GUIDE WINTER 2021: JANUARY – MARCH
NEW PBS PRIMETIME PREMIERES
*Please Check Local Listings*
DRAMA ON MASTERPIECE
Masterpiece Winter Preview: https://www.pbs.org/video/winter-2021-preview-08psev/
ELIZABETH IS MISSING ON MASTERPIECE
Premieres: Sunday, January 3, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
Two-time Academy Award winner Glenda Jackson stars as a woman desperately trying to solve two mysteries as she declines ever deeper into dementia in this adaptation of Emma Healey’s acclaimed novel.
ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL ON MASTERPIECE
Premieres: Sundays, January 10 - February 21, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Trailer:https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/clips/all-creatures-great-and-small-official-trailer/
Follow veterinarian James Herriot at the start of his storied career in rural Yorkshire in the 1930s. The series is a beautiful remake of the popular family drama that aired on British and American television from 1978 to 1990.
MISS SCARLET & THE DUKE ON MASTERPIECE
Premieres: Sundays, January 17 - February 21, 8:00 p.m. ET
Go on the case with private eye Eliza Scarlet, Victorian England’s first-ever female sleuth, as she solves crimes – and sometimes flirts – with her partner and childhood friend, Detective Inspector William “The Duke” Wellington.
THE LONG SONG ON MASTERPIECE
Premieres: Sundays, January 31 - February 14, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/long-song/
Based on a novel by Andrea Levy, this series is set during the final days of slavery in 19th century Jamaica. Following the hardships and survival of plantation slave July and her odious mistress Caroline, the miniseries stars Tamara Lawrance and Hayley Atwell.
NON-FICTION SERIES
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Season 25 Premiere
Premieres: Mondays, starting January 4, 8:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/
It’s a year of innovation full of intriguing energy and interest ahead at ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, with celebratory Season 25 featuring new episodes and specials airing in 2021. PBS’s most-watched ongoing series continues the quest to reveal our collective history through cherished treasures and personal stories. And new this season, three specials feature notable guests, including visits with an Olympic medalist, an iconic late-night talk show host, a noted broadcast journalist and more.
PBS AMERICAN PORTRAIT
Premieres: Tuesdays, January 5-26, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/american-portrait/
This unique crowdsourced series blends stories filmed by everyday people into documentaries revealing what it really means to be American today. It’s the story of what brings us together and what keeps us apart as we strive to understand each other.
WHEN DISASTER STRIKES
Premieres: Wednesdays, January 6-20, 10:00 p.m. ET
See the mechanics of disaster relief from the inside. The series follows the local governments and people responding on the ground, supported by specialist international teams who fly in critical supplies and personnel. Everyone must learn on their feet as they try to bring order to chaos, hope from despair.
FINDING YOUR ROOTS, Season 7
Premieres: Tuesdays, January 19 - May 4, 8:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/finding-your-roots/
Join Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. for a seventh season of uncovering the family histories of exciting new guests who are game-changers in their fields. They learn how their family histories illustrate the power and diversity of the human experience. Season 7 participants include Lewis Black, Gretchen Carlson, Glenn Close, Andy Cohen, Jim Gaffigan, Kasi Lemmons, John Lithgow, Tony Shalhoub and Pharrell Williams.
EUROPE’S NEW WILD
Premieres: Wednesdays, February 3-24, 10:00 p.m. ET
Hear the inspiring story of the wild rebirth of a continent. Across six episodes, the series reveals the spectacular resurgence of nature across Europe’s most varied and breathtaking landscapes. From the Arctic Circle to rich river wetlands, from deep forest to rugged mountain peaks, witness Europe’s most iconic wildlife thrive and flourish in the most unexpected places.
THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG
BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROGRAM
Premieres: Tuesdays, February 16-23, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/black-church/
Retrace the 400-year-old-story of the Black church in America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., exploring its role as the site of African American organizing, resilience, autonomy, freedom and solidarity. Participants include gospel legend Yolanda Adams, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry of The Episcopal Church, singers Jennifer Hudson and John Legend, Rev. Al Sharpton, scholar Cornel West, and Oprah Winfrey
CULTURE, DOCUMENTARY & HISTORY
FRONTLINE “A Thousand Cuts”
Premieres: Friday, January 8, 9:00 p.m. ET
From award-winning filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz, A Thousand Cuts, examines Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s crackdown on the press- and his prime target, journalist Maria Ressa. Ressa — CEO and Executive Editor of the independent news site Rappler and a TIME Magazine Person of the Year — is currently facing jail time under a cyber libel law, and her case has become a cautionary tale of the escalating threat to freedom of the press. The film follows Ressa and her colleagues, and key players in the government through this escalating war.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “The Codebreaker”
Premieres: Monday, January 11, 9:00 p.m. ET
Discover the fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the groundbreaking cryptanalyst who helped bring down Al Capone and break up a Nazi spy ring in South America. Her work helped lay the foundation for the National Security Agency (NSA).
INDEPENDENT LENS “A Day in the Life of America”
Premieres: Monday, January 11, 10:00 p.m. ET
Academy Award winner Jared Leto crafts a sweeping yet intimate cross-section of America shot on a single July 4th in 2017 with 92 film crews fanning out across each of the United States and Puerto Rico to capture “A Day in the Life of America.” A gargantuan production shot over a single 24-hour period across the country, the film weaves a wide range of beliefs and backgrounds into a rich tapestry of life.
INSIDE THE MIND OF AGATHA CHRISTIE
Premieres: Sunday, January 17, 10:00 p.m. ET
Discover what made the world's most successful crime writer tick. Dr. John Curran pored over Christie's personal archive and interviewed those who knew her best to paint an unprecedented portrait of the "complex" author.
AMERICAN MASTERS “How It Feels to Be Free”
Premieres: Monday, January 18, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/american-masters/
Explore the lives and trailblazing careers of six iconic African American entertainers—Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier—who changed American culture through their films, fashion, music and politics.
AGATHA CHRISTIE’S ENGLAND
Premieres: Sunday, January 24, 10:00 p.m. ET
There is no more quintessentially English writer than Agatha Christie. Through her sensational murder mysteries, she created a literary universe that captured Britain's national spirit like no one before or since. But the magical worlds where she set her stories are in fact drawn from real places.
POV “The Mole Agent”
Premieres: Monday, January 25, 9:30 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/pov/
When a family grows concerned for their mother's well-being in a retirement home, private investigator Romulo hires Sergio to become a new resident and a mole inside the home. Sergio struggles to balance his assignment with his increasing involvement in the lives of other residents.
FRONTLINE “54 Days in China” (w.t.)
Premieres: Tuesday, January 26, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline
The untold story of the first two months of the coronavirus pandemic in China. Investigating the origins of the outbreak, when the Chinese authorities first knew about it, and what they told the world. Interviews with Chinese scientists and doctors, international disease experts and health officials unravel the tale of early missed opportunities to suppress the outbreak, and the lessons for the world.
LIDIA CELEBRATES AMERICA: A SALUTE TO FIRST RESPONDERS
Premieres: Friday, January 29, 10:00 p.m. ET
Celebrity Chef Lidia Bastianich travels across the country visiting the men and women serving on the front lines. Lidia meets first responders who’ve work quietly in the shadows and now find themselves thrust into the spotlight by crises facing the country in 2020. From coast to coast, Lidia follows dedicated police officers, firefighters, paramedics, military and medical workers, and also observes first-hand, the prominent role that food plays in these first responders’ lives.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Voice of Freedom”
BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROGRAM
Premieres: Monday, February 15, 9:00 p.m. ET
Explore the fascinating life of celebrated singer Marian Anderson. In 1939, after being barred from performing at Constitution Hall because she was Black, she triumphed at the Lincoln Memorial in what became a landmark moment in American history.
