What to Watch in August
Lisa Tipton
July 31, 2025
There's a huge amount of worthwhile TV out there nowadays, so it can be hard to choose what to watch. But who better to recommend shows than the person who programs them? Lisa Tipton, WTTW’s Head of Programming and Pledge, constructs the WTTW schedule by searching through offerings from many different sources which include the national PBS network, the BBC, and independent filmmakers to put together a varied and engaging broadcast schedule. Each month, she recommends a few shows that she thinks you should watch.
Find all the ways to watch WTTW here. Many of the below shows are available to stream or will be once they premiere, especially by WTTW Passport members.
Shelter Me: The Cancer Pioneers
Clinical trials for dogs with cancer are leading to new treatments for people, as this film explores.
Atomic People
Eighty years after the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, in the only use of atomic weapons in warfare in history, this documentary explores the human fallout, including through interviews with some of the only remaining survivors.
PBS Previews: The American Revolution
Wednesday, August 20 at 7:00 pm
Ken Burns returns this fall with one of his landmark documentaries, this time on The American Revolution, one of the only American wars he has yet to cover in his typical exhaustive detail. We're offering a sneak peek at the documentary and its making to whet your appetite.
New Seasons of Mysteries
Beginning Sunday, August 24
Three popular British mysteries return for new seasons in our Sunday night line-up. Professor T is back at 7:00 pm with a fourth season following the death of Lisa Donckers. Judith, Becks, and Suzie take up new cases in a second season of The Marlow Murder Club at 8:00 pm; you can catch up with the first season in a marathon on August 24 beginning at 2:00 pm. And Sunny and Jess are back for a second unsolved case in the sixth season of Unforgotten at 9:00 pm.
All three shows are available to stream via the PBS app and recap. They're joined by the French show Astrid at 10:00 pm beginning August 31, airing for the first time on WTTW's main channel. That's also available to stream, while you can also stream and recap the English remake, Patience, which we recently aired.
American Experience – Clearing the Air: The War on Smog
As government regulations are relaxed and government agencies weakened, this documentary looks back on the science and ensuing battle that led to one of the most major environmental laws, the Clean Air Act of 1963.
Great Performances: Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert
Various treasures of the Austrian capital join together in the return of this annual tradition, as the legendary Vienna Philharmonic performs alongside the equally storied Vienna Boys Choir in front of the grandiose Schönbrunn Palace. Tugan Sokhiev conducts and opera star Piotr Beczala sings arias from Carmen and Turandot.
