What to Watch in February

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. 

Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History

Tuesdays, February 3 and 10 at 8:00 pm and February 17 at 8:00 and 9:00 pm

The latest series from Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the complex relationship between two groups often marginalized and persecuted, and their complex alliances in everything from civil rights to culture. Both groups share "a duty to keep fighting hatred, wherever it shows up," Dr. Gates says. 

Read our interview with the producers of the series. 

Frontline Investigations

Frontline examines the contamination of Southern communities with forever chemicals known as PFAS by carpet mills on Tuesday, February 3 at 9:00 pm, then dissects the complicated Crisis in Venezuela after the dramatic capture of President Nicolás Maduro by the United States military on Tuesday, February 10 at 9:00 pm. 

Nature: Parenthood

Wednesdays at 7:00 pm beginning February 4

Monkeys, wild dogs, elephants, orcas, orangutans: they all have vastly different approaches to rearing their young, as Nature explores in this multi-part series.

NOVA: Can Dogs Talk?

Wednesday, February 4 at 8:00 pm

For something a bit more light-hearted but still fascinating, NOVA looks at the latest research on animal communication, which gives insights into animal intelligence – and whether your dog actually understands you when you talk to it in that special voice.

The Brokenwood Mysteries

Thursdays at 7:00 pm beginning February 5

The seventh season of this import from New Zealand has the team investigating the deaths of an antique show host, a murder at a farmers market, and more.

Black Leaders

Amongst our Black History Month programming are two documentaries profiling worthy heroes, including one with ties to Chicago. Bessie Coleman was the first African American to receive a pilot's license and the first American woman to get an international pilot's license, less than 20 years after the Wright brothers' first flight. Her life, which ended tragically early, is explored on Monday, February 16 at 9:00 pm in Bessie Coleman: Queen of the Skies. On Sunday, February 8 at 12:00 and 1:00 pm, the two-part Everlasting: Life and Legacy of Medgar Evers looks at the life and legacy of the civil rights organizer, who was assassinated outside his home in 1963.