PBS Holiday 2024 Schedule
LUCY WORSLEY’S HOLMES VS DOYLE
Premieres: Sunday, Dec. 8, 8 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS app
Sherlock Holmes is the most famous detective in the world. For more than a century, he’s intrigued and excited his fans with his intellect and powers of deduction. He made his author, Arthur Conan Doyle, rich and famous. But the writer came to hate his fictional character. In this series, historian and lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan, Lucy Worsley investigates this curious relationship between Holmes and Doyle – detective and author.
Press Release
FRONTLINE “Breakdown in Maine”
Premieres: Tuesday, Dec. 10, 10 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS app
Investigating the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history and missed opportunities to prevent it. With the Portland Press Herald and Maine Public, examining breakdowns with police, military and mental health care before the Lewiston shooting.
VIOLENT FEMMES 40TH ANNIVERSARY WITH THE MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Premieres: Friday, Dec. 13, 10 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS app
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of their self-titled debut album, the folk punk group Violent Femmes invited the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra to be their “back-up band” in this electrifying concert which mixes classical and rock. Violent Femmes formed in 1981 playing on the streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their first album “Violent Femmes” amplified teenage angst and alienation with such songs as “Kiss Off,” “Add It Up,” and “Gone Daddy Gone” written by lead vocalist and guitarist Gordon Gano before he’d even gotten his driver’s license. Today, that debut release stands as a pillar of an American underground movement, and this concert pays homage to the band’s lasting influence.
PBS 2024 HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING
AMERICAN MASTERS “Brenda Lee: Rockin’ Around”
Currently Streaming on PBS.org & PBS app
Premieres: Monday, Dec. 16, 10 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS app
Discover the story behind singer Brenda Lee’s iconic songs and explore how her early fame and life of poverty shaped her artistry across pop, rock ‘n’ roll and country. Known for her Christmas classic and Billboard hit “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” she is still a force in music today. The film features interviews with Keith Urban, Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo and many others.
CALL THE MIDWIFE HOLIDAY SPECIALS(Seasons 10-13)
Encore Streaming Premiere: Monday, Nov. 25 with PBS Passport
CALL THE MIDWIFE follows the nurses, midwives and nuns from Nonnatus House, who visit the expectant mothers of Poplar, providing the poorest women with the best possible care.
JOY – CHRISTMAS WITH THE TABERNACLE CHOIR
Currently Streaming on PBS.org & PBS app
Premieres: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 8:00 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS app
The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square join with Broadway’s Michael Maliakel and Downton Abby’s Lesley Nicol for JOY – CHRISTMAS WITH THE TABERNACLE CHOIR, a spirited, heartwarming Christmas special. Filmed before a live audience at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, JOY will lift your spirits with stirring renditions of classic and popular Christmas music and a true story about French novelist, poet and dramatist, Victor Hugo at Christmastime.
TOO HOT TO HANDEL: THE GOSPEL MESSIAH
Premieres: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 9:30 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS app
Handel’s 18th-century masterpiece “The Messiah” is reimagined by Conductor Marin Alsop and colleagues Bob Christianson and Gary Anderson. Handel’s arias, choruses, and orchestration are infused with gospel, jazz, and R&B, creating an uplifting reinterpretation of this seasonal favourite. TOO HOT TO HANDEL: THE GOSPEL MESSIAH has been seen regularly across the United States since its premiere in New York in 1993. This performance in front of nearly 5,000 people at London’s Royal Albert Hall marks its European premiere. Presented by choirmaster and broadcaster Gareth Malone, the program sees The BBC Concert Orchestra joined by The BBC Symphony Chorus and The London Adventist Chorale, along with soloists Vanessa Haynes and Zwakele Tshabalala.
NEXT AT THE KENNEDY CENTER “Sara Bareilles: New Year’s Eve with the National Symphony Orchestra & Friends”
Premieres: Tuesday, Dec. 31, 8 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS app
Acclaimed singer, songwriter and actress Sara Bareilles takes the stage at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra for an enchanting evening of song and celebration in this New Year’s Eve special. From her first smash hit “Love Song” to her Broadway songwriting and later performing debut with the musical “Waitress,” Bareilles’ amazing artistry has been recognized with multiple Grammy and Tony awards and nominations. She will be joined by special guests Rufus Wainwright, Emily King, and David Ryan Harris for this career-spanning night.
