May 2018 - WETA Magazine by WETA

M AY 2018 MAGAZINE FOR MEMBERS

Judy Woodruff Anchors

PBS NewsHour This Month on WETA UK:

On WETA TV 26 & WETA HD:

New series of Death in Paradise, Tutankhamun, Life of Crime, Sharpe and Hetty Wainthropp Investigates

Little Women on Masterpiece, The Great American Read, Poirot, Vera, a Royal Wedding and more

C1_WETA_May_2018_4-11.indd 1

4/13/18 3:22 PM

PBS NewsHour | C D

ear WETA Members,

Millions of Americans each week rely on the WETA production PBS NewsHour to make sense of a complex world and fast-paced news cycle. We are very proud that PBS NewsHour is one of America’s most respected sources of news — the program at the core of public broadcasting’s mission to help educate and inform Americans. Renowned for integrity, balance, fairness and civility, the newscast maintains a strong commitment to the high standard of journalism excellence set by the program’s founders, Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer. PBS NewsHour’s enduring success is attributable to the news operation’s extraordinary team of dedicated journalists and its commitment to a mission of public service. I congratulate PBS NewsHour anchor and managing editor Judy Woodruff, executive producer Sara Just, and the superb NewsHour staff on their stellar work, which is attracting a growing audience. Judy Woodruff is the public exemplar of excellence in journalism — her serious and thoughtful work anchoring PBS NewsHour informs and inspires so many. We are delighted that Judy’s role as solo anchor is now formalized. When we lost broadcast co-anchor Gwen Ifill in November 2016, we were all devastated. Judy, supported by her colleagues, carried the broadcast on her shoulders. She remains ably supported by a superb bench of correspondents, including new and recent hires Yamiche Alcindor, Amna Nawaz and Nick Schifrin, whom we have been thrilled to welcome to the team. Through more than 40 years of public service, PBS NewsHour has earned the trust of audiences nationwide. Now, the NewsHour is poised to reach even greater heights of excellence as we report the news each day, on the air and online, with the high standards the public expects and deserves. Thank you for tuning in — and for your support of WETA.

Sharon Percy Rockefeller, President & CEO, WETA

WETA production PBS NewsHour airs at 7 p.m. each weeknight on WETA TV 26 & WETA HD

he award-winning WETA production PBS NewsHour in March named managing editor Judy Woodruff solo anchor of the nightly broadcast and announced the hires of several new correspondents who join the program’s bench of general and topical correspondents. The staff additions add to the strength and depth of the reporting on public television’s marquee newscast and support the anchor desk. PBS NewsHour illuminates issues and events in the news, reporting the facts, offering critical context, and presenting thoughtful, civil discussion and insightful news analysis. The broadcast is created in WETA’s Arlington, Virginia, television studios and airs each weeknight at 7 p.m. and weekend evenings on WETA TV 26/HD — and on public television stations nationwide. The program is also available online, via podcast, and on Classical WETA 90.9 FM.

Woodruff Leads the News Team Woodruff has served as sole anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour since Gwen Ifill’s passing in November 2016. With the formalizing of her role as solo anchor, Woodruff said, “I am thrilled every day with the opportunity to work with the NewsHour team, dedicated to serious, fair and in-depth journalism. Also every day, I miss Gwen Ifill and I hope I carry on in a way that honors her legacy.” In 2011, Woodruff became one of the program’s rotating anchors. In 2013, she and the late Gwen Ifill were named co-anchors and managing editors of the program, the first time in history two women were the co-anchor team for a national nightly news broadcast. With more than four decades of experience reporting at PBS, NBC and CNN, Woodruff has covered 12 presidential elections; interviewed seven U.S. presidents; and is the recipient of a host of journalism awards.

New Hires Expand a Superb Roster Joining the PBS NewsHour team are correspondents Amna Nawaz and Nick Schifrin. Nawaz, who came to PBS NewsHour in April, will substitute at the anchor desk and covers a wide range of topics. She will launch a podcast and digital video version of the NewsHour’s popular “5 Stories You Missed” series. Amna Nawaz

C2-00-00-C4_WETA_May18_4-13.indd 2

4/17/18 1:06 PM

ur | Committed to Excellence

Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour

Nick Schifrin, who has spent the past several years creating weeklong series for PBS NewsHour from around the globe as a special correspondent, joins the broadcast this month as the program’s new foreign affairs and defense correspondent. Nick Schifrin Yamiche Alcindor, also a new correspondent for the program, earlier this year began reporting from Washington on the administration for PBS NewsHour. “With the hires of Amna Nawaz and Nick Schifrin — as well as the recent hire of Yamiche Alcindor as White House Yamiche Alcindor correspondent and

