FEATURED PROGRAMS on Blue Ridge PBS
Be sure to check our schedule for additional air times!
38th Hispanic Heritage Awards
Friday, September 26 @ 9pm
Celebrate the recipients of the 38th annual Hispanic Heritage Awards. The evening includes performances and appearances by some of the country's most celebrated Hispanic artists and visionaries. This historic program, created by the White House to commemorate the establishment of Hispanic Heritage Month in America, is among the highest honors by Latinos for Latinos and supported by 40 national Hispanic-serving institutions.
American Experience
Tuesdays @ 8pm (except where noted)
Discover the incredible characters and epic stories that have shaped America’s past and present.
September 2 – Nixon
The enigmatic nature of the Nixon presidency combined comparatively progressive legislative initiatives with a flagrant abuse of presidential power and the public trust. Even today, decades after his death, Richard Nixon inspires divided passions in America.
September 9 & 16 – FDR
The policies and persona of Franklin Delano Roosevelt set the cast of the "modern" presidency. He was unquestionably the most vital figure in the nation, and perhaps the world, during his 13 years in the White House. Engendering both admiration and scorn, FDR exerted unflinching leadership during the most tumultuous period in the nation's history since the Civil War.
September 30 @ 9pm – Hard Hat Riot – NEW!
Revisit New York in 1970, when student protestors against the Vietnam War violently clashed with construction workers, ushering in a new political and cultural divide that would redefine the American political landscape.
American Masters | Orozco: Man of Fire
Tuesday, September 23 @ 9pm
The life of Mexican muralist José Clemente Orozco (1883-1949), a life filled with drama, adversity and triumph, is one of the great stories of the modern era. Despite poverty, childhood rheumatic fever that damaged his heart and an explosion in his youth that cost him his left hand, Orozco persisted in his wish to become an artist.
American Women Saints
Thursdays, September 18 & 25 @ 9pm
This two-part historical documentary series focuses on two iconic women who were the first American Catholic saints: Elizabeth Ann Seton and Frances Xavier Cabrini. Using first person narration in modern language, these films present the untold stories of strong, smart, and driven women. These saints epitomized how to use faith, passion, and entrepreneurial skill to do good works for humanity as they founded Orders of religious women, schools, and orphanages.
Big Cats 24/7 – NEW SEASON!
Tuesdays @ 8pm
Return to Botswana’s Okavango Delta to follow the extraordinary lives of lions, leopards, and cheetahs. Filming day and night in the heart of the wilderness, an elite team of filmmakers reveals new insights from the secret world of wild big cats.
September 10 – The Rogue Boys / Under Siege
The Big Cats 24/7 team returns to Okavango Delta to catch up with old friends.
September 17 – A Pride Divided
Under attack from intruder male lions, the mums with young cubs must find the rest of the pride.
September 24 – Reunion
Xudum lionesses struggle to feed their cubs as Lediba and Pobe fight to protect their young.
A Bridge to Life
Thursday, September 4 @ 9pm
A moving portrait of an organization that for years has been working to change and save the lives of men dealing with life-threatening addiction issues. The men involved receive intensive job-training skills along with psychological and spiritual mentoring to give them a chance to return to society as successful community and family members.
The Marlow Murder Club on Masterpiece
Sundays @ 9pm
When a series of new, unsettling crimes shock Marlow, the sleuthing trio is once again pulled into a tangled mystery filled with secrets, suspects, and scandal, as they assist DCI Tanika Malik in her official investigations.
September 7 – Episode 3
When a body is found in the middle of a suburban street, the trio digs into the secrets of the residents.
September 14 – Episode 4
Is the new body a coincidence, or could the killer behind Louis Oldham’s death have struck before?
September 21 – Episode 5
Could the shocking accident at Marlow Sailing Club actually be the perfect murder?
September 28 – Episode 6
Can Judith and Becks catch the killer and save Suzie before it’s too late?
Nature: Soul of the Ocean
Wednesday, September 3 @ 8pm
Take a deep breath and experience the complex world of ocean waters. NATURE shows a never-before-seen look at how life underwater co-exists in a marriage of necessity.
