PBS puts the public in American television with a wide variety of programs for practically everyone this fall season. The lineup includes everything from intriguing profiles to investigative series to historical explorations to celebrations of music and arts and smart dramas. Here's a look at what is headed your way on KOED, channel 11 in Tulsa.
Sept. 15
Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid star as widowed former childhood sweethearts in the long-lost love story
"Last Tango in Halifax," continuing on "Masterpiece" at 7 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 13.
Detective Foyle is back with friend and former driver Sam in the return of
"Foyle's War, Series VII" airing Sundays through Sept. 29 on
"Masterpiece: Mystery!" This Sunday, 8-9:30 p.m., is the first of three new episodes starring Michael Kitchen and Honeysuckle Weeks and set in post-war 1946-47.
Sept. 17
Benjamin Bratt narrates the landmark six-part documentary series
"Latino Americans" launching at 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays starting this week and running through Oct. 1. The series, which chronicles the history of Latinos, the country's largest minority group, features interviews with entertainer Rita Moreno; labor leader and 2012 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Dolores Huerta; Mexican-American author and commentator Linda Chávez, and Cuban singer and entrepreneur Gloria Estefan, among many others.
Sept. 18
"Nature" takes viewers on a breathtaking journey with the world's birds over six continents in the series
"Earthflight," continuing at 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Oct. 9. On Oct. 16, from 7 to 8 p.m., "Nature" looks into the story of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's 501st attempt to save a stranded orphan otter.
Sept. 21
Due to regular Friday night programming on OETA,
"Great Performances" new four-part miniseries
"The Hollow Crown" will air in the early morning hours starting Saturday and continuing through Oct. 12. The films - chronicling a bloody tale of family, politics and power - tell the rise and fall of three kings and how their destiny shaped English history. Starring are Ben Whishaw, Jeremy Irons and Tom Hiddleston, supported by a cast which includes Rory Kinnear, Patrick Stewart, David Suchet, David Morrissey in
"Richard II" (2:30 a.m. Sept. 21); Simon Russell Beale, Michelle Dockery, Julie Walters and Maxine Peake in
"Henry IV" (Part 1, 1:30 a.m. Sept. 27 and Part 2, 2:30 a.m. Oct. 5) and John Hurt, Anton Lesser and Paterson Joseph in
"Henry V." (1:30 a.m. Oct. 12 ).
Sept. 23
"Genealogy Roadshow," debuting at 8 p.m. Mondays, follows people on an emotional journey that uses history and science to uncover their family stories. It airs through Oct. 4.
Sept. 30
"Independent Lens" kicks off its showcase with
"Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey," the story of an amateur Filipino singer whose video landed him an audition and the role of lead singer in the legendary American rock band Journey. It airs 9 to 10:30 p.m. At 9 p.m. Oct. 21, the series offers
"The Waiting Room," a story of our health care system as seen through the eyes of people stuck in a waiting room in Oakland, Calif., for up to 14 hours.
Oct. 6
Masterpiece Classic's
"The Paradise" is an adaptation of the Emile Zola French novel about a young woman "seduced by the charms of the modern world set against the Victorian splendor of a British department store." It airs at 8 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 17.
Oct. 7
"POV" explores an inner city public school that used chess to become an inspiration for academic success in the film
"Brooklyn Castle," 9-10:30 p.m. The series continues at 9 p.m. Oct. 14 with
"56 Up," the eighth film in a series of landmark documentaries following a group of 7-year-olds in England who spoke about their lives and dreams.
Oct. 8
"Frontline" investigates
"League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis" 8-10 p.m. Oct. 8. Journalists Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada investigate the health crisis that threatens the richest, most powerful sports league in the world, the National Football League.