John Yang’s move to a broader range of stories and our deep bench of talented journalists — we are growing the strength and capacity of the NewsHour at this busy time in news and into the future,” said Sara Just, PBS NewsHour executive producer and a WETA senior vice president. Nawaz, Schifrin and Alcindor expand the team’s roster of veteran journalists, who include chief correspondent for arts and culture Jeffrey Brown; business and economics correspondent Paul Solman; science correspondent Miles O’Brien; correspondent and PBS NewsHour Weekend anchor Hari Sreenivasan; Capitol Hill correspondent Lisa Desjardins, and general assignment correspondents John Yang, William Brangham and Fred de Sam Lazaro. Also contributing to the NewsHour are Supreme Court reporter Marcia Coyle, political analysts Tamara Keith and Amy Walter, and commentators David Brooks and Mark Shields.

PBS NewsHour Audience Grows Increasing numbers of viewers are tuning in to PBS NewsHour’s outstanding news reporting. In recent years and under the leadership of Judy Woodruff and Sara Just, the NewsHour significantly expanded its average nightly total audience to 1.9 million viewers in 2017, a 12 percent increase over the prior year. PBS NewsHour also produces robust news resources for a growing digital audience, with millions of users regularly staying informed with NewsHour content via the program’s website (below), YouTube, Apple News, Facebook and Twitter. Visit pbs.org/newshour to learn more about PBS NewsHour, find the program on Facebook and follow @NewsHour on Twitter. PBS NewsHour is a production of NewsHour Productions LLC, a wholly owned non-profit subsidiary of WETA, in association with WNET in New York.

Major funding for PBS NewsHour is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS and public television viewers. Major corporate funding is provided by BNSF, Consumer Cellular, Raymond James, Babbel, and Leidos, with additional support from Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, the J. Paul Getty Trust, the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Lemelson Foundation, National Science Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Ford Foundation, Skoll Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Friends of the NewsHour and others.

C2-00-00-C4_WETA_May18_4-13.indd 1

4/17/18 1:06 PM

May Highlights on WETA TV 26/HD Poirot and Vera in May

Thursdays/Mondays on WETA TV 26/HD

ITV

RLJ ENTERTAINMENT/ACORN MEDIA

ETA presents Thursday-night, 8 p.m. double features of Agatha Christie’s Poirot in May, featuring David Suchet in his signature role as Belgian super sleuth Hercule Poirot. Among this month’s episodes — adapted from Christie novels — are Appointment with Death (May 10), set at an archaeological dig in 1930s Syria and featuring Tim Curry, Cheryl Campbell, John Hannah, Mark Gatiss and Elizabeth McGovern; and the classic Death on the Nile (May 31), with a cast that includes James Fox, Emily Blunt, Judy Parfitt, Barbara Flynn, David Soul and Frances de la Tour. Also in May, the series Vera continues with more crime investigations on Monday, May 7 at 9:30 p.m. and — entering Series 2 — on May 21 at 9:30 p.m. Brenda Blethyn stars as DCI Vera Stanhope in these adaptations of Anne Cleeves novels.

A Royal Wedding on WETA TV 26 & HD Royal Wedding Watch airs nightly, May 14-18 Royal Wedding Live airs Saturday, May 19, 4:30-9:30 a.m.

OFFICIAL PORTRAIT/VIA TWITTTER

ETA TV 26 and WETA HD feature a live broadcast of the wedding of Prince Harry of Wales and American actress Meghan Markle on Saturday morning, May 19, 4:30-9:30 a.m. ET. The wedding ceremony will take place in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. In live nightly broadcasts on the five days preceding the wedding, WETA will present five Royal Wedding Watch specials — airing at 10 p.m., Monday-Thursday, May 14-17 and at 10:30 p.m. Friday, May 18. The programs — hosted by Meredith Vieira and British television presenter Matt Baker — will offer a front-row seat for the buildup to this global event, unpacking the history, tradition and ceremony surrounding a royal wedding. See the TV listings starting on page 11 for details. The Royal Wedding broadcasts will also air on WETA UK — see page 19.

Wednesdays, May 2 & 9 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD

he Nature miniseries Natural Born Rebels continues in May, exploring a wide variety of unusual animal behavior. This month’s programs are Survival (May 2), spotlighting what some animals do to ensure they survive, such as cockatoos turning to vandalism, boxer crabs holding anemones hostage, sloths becoming filthy, puff adders employing an “invisibility cloak” to hide themselves, and chimps using violence to stay in power; and The Mating Game (May 9), featuring promiscuous prairie dogs, manakin pick-up artists, kidnapping macaques, preening peacocks, and hyenas with a bad case of sibling rivalry. Researchers are discovering the science behind why these animals behave as they do.

