Clockwise from top left: Dwight Yoakam - COUNTRY MUSIC (Courtesy of Jared Ames); Ra l Juli - AMERICAN MASTERS Ra l Juli : The Worlds a Stage (Courtesy of Family Collection); Ross Poldark and Demelza - POLDARK, SEASON 5 ON MASTERPIECE (Courtesy of Mammoth Screen for BBC and MASTERPIECE); Danielle Brooks and Grantham Coleman in GREAT PERFORMANCES Much Ado About Nothing (Courtesy of Joseph Sinnott)Programming Includes Premiere of Critically Acclaimed Filmmaker Ken Burns's Long-Awaited COUNTRY MUSIC and Peabody Award-Winning Filmmaker Lynn Novick's COLLEGE BEHIND BARS
PBS Schedule Includes New Weekly Contemporary History Series
RETRO REPORT ON PBS
Along with New Reporting from FRONTLINE, Independent Documentary Strands Debut Compelling New Documentaries with
INDEPENDENT LENS Made in Boise and POV The Feeling of Being Watched
Robust Fall Lineup Includes Programs Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, Veterans Day, Native American Heritage Month, Broadway's Best from GREAT PERFORMANCES and the final season of MASTERPIECE Poldark
Additional Assets Available on PBS PRESSROOM
Download the complete PBS Fall 2019 Programming Guide
ARLINGTON, VA; July 18, 2019 - PBS today unveiled a robust fall slate with a focus on impactful documentary programming. Premieres include the long-awaited eight-part, 16-hour documentary COUNTRY MUSIC from director Ken Burns on September 15-18 and 22-25, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET; Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Lynn Novick's COLLEGE BEHIND BARS on November 25-26, 9:00 p.m. ET; and new weekly one-hour magazine format series RETRO REPORT ON PBS, Mondays and Tuesdays, October 7-29, 9:00 p.m. ET. Additional programs from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, NATURE and NOVA, along with new seasons of INDEPENDENT LENS, POV and FRONTLINE add to the expansive fall documentary slate.
PBS is America's home for documentaries, offering a vast array of traditional documentary films, in-depth investigative reports, biographies, history, and news and public affairs programming. Year after year, PBS showcases compelling, high-quality content that encourages conversation and understanding.
For its fall season, PBS will also highlight cultural and thematic programming, including Hispanic Heritage Month-with a new film co-presented by AMERICAN MASTERS and VOCES about the life and career of Ra l Juli (Friday, September 13 at 9:00 p.m. ET)-along with special films for Veterans Day and Native American Heritage Month, and Broadway's Best with new performance specials from GREAT PERFORMANCES.
PBS is the most prolific platform for documentaries, with more than 200 hours per year, said Perry Simon, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager of General Audience Programming, PBS. This fall, we are showcasing first-rate programs featuring award-winning directors, diverse storytellers, hard-hitting investigations and untold stories, solidifying our status as Americas premier destination for documentary film. We are also excited about our programs representing the best in news, arts, drama, history and science - this fall has something for everyone.
Celebrating our culture through music, anchoring the fall PBS schedule is the two-week premiere of the highly anticipated 16-hour documentary COUNTRY MUSIC on Sunday-Wednesday, September 15-18, 8:00 p.m. ET and Sunday-Wednesday, September 22-25, 8:00 p.m. ET. Directed by Ken Burns, this special event is an exploration of country music-from its roots in ballads, hymns and the blues to its mainstream popularity-and highlights the unforgettable characters and storytellers who made it America's music. Beginning the night of the premiere, the entire eight-episode film will also be available on PBS Passport through February 28, 2020.
In advance of the premiere, PBS will debut a 90-minute special, COUNTRY MUSIC: LIVE AT THE RYMAN, A CONCERT CELEBRATING THE FILM BY KEN BURNS, on Sunday, September 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Hosted by Burns, the show features performances and appearances by celebrated musicians Dierks Bentley, Rosanne Cash, Rhiannon Giddens, Vince Gill, Kathy Mattea, Marty Stuart, Dwight Yoakam and more. Additionally, PBS will present encores of AMERICAN MASTERS Charley Pride: I'm Just Me, on Thursday, September 19 at 9:00 p.m. ET and SOUNDBREAKING The Art of Recording on Thursday, September 26 at 9:00 p.m. ET, along with AUSTIN CITY LIMITS Chris Stapleton/Turnpike Troubadours on Saturday, September 14 and Willie Nelson on Saturday, September 21 (check local listings).
In October, RETRO REPORT ON PBS, a new weekly one-hour magazine series, hosted by journalist Celeste Headlee and artist Masud Olufani and featuring New Yorker humorist Andy Borowitz, goes beyond the headlines to understand the present by revealing the past. By exploring often surprising historical roots and debunking widely believed myths, the program, airing Mondays-Tuesdays, October 7-29 at 9:00 p.m. ET, gives viewers a fresh perspective and a more complete picture of todays most important stories.
FRONTLINE delivers tough investigative journalism, taking viewers inside controversial and complex stories currently shaping our times. The Crown Prince on Tuesday, October 1, 9:00 p.m. ET, investigates the rise of the young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, his vision for the future, his handling of dissent, and the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. For Sama on Tuesday, November 19, 10:00 p.m. ET, is an intimate and visceral documentary about a mother's experience during the Syrian war, as she determines whether to flee or stay. This critically acclaimed film, produced by Channel 4 News/ITN Productions for Channel 4 and WGBH/FRONTLINE, is the 2019 winner of the Cannes Film Festival Best Documentary Award, and the Documentary Feature winner at the 2019 SXSW Feature Film Grand Jury Awards.
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