FEATURED PROGRAMS on Blue Ridge PBS
Be sure to check our schedule for additional air times!
35th Hispanic Heritage Awards
Friday, September 30 @ 9pm
Celebrate the recipients of the 35th annual Hispanic Heritage Awards. The evening includes performances and appearances by some of the country's most celebrated Hispanic artists and visionaries.
Antiques Roadshow
Mondays @ 8pm
Cameras capture tales of family heirlooms, yard sale bargains and long-lost items salvaged from attics and basements, while experts reveal the fascinating truths about these finds.
September 5 – Churchill Downs Racetrack, Hour 3
Giddy up for great appraisals at Churchill Downs Racetrack, such as a Chinese gilt bronze Bodhisattva, ca. 1650, a Nicolai Fechin oil portrait and an 1861 Fred Kaiffer caved holly sewing box. Guess which is valued at $60,000-$150,000.
September 12 – Vintage Birmingham
Discover memorable finds appraised at ANTIQUES ROADSHOW back in 1999, such as an Austrian “Naughty” cat bronze made around 1900, a Margaret Mitchell archive, and a Cartier diamond ring from about 1940. Find out which is valued at $20,000!
September 26 – Vintage San Francisco
Is all that glitters still gold in the Golden Gate City? Discover how standout San Francisco appraisals from 2003 have held up in the market, including an Asscher-cut diamond ring, a Maynard Dixon painting, and a San Francisco Seals-signed baseball.
Finding Your Roots
Tuesdays @ 8pm
The acclaimed series with Professor Gates delves into the mysteries, surprises and revelations hidden in the family trees of popular figures.
September 6 – Slave Trade
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. journeys with film director Ava DuVernay, actor S. Epatha Merkerson and musician Questlove to the unexpected places where their ancestors were scattered by slavery, upending their notions of African American history.
September 13 – Beyond the Pale
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the Jewish heritages of actor Jeff Goldblum, radio host Terry Gross and comedian Marc Maron, uncovering previously unknown stories that show each shares much more with their ancestors than a religious tradition.
September 27 – Hidden in the Genes
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps Rebecca Hall and Lee Daniels solve family mysteries through DNA detective work, illuminating both history and their own identities.
Michael Buble: Tour Stop 148 on Great Performances
Friday, September 30 @ 10pm
This unique concert film offers viewers a front row seat and exclusive backstage pass to superstar Michael Buble's visually thrilling and musically triumphant To Be Loved Tour, which was seen worldwide by two million fans in 2015 over the course of an epic schedule of 172 concert dates. The richly atmospheric film spotlights Buble's charismatic gifts as an entertainer and showcases thrilling live performances of the GRAMMY®-winning singer-songwriter's biggest hits, including "Home," "Haven't Met You Yet," "Cry Me A River" and "Feelin' Good." In addition, the performance sequences are intercut with exclusive cinema verite-style footage of what it took for Team Buble to travel this movable musical feast from arena to arena over the course of a two-year span.
NOVA
Wednesdays @ 9pm (except where noted)
Explore the science behind the headlines in PBS's premier science series.
September 7 – How Writing Changed the World
Just as handwritten records changed how societies work, the printing press transformed the spread of information, igniting the Industrial Revolution. How did technologies -- from pen to paper to printing press -- make it all possible?
September 14 @ 10:30 – Nature’s Fear Factor
When top predators disappeared from Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, other animals fell into unusual patterns. Now scientists are reintroducing wild dogs to restore the park’s “landscape of fear” and with it the natural balance of the ecosystem.
September 28 – Saving Venice NEW EPISODE!
Rising seas and sinking land threaten to destroy Venice. Can the city’s new hi-tech flood barrier save it? Discover the innovative projects and feats of engineering designed to stop this historic city from being lost to future generations.