INDEPENDENT LENS “Mr. SOUL!”
BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROGRAM
Premieres: Monday, February 22, 10:00 p.m. ET
During the civil rights movement, one African-American pioneer ushered giants and rising stars of Black culture onto public television. In 1968 Ellis Haizlip created the groundbreaking PBS series SOUL!, which became one of the most culturally significant television shows in U.S. history. “Mr. SOUL!” delves into this critical moment in television history, as well as the man who guided it, through participants’ recollections and archival footage, highlighting a turning point in representation that continues to resonate to this day. Featuring performances from music legends like Earth Wind and Fire, Al Green, Patti LaBelle and Stevie Wonder, and interviews with Muhammad Ali, James Baldwin and more.
INDEPENDENT LENS “Coded Bias”
Premieres: Monday, March 22, 10:00 p.m. ET
When MIT researcher Joy Buolamwini discovers that the majority of facial-recognition software does not accurately identify darker-skinned faces, she embarks on an investigation that uncovers widespread bias lurking in the algorithms that shapes the technology powering our lives.
AMERICAN MASTERS “Flannery O’Connor”
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH PROGRAM
Premieres: Tuesday, March 23, 8:00 p.m.
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/american-masters/
Explore the life of Flannery O’Connor whose provocative fiction was unlike anything published before. Featuring never-before-seen archival footage, newly discovered journals and interviews with Mary Karr, Tommy Lee Jones, Hilton Als and more.
FRONTLINE “Far-Right Violence” (w.t.)
Premieres: Tuesday, March 23, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline
Against the backdrop of the most rancorous presidential campaign in modern memory, political extremists are increasingly embracing violent action. In recent months: a militia plot to kidnap a Democratic governor; the murder of a right-wing protestor in Portland; law enforcement officers gunned down in California. And in the aftermath of the election, there are fears of what lies ahead. ProPublica reporter A.C. Thompson (Documenting Hate, New American Nazis) investigates the individuals and organizations responsible for this surge in violence.
FAST-FORWARD
Premieres: Wednesday, March 24, 10:00 p.m. ET
If you could see your family’s future, would you change anything? FAST-FORWARD follows four millennials and their parents as they travel through time to meet their future selves. Wearing an MIT-produced “aging empathy suit” and working with professional make-up artists, they grapple with the realizations, conversations and mindset required to age successfully. Ultimately, the families learn they have more control over how they age than they thought. Narrated by Rosario Dawson.
AMERICAN MASTERS “Twyla Moves” (w.t.)
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH PROGRAM
Premieres: Friday, March 26, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/american-masters/
Explore legendary choreographer Twyla Tharp’s career and famously rigorous creative process, with original interviews, first-hand glimpses of her at work and rare archival footage of select performances from her more than 160 choreographed works.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “The Blinding of Isaac Woodard”
Premieres: Tuesday, March 30, 9:00 p.m. ET
Discover the 1946 incident of racial violence by police that led to the racial awakening of President Harry Truman and set the stage for the landmark 1954 Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision, jumpstarting the civil rights movement.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
GREAT PERFORMANCES “From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2021”
Premieres: Friday, January 1, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/great-performances/
Ring in 2021 with host Hugh Bonneville joined by guest conductor Riccardo Muti and the Vienna Philharmonic performing a festive selection of Strauss Family waltzes.
GREAT PERFORMANCES “The Magic of Callas”
Premieres: Friday, January 15, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/great-performances/
Explore the legacy of superstar Maria Callas in this documentary detailing her 1964 comeback at London’s Royal Opera House in “Tosca,” featuring insights from fans including Rufus Wainwright and opera stars Thomas Hampson and Kristine Opolais.
IN CONCERT AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL
Premieres: Fridays, January 15-February 12, 9:00 p.m. ET
Experience iconic moments from the archives at the Hollywood Bowl. The series features the “best of” live performances from the past 10 years at the Bowl, including appearances by Kristin Chenoweth, Misty Copeland, Kamasi Washington, Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Katy Perry, John Williams and many more.