©STUART DUNN

Nature: Natural Born Rebels

Support for Nature is made possible in part by the Arnhold Family in memory of Clarisse Arnhold, the Halmi Family in memory of Robert Halmi, Sr., Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, the Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust, the Filomen M. D’Agostino Foundation, Rosalind P. Walter, Sandra Atlas Bass, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the nation’s public television stations.

NOVA Wonders

Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD

SHUTTERSTOCK

he series NOVA Wonders features five programs in May that spotlight the frontiers of science, where researchers are tackling some of the biggest questions about life and the cosmos. From the mysteries of astrophysics to the secrets of the body to the challenges of inventing technologies that could rival — and even surpass — the abilities of the human mind, the programs explore how far we’ve come in our search for answers, how we’ve managed to get here, and how scientists hope to push our understanding of the universe even further. This month’s episodes are What’s Living in You? (May 2), Are We Alone? (May 9), Can We Build a Brain? (May 16), Can We Make Life? (May 23) and What’s the Universe Made of? (May 30). Funding for NOVA Wonders is provided by the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation and public television viewers.

C2-00-00-C4_WETA_May18_4-13.indd 2

4/17/18 1:06 PM

Little Women on Masterpiece

Sundays, May 13 & 20 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD

PHOTOS COURTESY MASTERPIECE/PBS, BBC & PLAYGROUND

asterpiece presents Louisa May Alcott’s Civil War-era coming-of-age classic, starring Emily Watson, Michael Gambon and Angela Lansbury alongside four young actresses portraying the March sisters of Concord, Massachusetts. The new adaptation — which premieres on Mother’s Day, May 13, 8-9 p.m., and concludes Sunday, May 20, 8-10 p.m. — is written by Heidi Thomas (creator of Call the Midwife and adapter of Cranford for Masterpiece) and produced by Playground (Wolf Hall) for Masterpiece and BBC. The 1868 novel’s story is a celebration of family as much as it is a recognition of the challenges of growing up and forging an individual identity. Set against the backdrop of a country divided, it follows the four March sisters on their journey from childhood to adulthood while their father is away at war. Under the guidance of their mother Marmee (portrayed by Emily Watson), the girls navigate what it means to be a young woman: from gender roles and sibling rivalry to love, loss and marriage. In the photo at right (top row, left-right), Willa Fitzgerald portrays eldest, virtuous Meg, Kathryn Newton is youngest sister Amy, and Annes Elwy portrays shy sister Beth; Maya Hawke (bottom) is willful, adventurous Jo. Accompanied by the charming boy next door Laurie Laurence (Jonah Hauer-King), cantankerous family matriarch Aunt March (Angela Lansbury) and benevolent neighbor Mr. Laurence (Michael Gambon), Little Women is a story that is as relevant and engaging today as it was on its original publication. “Little Women is one of the most-loved novels in the English language and with good reason,” says writer-producer Thomas. “Its humanity, humor and tenderness never date and, as a study of love, grief and growing up, it has no equal. There could be no better time to revisit the story of a family striving for happiness in an uncertain world.” Funding for Masterpiece is provided by Viking Cruises and Farmers Insurance®, with additional support from public television viewers, and contributors to The Masterpiece Trust.

Starts Tuesday, May 22 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD Visit pbs.org/greatamericanread to learn more.

Funding for The Great American Read is provided by The Anne Ray Foundation and PBS.

C2-00-00-C4_WETA_May18_4-13.indd 3

STEPHANIE BERGER PHOTOGRAPHY

elp choose America’s favorite book! A new eight-part television competition and nationwide campaign — The Great American Read — explores the power of books and the joy of reading through the lens of America’s 100 best-loved novels, as voted on by the public. Hosted by television personality and journalist Meredith Vieira and produced by Nutopia for PBS, the series launches with a two-hour program on May 22 and will journey around the country to uncover the nation’s favorite fiction works, the people who love them, and their authors. The program spotlights the novels on the Top 100 list — chosen from a national survey conducted by YouGov and shared at the website pbs.org/greatamericanread — and what they can tell us about our diverse nation, our shared values, our cultural identities and the Meredith themes that tie us together. Many key authors, celebrities and notable figures join Vieira Vieira in lending their voices and passion to The Great American Read. Margaret hosts Atwood, Jenna and Barbara Bush, Chelsea Clinton, Junot Díaz, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, John Green, Gayle King, George R. R. Martin, Shaquille O’Neal, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jason Reynolds, Gabrielle Union, Ming-Na Wen and many others will share their personal stories and connections to their favorite titles throughout the series. Following the May 22 program, and throughout the summer, viewers are encouraged to read and engage in the conversation by visiting the interactive website and voting for their favorite book on the list (at the website above). The series will return in September with a recap and additional themed episodes exploring the nominated books, leading up to the reveal of “America’s Best-Loved Novel” on Tuesday, October 23.

