Playlist Culture
Culture
What to Watch in March
March brings three separate birthday celebrations of some talented musicians, including one who grew up in Chicago. Plus we have a new Geoffrey Baer special where he leaves the city for some R&R, and two documentaries on Chicago politics and history.
What to Stream This Month
March is Women's History Month, so we’re spotlighting some incredible women, ranging from the everyday to the famous, the unfairly unknown to the household name, the fictional to the real, in documentaries and series.
From the Archive: Sammy Davis, Jr. on the Civil Rights Movement
Watch Sammy Davis, Jr. on the pioneering show "Our People," the first televised weekly forum for black issues, discuss the ongoing empowerment of African Americans in 1968. "Don't let 'em pigeonhole me, man, cuz I will not allow myself as a black individual to be pigeonholed," he says.
'Country Music' By Ken Burns Is Coming
He has already explored the history of jazz, and now Ken Burns turns his lens towards America's other great homegrown music in an eight-part, sixteen-hour documentary series coming this fall that explores country's history and people in Burns's trademark exhaustive manner.
'Sesame Street' Celebrates 50 Years
It has been sweeping the clouds away for decades, and now Sesame Street is turning 50. To celebrate the anniversary, the beloved children's show has some big plans, from a prime-time special to a ten-city tour that includes a stop in Chicago.
What to Watch in February
During this polar weather, watch a Nature special on an ancient people who thrived in wintry conditions, an Oscar-nominated documentary with a local connection, and profile two incredible African American performers for Black History Month – plus, the beloved Mister Rogers.
What to Stream This Month
January brings not just polar weather (which you can endure via a Nature special), but also Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday (which you can honor with an American Experience) and the returns of two very popular shows: Finding Your Roots and Victoria.
PBS Programs Nominated for a 2019 Academy Award
Two of the five films nominated for Academy Awards this year in the Documentary category will soon air on PBS: Hale County This Morning, This Evening and Minding the Gap. Watch a trailer and interview with a director here.
An Exciting Collaboration Between Two Giants of Chicago's Arts Scene
Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice revolutionized opera two and a half centuries ago, and now it inaugurates a new collaboration rife with possibilities between two of Chicago's largest arts organizations, the Joffrey Ballet and Lyric Opera. Their production airs Friday, January 18 on Great Performances.
The Unique Chicagoans On This Season of 'The Interview Show'
Meet the guests appearing on the new season of The Interview Show with Mark Bazer, which premieres Thursday, January 10, from an author behind blockbuster movies to an ESPN commentator, young musicians to multifaceted Chicagoans.
The Amazing People Jay Shefsky Meets
"I’m fortunate in that I get to do stories about people that I like," says Jay Shefsky. And even though they're everyday people, they're often extraordinary, with fascinating stories, jobs, or passions. "I want to share their stories and their work."
Shows We're Excited for in 2019
The beginning of a new year always brings the excitement of eagerly anticipated shows, and 2019 is no exception. From Oscar-buzzy documentaries to sweeping histories from Ken Burns and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to new dramas and adaptations, it's going to be a good year.
What to Watch in January
The first month of 2018 has compassionate looks at some of Chicago's most fascinating people, a new comedic mystery, another season of genealogical sleuthing with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and a two-part Nature series. Oh yeah – and a little show called Victoria.
What to Stream this Month
December obviously brings the holidays, making it the perfect time to curl up in your warm home and watch some TV while snow falls outside. Here are holiday specials, a Christmas concert, festive baking episodes, and more to tide you through those dark, cold nights.
'Won't You Be My Neighbor?' the Mister Rogers Documentary, Comes to PBS
The critically acclaimed film about Fred Rogers, which is the top-grossing biographical documentary of all time, is coming to WTTW in February.