GREAT PERFORMANCES “The Magic of Horowitz”
Premieres: Friday, January 22, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/great-performances/
Experience legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz’s 1986 Russian homecoming for a sold-out concert of personal favorites, featuring commentary from former manager Peter Gelb and virtuoso pianists Martha Argerich and Daniil Trifonov.
GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET “Renée Fleming in Concert”
Premieres: Friday, March 19, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/great-performances/
Experience the beloved American soprano perform arias by Puccini and Massenet to selections by Handel and Korngold from the intimate music salon of Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C.
SCIENCE & NATURE
NATURE “The Alps”
Premieres: Wednesdays, January 13 and January 20, 8:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/nature/
In Europe’s highest mountain range, discover how Alpine lynx, griffon vultures, ibex, crocuses, marmots and more face extreme seasonal fluctuations, from volatile thunderstorms and landslides of summer to avalanches and frozen temperatures of winter.
NOVA “Secrets in Our DNA”
Premieres: Wednesday, January 13, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/nova/
Some 30 million Americans have sent their DNA to be analyzed by companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA, hoping to obtain clues to family origins and forecasts of their future health. But what happens once the sample is in the hands of testing companies? Explore the power of this information and the unintended consequences that can arise from sharing our data with these rapidly growing online databases. What is the promise and peril of personal DNA?
NATURE “Pumas: Legends of the Ice Mountains”
Premieres: Wednesday, February 3, 8:00 p.m. ET
Show Page:https://www.pbs.org/show/nature/
Travel to the mountains of Chile to discover the secrets of the puma, the area’s biggest and most elusive predator. Discover how this mountain lion survives and follow the dramatic fate of a puma mother and her cubs. Narrated by Uma Thurman.
NOVA “Beyond the Elements”
Premieres: Wednesdays, February 3-17, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/nova/
Picking up where he left off in NOVA’s popular special, Hunting the Elements, David Pogue sets out on a worldwide quest to find the key molecules and chemical reactions that have paved the way for human civilization, life, and even the universe as we know it. And along the way, he uncovers the simple principles that produce such a dizzying diversity of matter from elements on the periodic table.
NATURE “Big Bend” (w.t.)
Premieres: Wednesday, February 10, 8:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/nature/
Roam the Wild West frontier land of the Rio Grande’s Big Bend alongside its iconic animals, including black bears, rattlesnakes and scorpions.
NOVA “Mars 2020” (w.t.)
Premieres: Wednesday, February 24, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/nova/
Follow along as NASA launches the Mars 2020 Mission, perhaps the most ambitious hunt ever for signs of life on Mars. It will be the first time a rover will land in Jezero Crater, an ancient river delta that could possibly be a cradle of life. But Jezero is also one of the most dangerous areas for a spacecraft to land. If the landing is successful, a solar-powered rover and a four-pound helicopter will comb the area for signs of life until 2030 and collect samples for possible return to Earth. Did life ever exist on the Red Planet? And how would discovering evidence of it change our life here on Earth?
EXTINCTION: THE FACTS
Premieres: Wednesday, March 31, 8:00 p.m. ET
With one million species at threat, David Attenborough explores extinction and how this crisis has consequences for us all, even putting us at greater risk of pandemic diseases.
-end-
For more information on PBS’s winter programming, visit PBS.org. Viewers are also encouraged to engage in online conversation by tagging @PBS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PBS LIVE STREAMING
Select local PBS stations are now available to stream live for free via PBS.org, Roku streaming devices, Android mobile, Amazon Fire tablets, iOS, tvOS and Chromecast. Additional platforms will be added at a later date. Currently 85 stations are set up for live streaming, with more to be added in the future. Viewers can access their local station’s live feed at pbs.org/livestream/. Click here for FAQs.
PBS STREAMING
PBS winter programmingis available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV and Chromecast. PBS station members can view many series, documentaries and specials via PBS Passport. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.
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