NOVA | Human – NEW SERIES!
Wednesdays @ 9pm
Around 300,000 years ago, Homo sapiens emerged in Africa, one of at least seven human species alive at the time. Now, fossil evidence, DNA sequencing, and other tools are shedding new light on the surprising journey that made us who we are today.
September 17 – Origins
Trace the remarkable origin story of Homo sapiens and the crucial moments that shaped our species.
September 24 – Journeys
Follow Homo sapiens as they venture out of Africa and spread farther than any other human species.
Prohibition
Fridays @ 9pm
Discover the true story of America’s “Great Experiment.” Go beyond the oft-told tales of gangsters, rum-runners, flappers and speakeasies to experience the rise, rule and fall of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s PROHIBITION.
September 5 – A Nation of Drunkards
Since the early years of the American Republic, alcohol has been embedded in the fabric of American culture. When the 18thAmendment is signed into law, Prohibitionists rejoice that America has become officially dry. But Americans are about to discover that making Prohibition the law of the land has been one thing; enforcing it will be another.
September 12 – A Nation of Scofflaws
In 1920, Prohibition goes into effect, making it illegal to manufacture, transport or sell intoxicating liquor. This episode examines the problems of enforcement, as millions of law-abiding Americans become lawbreakers overnight.
September 19 – A Nation of Hypocrites
Support for Prohibition diminishes in the mid-1920s as the playfulness of sneaking around for a drink gives way to disenchantment with its glaring unintended consequences.
Professor T – NEW SEASON!
Sundays @ 8pm
After Season 3’s shocking finale, Jasper struggles to face police work. But, with the support of Dan and Helena, he is soon solving cases once more. In addition to crime and mystery, Jasper’s personal life begins to blossom.
September 7 – The Inspection
When a school inspector is stabbed at home and a number of items stolen, the team assume it’s a burglary gone wrong and race to catch the perpetrator.
September 14 – You Can’t Kill Me
Whilst investigating an actress’s stabbing on stage and a young girl is attacked, Jasper grows closer to Helena, and Chloe oversteps the mark.
September 21 – The Perfect Murder
Adelaide’s painting is vandalized and the gallery owner killed but Jasper is distracted from the case by learning of the DNA test on him and the Dean.
September 28 – The Warrior Gene
In the run up to Zelda and Wilfred’s wedding, Dan becomes obsessed by a dying man’s final words and Jasper finally decides to act on his own feelings.
Sacred Planet with Gulnaz Khan – NEW SERIES!
Wednesdays @ 10pm (except where noted)
Examine the impact of climate change on sacred places around the world with journalist Gulnaz Khan. Meet faith leaders drawing on ancient wisdom and spiritual resilience to confront the crisis with hope and action in this powerful four-part series.
September 10 @ 9pm – The Heart of the World
Journey to the sacred world of the Arhuaco people, carriers of a vital message for humanity.
September 17 – Stopping the Desert
Travel across Africa’s Sahel, where Muslims and Christians unite to fight desertification.
September 24 – Saving the World’s Forests
Venture to Japan, where 500-year-old climate records reveal how global warming is upending ancient traditions.
The Shot Heard ‘round the World: The Coming of the American Revolution
Thursday, September 11 @ 9pm
A chronicle of the settlement of the original thirteen American colonies and explains how the cultural “Englishness” of those colonies began to change over time.
Unforgotten on Masterpiece – NEW SEASON!
Sundays @ 10pm
Join DCI Jess James, DI Sunny Khan, and their team as they investigate the hidden truth behind mysterious human remains found in East London.
September 7 – Episode 3
Gerry’s nationalist views and violent streak are exposed.
September 14 – Episode 4
With the details of Gerry Cooper’s life becoming clearer, new suspects emerge.
September 21 – Episode 5
Lies unravel as Mel and Asif are taken into police custody.
September 28 – Episode 6
Who killed Gerry Cooper? The truth finally comes to light.