What to Watch in November

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 via the PBS app or will be once they premiere, especially by WTTW Passport members. 

The American Revolution

Sunday, November 16 through Friday, November 21 at 7:00 pm

Some of Ken Burns most admired films have dealt with American wars – the Civil War, the Vietnam War – and now he turns his attention to our foundational conflict, The American Revolution. The six-part film by Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt airs over the course of a whole week in November. 

Explore more at wttw.com/americanrevolution.

Frontline

Tuesdays, November 4, 11, and 25 at 9:00 pm 

Three new Frontline films in November track The Rise of Germany's New Right on November 4, the rise of a violent Drug War in Ecuador on November 11, and an exhausting slog to recapture a Ukrainian village from Russia in 2,000 Meters to Andriivka, from the Oscar-winning director of 20 Days in Mariupol, on November 25.

Nature and NOVA

Wednesdays

Nature gives us a look at a world utterly familiar but little thought of or known by following urban pigeons in The Pigeon Hustle on November 5 at 7:00 pm, and a glimpse into a world totally unfamiliar on November 12 at 7:00 pm in Jaguar Beach, which explores a dry tropical forest on the Central American coast where jaguars and sea turtles meet.

NOVA also offers entry into a far-out world – that of the space station – in Operation Space Station, in two parts, on November 5 and 12 at 8:00 pm.

Shakespeare

The bard gets a double treatment, first as the subject of a Secrets of the Dead on Wednesday, November 12 at 9:00 pm investigating the authenticity of a painting supposedly depicting him, then in a Great Performances film of The Public Theater's production of Twelfth Night in Central Park, starring Peter Dinklage, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Lupita Nyong'o, and Sandra Oh, on Friday, November 14 at 9:00 pm.

The Great Escaper on Masterpiece

Sunday, November 23 at 8:00 pm

In their last roles, the retired Michael Caine and late Glenda Jackson star in The Great Escaper, based on the true story of a 90-year-old World War II veteran escaping his nursing home to attend D-Day commemorations in France. We'll have a recap for you to keep up with the action; subscribe to our newsletter Dramalogue to keep up with all things drama and mystery.

Lidia Celebrates America: A Nation of Neighbors

Tuesday, November 25 at 8:00 pm

In Italian chef Lidia Bastianich's latest installment of her award-winning Lidia Celebrates America, she meets volunteers sharing meals and fighting hunger across the country. Subscribe to our newsletter Deep Dish to keep up with all things food in Chicago and on WTTW.