Power Over Parkinson’s
Thursday, September 29 @ 10pm
POWER OVER PARKINSON'S showcases powerful and positive portraits of patients and doctors who are focused on exercise research to improve the lives of people living with Parkinson's disease. The upbeat and inspiring half-hour documentary profiles individuals who are taking control of the management of their disease in surprisingly easy ways: through the simple act of exercising and moving. Researchers have found that exercise—in particular boxing and tango dancing—can delay the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Rivers of Life
Season Premiere! Wednesday, September 28 @ 8pm
Featuring breathtaking photography, the second season of this landmark series explores Africa’s wildest river, the Zambezi; Europe’s Danube River, which travels through more countries than any other river; and North America’s great frozen river, the Yukon. Journey from source to mouth and travel through awe-inspiring landscapes to discover the spectacular wildlife and fascinating people that thrive along three of Earth’s greatest rivers.
On the season premiere, experience the story of the people and wildlife of the Zambezi, Africa’s wildest river.
COMING IN OCTOBER...
Annika on Masterpiece – NEW SERIES!
Sundays @ 10pm
Fishing bodies from the waters around Glasgow, Scotland, DI Annika Strandhed and her newly-formed Marine Homicide Unit face a steady stream of murders in this new series, starring Nicola Walker as the title character. Confiding her thoughts directly to viewers, Annika juggles baffling cases and a rebellious teenage daughter. The former are easier to solve than the latter.
October 16 – Episode One
Annika assembles her team to solve murders in the waters around Glasgow. Their first case looks a lot like a whale hunt gone wrong.
October 23 – Episode Two
Annika’s teenage daughter, Morgan, gets mixed up with suspects in a revenge slaying. A Norse saga comes to life as Annika’s team closes in.
October 30 – Episode Three
Annika sees one of playwright Ibsen’s plots play out in a homicide. Meanwhile, she takes more than a parental interest in Morgan’s therapist, Jake.
Antiques Roadshow
Mondays @ 8pm
Cameras capture tales of family heirlooms, yard sale bargains and long-lost items salvaged from attics and basements, while experts reveal the fascinating truths about these finds.
October 3 – Vintage Palm Springs, Hour 1
Journey back to Palm Springs for sizzling finds, including Tiffany Studios lamps, an Art Deco emerald diamond ring, ca. 1930, and a Some Like It Hot Marilyn Monroe dress. Guess which find has an updated value of $400,000 to $600,000!
October 10 – Vintage Palm Springs, Hour 2
Travel to desert oasis Palm Springs and learn which finds are now heating up, like a Louis Comfort Tiffany necklace, a Louis Armstrong archive, ca. 1950, and a Joseph Stella oil & original frame. One has an appraisal update of $550,000!
October 17 – Vintage Grand Rapids, Hour 1
Guess which glorious Grand Rapids treasures have soared since 2008, including a Navajo Germantown blanket, a 1967 Gerald Ford letter, and an 1881 Jasper Cropsey oil painting. One has an updated appraisal of $150,000!
October 24 – Vintage Grand Rapids, Hour 2
Magnificent Michigan appraisals revisited 13 years after ROADSHOW's stop in Grand Rapids, including a gold watch fob chain, a Glier violin & Pfretzschner bow, ca. 1880, and an Ellis-Stickley music cabinet. Which is now up to $100,000?
American Masters - Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Got to Be Me
Friday, October 7 @ 9pm
Explore the entertainer’s vast talent and journey for identity through the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress during 20th-century America. Features Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, and clips from his TV, film and concert performances.
Becoming Frederick Douglass
Tuesday, October 11 @ 10pm
Discover how a man born into slavery became one of the most influential voices for democracy in American history. Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson explores the role Douglass played in securing the right to freedom for African Americans.
Classic Cinema on Blue Ridge PBS
Thursdays @ 8pm except where noted
October 6 – Dinner at the Ritz (1937)
When her fiancé’s car accident brings together a woman (Annabella) and a stranger (David Niven), sparks fly.
