PBS Announces Fall 2017 Schedule

(L) Henry Louis Gates, Jr. with actress Scarlett Johansson on the set of FINDING YOUR ROOTS, season 4, photo courtesy of Ark Media. (R) Soldiers on a search and destroy operation near Qui Nhon. January 17, 1967. Photo courtesy of Bettmann/Getty Images

- THE VIETNAM WAR from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick Anchors Fall Schedule -

- Highlights Include a Star-Studded New Season of

FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR.

And a Weekly Friday Night Salute to Broadway Including a Special Tribute to Harold Prince -

- TONY BENNETT: THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GERSHWIN PRIZE FOR POPULAR SONG Tapes Fall 2017 for Broadcast in January 2018 -

- PBS TCA Press Tour Sessions to Feature Ken Burns, Martin Sheen, Tony Winner Denis O'Hare and Bryant Gumbel -

ARLINGTON, VA; July 12, 2017 - PBS today announced its fall 2017 lineup, as well as the January 2018 broadcast of TONY BENNETT: THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GERSHWIN PRIZE, a PBS music special taping this fall to honor the singer, this year's recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. returns with a new season (October 3) to explore the fascinating family trees of popular figures including Aziz Ansari, Scarlett Johansson, Larry David, Garrison Keillor, Amy Schumer, Ted Danson, William H. Macy, Mary Steenburgen, Ana Navarro, Christopher Walken, Ava DuVernay, Bryant Gumbel and others. And in a weekly Friday night salute to Broadway from October 20 to December 1, PBS raises the curtain on three of the Great White Way's most acclaimed recent musical productions. GREAT PERFORMANCES presents She Loves Me (October 20), Holiday Inn (November 24) and a tribute to Harold Prince, the living embodiment of Broadway's Golden Age (November 17), along with the acclaimed revival of Present Laughter (November 3) and encores of In the Heights - Chasing Broadway Dreams (November 10) and Hamilton's America (December 1). Continuing its tradition of hard-hitting journalism, FRONTLINE examines Russian President Vladimir Putin in a two-part documentary exploring his rise, rule and motivations (October 25 and November 1). THIRD RAIL WITH OZY is a new primetime cross-platform debate series hosted by Emmy-Award winning journalist Carlos Watson. Each week experts, celebrity guests, and digital and studio audiences will tackle a provocative question about the country's critical issues (September 8).

Anchoring the fall 2017 season on PBS is the previously announced THE VIETNAM WAR, the 10-part epic series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, premiering Sundays-Thursdays, September 17 to September 28.

Fall brings a harvest of great drama on PBS. MASTERPIECE returns with fresh seasons of Poldark (Sundays, October 1-November 19), starring Aidan Turner, and the fun family drama The Durrells in Corfu (Sundays, October 15-November 19). Other dramas include ANNE OF GREEN GABLES - THE GOOD STARS (November 23) and new holiday specials from CALL THE MIDWIFE (December 25) and LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX (Sundays, December 17-24).

Fall brings a bumper crop of exciting new drama, science, arts and documentary programs, said Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming, PBS. From the long-awaited debut of Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's THE VIETNAM WAR to the surprising discoveries that a new season of FINDING YOUR ROOTS always provides, from a deep dive into outer space to our great Broadway lineup, this upcoming fall season offers viewers an array of terrific programming in all the genres that PBS does best.

Additional fall highlights include DAVID LETTERMAN: THE KENNEDY CENTER MARK TWAIN PRIZE (November 20) as well as new AMERICAN MASTERS specials about Richard Linklater (September 1), Tyrus Wong (September 8), Edgar Allan Poe (October 30) and Bob Hope (December 29).

PBS science programming offers an in-depth look at the solar system and beyond with NOVA Death Dive to Saturn (September 13), about the Cassini space probe's final hours as it dives into Saturn's atmosphere. In collaboration with Time Magazine, BEYOND A YEAR IN SPACE (November 15) picks up the story after Scott Kelly's return from a historic year-long space journey and introduces the next generation of astronauts training to leave Earth's orbit and travel into deep space.

Other notable programs include POV Almost Sunrise (November 13), about two veterans who embark on a 2,700-mile trek on foot across America, timed to Veterans Day, and the season opener for INDEPENDENT LENS, Chasing Trane (November 6), a portrait of jazz great John Coltrane.

PBS will reveal several new shows at the Television Critics Association Press Tour July 30 and 31, featuring a variety of stars from the worlds of arts, politics and science. Talent appearing at the TCA includes filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick of THE VIETNAM WAR, accompanied by contributors General Merrill McPeak and author Mai Elliott. MASTERPIECE Victoria creator, writer and executive producer Daisy Goodwin will discuss the new season with actors Jenna Coleman ( Victoria ) and Tom Hughes ( Prince Albert ) via satellite. Emmy-nominee and Tony-winner Denis O'Hare for AMERICAN MASTERS Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive ; and Emmy-winners Ted Danson and Bryant Gumbel, and political commentator Ana Navarro will be on the dais for Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s FINDING YOUR ROOTS. Filmmaker John Scheinfeld and Michelle Coltrane discuss the latter's father, John Coltrane, in INDEPENDENT LENS Chasing Trane ; acclaimed director Steve James returns to PBS with FRONTLINE ABACUS: Small Enough to Jail ; and Emmy-winning actor Martin Sheen joins his co-stars to discuss their beloved characters in ANNE OF GREEN GABLES - THE GOOD STARS. Tweed Roosevelt, who retraced the adventurous route of his great-grandfather Th

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