Oct. 9
"Nova" takes a look at what has happened in the last year in
"Megastorm Aftermath," a fresh investigation into questions raised by the historic superstorm Sandy. Was the storm a freak thing? Is changing climate intensifying hurricanes? What can we do to prepare? It airs at 8 p.m. Later, "Nova" returns to the series
"Making Stuff With David Pogue" - how technology makes stuff faster, colder, safer and wilder. It airs 8 to 9 p.m. Oct. 16-Nov. 6. Down the line watch for
"At the Edge of Space" (Nov. 20) and
"Asteroids: Doomsday or Payday?" (Nov. 20).
Oct. 15
"Superheroes: A Never Ending Battle," airing from 7 to 10 p.m., is the first documentary in years to look at the evolution of heroes who have jumped off the pages of comic books over the last 70 years.
Oct. 16
PBS launches the science series
"Raw to Ready" at 9 p.m. It will venture into America's factories to explore innovation and genius that transform basic ingredients into powerhouse machines. It airs Wednesdays through Nov. 6.
Oct. 18
The PBS Arts Festival observes
"Great Performances' 40th Anniversary Celebration" from 8 to 10 p.m. with a cast including Julie Andrews, Audra McDonald, David Hyde Pierce, Don Henley, Josh Groban, Itzhak Perlman, Peter Martins, Patti Austin & Take 6, ElÄ«na GaranÄa and Michael Bublé who will perform and share their personal stories of what the show and public television has meant to them. The festival continues at 8 p.m. Oct. 25 with
"A Raisin in the Sun Revisited: The Raisin Cycle at Center Stage." On Nov. 15, Hugh Jackman stars in the film version of the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain's production of
"Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!" and, on Nov. 29, it airs
"Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn" with special guests Il Volo and Chris Botti.
Oct. 22
Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. wrote and presents the six-part, documentary film
"The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross" at 7 p.m. The film, which continues though Nov. 26, chronicles African-American history from the origins of slavery to present day.
Oct. 28
"Independent Lens" features
"The Graduates/Los Graduados," a new two-part special from filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz (Reportero), explores the many roots of the Latino dropout crisis through the eyes of six remarkable young students from across the United States - including a Tulsa high school student - who are part of an on-going effort to increase graduation rates for the growing Latino population. Each episode features three student profiles and offers a first-hand perspective on the challenges facing many Latino high school students, including over-crowded schools, crime-ridden neighborhoods, teen pregnancy and pressure to contribute to the family finances. It airs at 9 p.m. and continues Monday Nov. 4.
Oct. 29
"American Experience: War of the Worlds" examines Orson Welles' infamous radio dramatization of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds" that 75 years ago set off one of the biggest mass hysteria events in U.S. history. It airs at 8 p.m.
November
PBS will air three programs commemorating President John F. Kennedy in the weeks leading up to the 50th anniversary of his assassination including
"American Experience: JFK" (Nov. 11 and 12);
"Nova: Cold Case JFK" (Nov. 13), and
"Secrets of the Dead: JFK: One PM Central Standard Time" (Nov. 13).
"American Masters" tells the definitive story of rock legend Jimi Hendrix on Nov. 5 and
PBS Arts festival features young Americana artists paying tribute to legendary country stars in
"Nashville 2.0." It airs Nov. 22.
December
PBS offers up numerous holiday specials including
"Live From Lincoln Center: New Year's Eve with the New York Philharmonic" and
"American Masters: Marvin Hamlisch: The Way He Was" (Dec, 27).
Jan. 5
The long-awaited fourth season of
"Downton Abbey" finds the family still in heavy mourning six months after the accidental death of the heir Matthew Crawley. Lady Mary is mother to new heir baby George and, true to the times, is feeling pressure to find a another man and marry again.
Original Print Headline: Variety of broadcasts
TV
"Mad Men," AMC's hugely popular series about the world of advertising in the '60s, has upped its episode order to 14 and will split the seventh and final season into two parts - seven episodes titled "The Beginning" in spring 2014 and seven more titled "The End of An Era" in spring 2015.
Although many viewers are watching their favorite TV shows online, the bulk of the viewership, as measured by the Nielsen ratings, is made up of those who watch their shows on an actual TV or replay via DVR on a set in their home.