October 13 – DOUBLE FEATURE!
- Sherlock Holmes: The Secret Weapon (1942)
Sherlock Holmes rescues the inventor of a bomb-sight which the Allies want to keep from the Nazis. - Sherlock Holmes: Woman in Green (1945)
Several beautiful women have been found murdered. The murders seem apparently unconnected, but Holmes and Watson are soon on the trail.
October 20 – The 39 Steps (1935)
A vacationing Canadian in London (Robert Donat) stumbles upon a conspiracy that has him running from spies and murderers alongside blonde beauty Madeleine Carroll in this film directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
October 27 – The Last Man on Earth (1964)
Scientist Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) is the only man immune to a plague which has transformed the entire population of the Earth into vampire-like creatures. He becomes the monster slayer that the bloodsuckers fear, but could he also be their savior?
Monday, October 31 – TRIPLE FEATURE!
- The House on Haunted Hill(1958)
Director William Castle teams with Vincent Price in one of his signature roles - The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
Roger Corman cult horror-comedy about a nerdy young florist's assistant who cultivates a large, carnivorous plant that craves human flesh. Look for a young Jack Nicholson in one of his first roles. - The Wasp Woman(1959)
Directed by Roger Corman, this B-movie gem stars Susan Cabot as the owner of a glamorous cosmetic firm who insists to be the first test subject in an experiment to restore her youthful beauty.
Dia de Los Muertos
Friday, October 28 @ 9pm
Celebrate the popular holiday observed by people of Mexican heritage everywhere with a new musical and cultural fiesta featuring rock greats Los Lobos, the salsa-rap-reggae-funk band Ozomatli and the all-female mariachi band Flor de Toloache.
Finding Your Roots
Tuesdays @ 8pm
The acclaimed series with Professor Gates delves into the mysteries, surprises and revelations hidden in the family trees of popular figures.
October 4 – Fighters
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. sits down with Terry Crews and Tony Danza, both guests who overcame adversity, to discover they aren't the first in their families to beat the odds through sheer force of will.
October 11 – Write My Name in the Book of Life
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps musician Pharrell Williams and filmmaker Kasi Lemmons uncover extraordinarily rare first-person accounts of their enslaved ancestors.
October 18 – Forgotten Journeys
Henry Louis, Jr. helps John Leguizamo and Lena Waithe retrace the paths of their ancestors, uncovering crucial pieces of their own identities that were lost on the journey to America.
October 25 – Children of Exile
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. retraces the ancestral journeys of David Chang and Raúl Esparza, whose families fled their homelands, leading them to find lost parts of themselves along the way.
Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom
Tuesday, October 4 @ 10pm
Go beyond the legend and meet the inspiring woman who repeatedly risked her own life and freedom to liberate others from slavery. Born 200 years ago in Maryland, Harriet Tubman was a conductor of the Underground Railroad, a Civil War scout, nurse and spy, and one of the greatest freedom fighters in our nation’s history.
The House That Norm Built
Monday, October 3 @ 9pm
Celebrate in style with THIS OLD HOUSE’s Master Carpenter Norm Abram before he hangs up his toolbelt one last time. This one-hour tribute special will highlight and chronicle 43 years of Norm’s incredible career.
The Life of a Musician
Saturdays @ 9pm
The Life of a Musician is a stripped down “real” acoustic interview and performance with some of the best musicians in the country. The show provides one-on-one conversations and performances with no scripts, just an insight into the musician’s life and behind the scenes stories. Each episode is filmed on location with the artist in an intimate setting.
October 15 – John Jorgenson
Brandon sits down with legendary guitarist John Jorgenson, named one of the top 100 guitarist in history by “Guitar Player Magazine”. This episode features an in-depth conversation about John’s life and career, along with three songs performed acoustically, two on guitar and one on mandolin.
October 22 – Kristy Cox
An interview and intimate performance with Australia’s Queen of Bluegrass, Kristy Cox.