PBS DIGITAL STUDIOS
PBS Digital Studios is a network of series bringing fresh and insightful content through the familiar lens of PBS. New digital series are available weekly on YouTube, Facebook Watch and PBS.org offering timely episodes tied to current and cultural events. Please check the FALL 2024 streaming guide for an overview of programs. Please click here for an overview of PBS Digital StudiosYouTube channels and digital series.
NEW SERIES
Crash Course: Political Theory premiered Friday, November 8
Episodes: Preview, Where Did Democracy Come From, and Does It Still Work?, What Does Liberalism Mean?
Host: Ellie Anderson
If you’ve ever read Lord of the Flies, you know that building a society isn’t easy. How should we organize ourselves? Who’s equipped to make decisions on behalf of the group? And what would it look like for everyone to live a good life? Crash Course Political Theory will explore the big questions about what it means to live in a democracy— questions that will take us back to Ancient Greece while shedding light on the world’s most pressing challenges today.
Crash Course: Religion premiered Tuesday, September 10
Episodes: Preview, What is Religion?, How Many Religions Are There, What’s the Difference Between Cults and Religion, What’s the Difference Between Religion and Magic,
The Infinite Stories of Hinduism, Life, the Universe, and the Buddha, Can a River Be A Person? | Indigenous Traditions, What Does it Mean to Be Jewish
Host: John Green
Over 24 episodes, host John Green will explore the history and culture of religions and how they offer frameworks for making sense of our lives — while being incredibly slippery things to pin down. We’ll discover how we define, debate, and contest what religion means, whether we’re personally religious or not.
Big Cats Unleashed premiered Thursday, September 26 on PBS Terra
Episodes: Why Young Lions Get Kicked Out of Their Pride, Why Being a (Big Cat) Parent is Not Easy; Why is Survival So Hard for Lion Cubs?
Narrator: Shane Campbell-Staton
The Okavango Delta in Botswana is an oasis of life in the heart of the Kalahari Desert. It has become one of the last strongholds for Africa’s lions, leopards, and cheetahs. In this companion digital series to Big Cats 24/7, coming to PBS on September 18, the Big Cats team will delve even deeper into the lives of these incredible predators.
Eons: Surviving Deep Time premiered Tuesday, Oct. 1 on PBS Eons, and wherever you get your podcasts
Episodes: Could You Survive The Ordovician Period?, Could You Survive The Cambrian Explosion?, Could You Survive the Devonian Period? with Hank Green
Hosts: Kallie More, Michelle Barboza-Ramirez, Blake de Pastino, Gabriel Santos
“How long could a human survive if they were dropped into a particular period of the geologic past?” This is a question commonly asked to the team at Eons, the popular YouTube series that explores the history of life on Earth. Eons’ companion podcast, now in its second season, will explore this very question. Lively conversations between the hosts will discuss the wildlife, environment, and other threats unique to different periods of time, bringing audiences on a journey of discovery that ultimately answers an overarching question about the past and ourselves.
Weathered: Earth’s Extremes premiered Wednesday, October 2 on the PBS App, PBS.org
Episodes: Are We At The Tipping Point?, Adapt or Leave?, The Heat is On, Water Whiplash, Not Business As Usual, Climate Crossroads
Host: Maiya May
Expanding on the YouTube series of the same name, Weathered: Earth’s Extremes is a six-part docu-series streaming on the PBS App, YouTube, and made available for PBS Stations to broadcast via PBS Plus. Host and science communicator Maiya May explores communities on the frontline of extreme weather events, from scorching heat waves and raging wildfires to floods and hurricanes. Throughout the series, Maiya May will introduce audiences to the scientists and community leaders working to build a more resilient future.
PBS SOCIAL PLATFORMS
For more information on PBS, visit www.pbs.org. Viewers are also encouraged to engage in online conversation by tagging @PBS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PBS STREAMING
PBS fall programming is available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. PBS station members can view many series, documentaries and specials via PBS Passport. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.
LIVE
Select local PBS stations are now available to stream live for free via PBS.org, Roku streaming devices, Android mobile, Amazon Fire tablets, iOS, tvOS, Chromecast and VIZIO. Additional platforms will be added at a later date. Currently 85 stations are set up for live streaming, with more to be added in the future. Viewers can access their local station’s live feed at pbs.org/livestream/. Click herefor FAQs.
ON DEMAND
PBS programming is available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. PBS station members can view an extended library of content including series, documentaries and specials via PBS Passport. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.
ABOUT PBS
PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 120 million people through television and 26 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS’ premier children’s media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV – including a 24/7channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.
