What to Watch in April
Lisa Tipton
April 1, 2026
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.
New Mysteries
Beyond Paradise is both new and old: it's a spin-off of Death in Paradise starring that series' second detective inspector, Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall). Now Humphrey is back in England, although still close to the ocean, on the coast of Devon. It's Saturdays at 8:00 pm beginning April 4.
The Puzzle Lady also stars a familiar face, Phyllis Logan from Downton Abbey and Guilt, as a puzzle lover who gets involved with murder investigations. The show has already been popular streaming via the PBS app by WTTW Passport members; now you can watch it over-the-air on WTTW, Fridays at 8:00 pm beginning April 10.
Finally, at the very end of the month we're debuting the new The Chelsea Detective, where a fashionable London neighborhood reveals a seamy underground. That's Thursdays at 7:00 pm beginning April 30.
Jewish Heritage
April begins with Passover, and Family Recipe: Jewish American Style can help you celebrate, or just reveal how dishes adapt and carry meaning as they're passed down through a family, Sunday, April 5 at 6:00 pm. Check back for a recipe from the show, or subscribe to our food newsletter Deep Dish.
Holocaust Remembrance Day is April 14, and we have two programs that commemorate the unthinkable tragedy. The Last Musician of Auschwitz (Sunday, April 19 at 2:00 pm) is about the remarkable Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, a cellist who was enlisted into an orchestra in Auschwitz, built a career postwar as a musician, and is still alive today at the age of 100. Life After Liberation also tells the stories of Holocaust survivors, Sunday, April 12 at 6:00 pm.
Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American Revolution
Tuesdays, April 7 and 14 at 8:00 pm
Last fall we had the monumental Ken Burns documentary about the American Revolution. Now we get a look at that epochal conflict in the 250th year of its founding from the British point of view, thanks to the ever-popular Lucy Worsley.
Riding the Rails with Geoffrey Baer
Geoffrey Baer is back, this time to explore trains and railroads around Chicago and how they made this city into the hub of the United States and continue to shape it today. Don't miss even more at wttw.com/rails.
New NOVA
Wednesdays at 8:00 pm beginning April 15
NOVA brings us three new scientific investigations, from archaeology in Athens: Birth of Democracy (April 29), unpredictable, sudden superstorms in Rain Bombs (April 22), and this year's NASA Artemis mission around the moon in Return to the Moon.
For Earth Day
April 22 is Earth Day and at 9:00 pm brings Wilding, the story of a couple trying to turn their old English estate into a haven for wildlife. The following week, Shared Planet premieres at 9:00 pm on April 29 with more stories of nature and humans coexisting.
Wilding Wednesday, April 22 at 9:00 pm & Shared Planet Wednesday, April 29 at 9:00 pm (series?)