October 29 – Kristy Cox, part 2
A special House Concert edition, featuring Kristy Cox and her Nashville based band performing in front of a live audience.
Lucy Worsley Investigates: The Witch Hunts
Sunday, October 2 @ 8pm
What started Britain’s century of bloody witch hunts? Lucy Worsley uncovers the story of one supposed witch, whose case lit the fuse for the state-sanctioned killing of thousands.
Magpie Murders on Masterpiece - NEW SERIES!
Sundays @ 9pm
A mystery author dies under suspicious circumstances, with his last book seemingly unfinished. This leaves two mysteries: What happened to him? And how does his latest potboiler end? Magpie Murders revolves around the character Susan Ryeland, an editor who is given an unfinished manuscript of author Alan Conway’s latest novel but has little idea it will change her life.
October 16 – Episode One
A mystery author turns in the manuscript for his latest book, but the last chapter is missing. His editor investigates and is soon on the trail of a suspicious death.
October 23 – Episode Two
Everyone he knew had reason to kill mystery author Alan Conway. But was his fatal fall actually murder? The missing last chapter of his new book may hold the secret.
October 30 – Episode Three
Angling to sell his publishing firm and retire, Charles leans on Susan to take over as CEO. In a parallel story, the detective plot in Alan’s last novel unfolds.
Making Black America: Through The Grapevine – NEW SERIES!
Tuesdays @ 9pm
Despite the gains of legal desegregation, all Black political and cultural movements, from Black Power to Black Twitter, provide a safe space for a community driven by class, sexuality and generational divisions to debate, organize and celebrate.
October 4 – Building Black America
Hour one explores how free Black people, in the North and South, built towns, established schools, held conventions - creating robust networks to address the political, economic, and social needs of the entire Black community.
October 11 – The Work of the Imagination
Hour two explores how African Americans turn within, creating a community that not only sustains but empowers. From HBCUs to Black businesses to the Harlem Renaissance to political organizations, Black life flourished.
October 18 – A Growing Resistance
To survive economic disaster, hour three shows how African Americans relied on informal economies, grassroots organizations and cultural innovations behind the color line to dismantle the oppressive realities of Jim Crow.
October 25 – Life Beyond the Veil
Despite the gains of legal desegregation, hour four reveals how Black political and cultural movements - from Black Power to Black Twitter - provide a safe space to debate, organize and celebrate.
Mannheim Steamroller 30/40 Live
Saturday, October 1 @ 9pm
Celebrate 30 years of musical magic and 40 years of Fresh Aire with this milestone album from Mannheim Steamroller. Relive the groundbreaking symphonic sound that put Mannheim Steamroller on the map.
PLUS find out how to see them in Roanoke in December!!
Miss Scarlet and the Duke
Sundays @ 8pm
Go on the case with private eye Eliza Scarlet, Victorian England’s first-ever female sleuth, as she solves crimes – and sometimes flirts – with her partner and childhood friend, Detective Inspector William “The Duke” Wellington.
October 16 – Pandora’s Box
The sister of a missing woman hires Eliza to find her - the only problem is that the case was already investigated and closed by the police, leading to new tensions between Eliza and the Duke.
October 23 – The Black Witch Moth
A valuable sketch by the famed naturalist Charles Darwin is stolen and Eliza is hired by an insurance company to find it. The process of solving the mystery brings fresh twists and turns for Eliza and the Duke.
October 30 – A Pauper’s Grave
Eliza is forced into hiding when she is the prime suspect in a series of break-ins at city morgues. While the Duke tries to find other suspects, Eliza turns to Moses and her other associates for help.
Nature – NEW EPISODES!
Wednesdays @ 8pm
Experience the splendors and compelling stories of the natural world from all over the globe.
October 19 – Running with the Beest
Witness the great wildebeest migration in East Africa, the most impressive mass movement of land animals on Earth. Travel with two Maasai guides who expose today’s conflict between people and wildlife and share new ideas for co-existence.
