PBS Decorates Holiday Schedule with Great Performances, Fan Favorites and Christmas Music Specials

Marion Ross ("Happy Days") and Gavin MacLeod ("The Love Boat")

Courtesy of TJL Productions

CHRISTMAS WITH THE TABERNACLE CHOIR Special Features Tony and Emmy Award-Winning Actress/Singer Kristin Chenoweth, Actors Gavin MacLeod and Marion Ross Host A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS, and CHRISTMAS AT BELMONT

Stars Michael W. Smith and CeCe Winans

CALL THE MIDWIFE Returns with Annual Christmas Special; LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER New York Philharmonic New Year's Ever 2019: Sondheim Celebration Rings in the New Year; PBS KIDS Debuts CYBERCHASE Thanksgiving Episode and One-Hour Special

NATURE CAT: A NATURE CAROL

Additional Assets Available on PBS PRESSROOM

ARLINGTON, VA; Oct. 24, 2019 - PBS is decorating its holiday schedule with traditional fare CHRISTMAS WITH THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR and CHRISTMAS AT BELMONT, yearly fan favorite CALL THE MIDWIFE HOLIDAY SPECIAL, and an entire month of GREAT PERFORMANCES dedicated to Broadway's Best. Throughout the holiday season, the PBS line-up also includes a variety of music and family-friendly specials, such as A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS hosted by actors Gavin MacLeod ( The Love Boat ) and Marion Ross ( Happy Days ), PBS KIDS' NATURE CAT: A NATURE CAROL, LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER New York Philharmonic New Year's Eve 2019: Sondheim Celebration and GREAT PERFORMANCES From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2020.

PBS brings holiday joy, cheer and happiness to old and young alike beginning Saturday, November 16 at 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET with the premiere of A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS.Gavin MacLeod ( The Love Boat ) and Marion Ross ( Happy Days ) host a festive, all-star special of favorite carols and popular standards. Featured holiday performances from yesteryear include Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, The Carpenters and many more.

Throughout November, GREAT PERFORMANCES will bring viewers the broadcast premieres of Broadway's Best every Friday night at 9:00 p.m. ET. The series of specials kicks off on November 1 with 42nd Street, the Broadway fable of a star-struck chorus girl dreaming of her big break, followed on November 8 by Lincoln Center Theater's Tony Award-winning revival of the beloved musical classic Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I, inspired by the true story of a British school teacher in the royal court of Siam, starring Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe. Red, the Tony Award-winning play starring Alfred Molina as painter Mark Rothko and Alfred Enoch as his assistant as they clash over the murals for New York's Four Seasons restaurant, debuts November 15. The Public Theater's Free Shakespeare in the Park modern interpretation of Shakespeare's romantic classic Much Ado About Nothing, featuring Danielle Brooks and Grantham Coleman and directed by Tony Award-winner Kenny Leon, premieres November 22. And the 2013 Broadway blockbuster Kinky Boots, about an unexpected duo joining forces to create an extraordinary line of shoes, featuring music and lyrics by pop icon Cyndi Lauper and a book by Broadway legend Harvey Fierstein, wraps up Broadway's Best on November 29.

PBS KIDS' festive line-up kicks off with the premiere of A NATURE CAROL, a new one-hour special from the hit series NATURE CAT, on November 29. In this homage to A Christmas Carol, Nature Cat (voiced by Taran Killam) is visited by the spirits of Nature Past (Daisy, voiced by Kate Micucci), Present (Squeeks, voiced by Kate McKinnon) and Future (Hal, voiced by Bobby Moynihan), who help him discover the true meaning of Christmas. Giving Thanks Day, the new Thanksgiving-themed episode from CYBERCHASE, also debuts on PBS KIDS on November 22.

In addition, PBS KIDS will feature holiday favorites throughout the month of December, including LET'S GO LUNA! Luna's Christmas Around the World, THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT CHRISTMAS!, CURIOUS GEORGE: A VERY MONKEY CHRISTMAS, PEG + CAT + HOLIDAYS and WILD KRATTS: A CREATURE CHRISTMAS. Viewers can check local listings for air times on PBS stations and the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel, and stream these holiday specials on the free PBS KIDS Video app.

In December, PBS will capture the holiday spirit with musical celebrations, fan favorite specials and inspirational documentaries, beginning with an encore presentation of A CHEF'S LIFE HOLIDAY SPECIAL on Friday, December 13, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET. American Chef Vivian Howard serves up the best of her Southern cooking heritage and the Chanukah traditions of her husband Ben. From humble Hoppin' John to elegant red velvet cake, viewers will sample a charming and delicious holiday celebration.

American actress, singer, and Tony and Emmy Award winner Kristin Chenoweth is at the helm of the network's annual CHRISTMAS WITH THE TABERNACLE CHOIR special premiering Monday, December 16, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET. The special features Chenoweth's riveting 2018 performance with the iconic Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square during its annual Christmas concert - a beloved tradition featuring favorite holiday music, dancing and storytelling.

Drawing inspiration from the book by Yale University's Sterling Professor of Humanities Maria Rosa Menocal (d. 2012), PBS will debut THE ORNAMENT OF THE WORLD on Tuesday, December 17, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET. Filmed in Cordoba, Granada, Seville and Toledo, this is the story of a remarkable 800-year period when Muslims, Christians and Jews in medieval Spain forged a common cultural identity that often transcended their religious differences.

Hosts CeCe Winans and Michael W. Smith join nearly 700 student musicians, Belmont School of Music faculty and Nashville Children's Choir for a production of traditional carols, classical masterworks, world music and light-hearted seasonal favorites in CHRISTMAS AT BELMONT on Monday, December 23, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET. An encor

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