October 26 – Canada: Surviving the Wild
Journey from Canada’s high arctic to boreal forest and discover how polar bears, coastal wolves, lynx and more survive in the North. Timing and seizing opportunity can mean the difference between life and death in this wild and rugged outpost.
Next at the Kennedy Center: Let My Children Hear Mingus
Friday, October 14 @ 9pm
The Kennedy Center celebrates jazz icon and social activist Charles Mingus at 100. Through performances and conversations, we explore how his outsized personality and inimitable style pushed boundaries and paved the way for future generations.
NOVA – NEW EPISODES!
Wednesdays @ 9pm
Explore the science behind the headlines in PBS's premier science series.
October 5 – Rebuilding Notre Dame
In April 2019, the world watched as a devastating fire almost destroyed Paris’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral. Go behind the scenes with a team of engineers, masons, and timber workers tackling the daunting challenges of restoring the historic landmark.
October 12 – Computers V. Crime
In April 2019, the world watched as a devastating fire almost destroyed Paris’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral. Go behind the scenes with a team of engineers, masons, and timber workers tackling the daunting challenges of restoring the historic landmark.
October 19 – Can Psychedelics Cure
Mind-altering drugs—or psychedelics—have been used for thousands of years. Today, scientists are discovering their potential for profoundly positive clinical impacts, helping patients struggling with afflictions like addiction and depression.
October 26 – Ocean Invaders
Lionfish––long prized in home aquariums––have invaded the Atlantic. Dive deep with host Danni Washington to investigate what makes the lionfish such a successful invasive species, how it’s wreaking havoc, and what can be done about it.
Ricochet: An American Trauma
Wednesday, October 5 @ 10pm
PBS NewsHour presents "Ricochet: An American Trauma," an hour-long documentary examining the US gun violence crisis and the people it impacts most. We will share the deeply personal stories of shooting victims and their loved ones, community leaders, gun owners and frontline health workers, among others. And we will distill the knowledge from a variety of experts studying these issues.
Rivers of Life
Wednesdays @ 8pm
Journey from source to mouth and travel through awe-inspiring landscapes to discover the spectacular wildlife and fascinating people that thrive along three of Earth’s greatest rivers.
October 5 – Danube
Europe’s mighty and majestic Danube, full of glorious riches and magical surprises, is the world’s most international river. See how its epic journey is like no other – featuring stunning secret tributaries, baby turtles, and a waterfall-riding kayaker.
October 12 – Yukon
Remote and wild, the Yukon is a river of extremes. In summer, a restless giant and in winter, it becomes a river of ice. Home to bears, moose and salmon, the Yukon’s riches have sustained North American people for centuries.
Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes
Friday, October 21 @ 9pm
The first major film to explore the life and career of jazz luminary Ron Carter, the most recorded bassist in history. Featuring original concert footage and candid insights from jazz icons, Finding the Right Notes is a vibrant portrait of the artist in his own words.
Tommy Emmanuel: A Music Gone Public Special
Saturday, October 8 @ 9pm
The world’s best acoustic guitarist (according to Guitar Player magazine, Eric Clapton, Les Paul, Steve Vai, and thousands of public television fans) brings “The Best of Tommy on public television” curated from various performances around the country.
Van der Valk
Sundays @ 9pm
Marc Warren (The Good Wife) reprises his role as Commissaris Piet Van der Valk in the second season of the Amsterdam-set police drama.
October 2 – Blood in Amsterdam
When an employee of the renowned Cuypers Diamonds is killed and his body delivered in pieces to the wealthy siblings and heirs to the company, Van der Valk must consider a possible tale of revenge against the family.
October 9 – Payback in Amsterdam
When a promising cellist from a prestigious orchestra dies following an acid attack, Van der Valk and his team must delve into the city’s vibrant and eclectic classical music scene in the search for her killer.