4/17/18 1:06 PM

May Highlights The Chinese Exclusion Act: American Experience Tuesday, May 29 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD

CALIFORNIA HISTORIAL SOCIETY

new two-hour documentary film by Ric Burns and Li-Shin Yu — The Chinese Exclusion Act — airs as a special presentation of American Experience on May 29, exploring a unique piece of federal legislation. On May 6, 1882, on the eve of the greatest wave of Women detainees at Angel Island Immigration Station, immigration in American history, President Chester A. Arthur signed San Francisco Bay. into law the Act, which singled out as never before a specific race and nationality for exclusion — making it illegal for Chinese workers to come to America and for Chinese nationals already here ever to become citizens of the United States. The first in a long line of acts targeting the Chinese for exclusion, the Act would remain in force for more than 60 years. The film explores in detail this little-known yet deeply resonant and revealing episode in American history — spotlighting aspects of the history of American civil liberties, immigration and culture. Actor Hoon Lee narrates the film. Burns and Yu created New York: A Documentary Film and Death and the Civil War as well as the 2015 WETA co-production The Pilgrims. Among Burns’ other collaborations with WETA was the 1990 series The Civil War. Major funding for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Major funding for The Chinese Exclusion Act is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding for American Experience is provided by the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and public television viewers.

Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month on WETA TV 26 & WETA HD Visit weta.org/asianpacific for complete listings. Pacific Heartbeat VI: Mele Murals Tue 5/1, 11pm; Rpts Sun 5/13, 1:30pm Visions in the Dark: The Life of Pinky Thompson Wed 5/2, 11pm; Rpts Sun 5/13, 2:30pm Ever the Land Thur 5/3, 11pm; Rpts Sun 5/13, 3:30pm Next Goal Wins Sun 5/13, 4:30pm Changing Season: On the Masumoto Family Farm Thur 5/3, 4pm Supper Club Thursdays, 5pm (except 5/17); 5:30pm on 5/31 POV: Cutie and the Boxer Sat 5/5, 11:30pm Pacific Heartbeat VII: Poi E: The Story of Our Song Sun 5/6, 1:30pm; Rpts Tue 5/29, 11pm Making Good Men Sun 5/6, 2:30pm; Rpts Thur 5/31, 11pm Being Bruno Banani Sun 5/6, 3:30pm Giap’s Last Day at the Ironing Board Factory Tue 5/8, 3pm Off the Menu: Asian America Tue 5/8, 3:30pm

C2-00-00-C4_WETA_May18_4-13.indd 4

Pacific Heartbeat V: A Place to Call Home Tue 5/8, 11pm; Rpts Sun 5/20, 1:30pm Sons of Halawa Wed 5/9, 11pm; Rpts Sun 5/20, 2:30pm Waiting for John Thur 5/10, 11pm; Rpts Sun 5/20, 3:30pm Dream Big: Nanakuli at the Fringe Sun 5/20, 4:30pm Splinters Wed 5/23, 11pm Independent Lens: In Football We Trust Fri 5/11, 11pm POV: The Look of Silence Sat 5/12, 11:30pm Independent Lens: Meet the Patels Sat 5/19, 11:30pm POV: The Birth of Saké Tue 5/22, 11pm Relocation Arkansas: Aftermath of Incarceration Thur 5/24, 11:07pm The Quietest Place on Earth Fri 5/25, 11pm The Chinese Exclusion Act: American Experience Tue 5/29, 8pm; Rpts Wed 5/30, 4pm Reaching West: Dreams of China’s New Generation Wed 5/30, 11pm

4/17/18 1:06 PM

on WETA TV 26/HD

National Memorial Day Concert 2018

WETA co-production airs Sunday, May 27 at 8 p.m., repeating at 9:30 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD

CAPITAL CONCERTS

n the 150th anniversary of Memorial Day, WETA and Capital Concerts present to a nationwide audience the annual program National Memorial Day Concert — live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna (at right) and Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinise co-host the broadcast, which for nearly three decades has honored America’s men and women in uniform, their families at home and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the nation. This year, the national moment of remembrance recognizes Korean War veterans; marks the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Khe Sanh, one of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam War; and pays tribute to America’s Gold Star families from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The program’s all-star line-up includes General Colin L. Powell USA (Ret.); Tony-nominated actress Mary McCormack; actor Brian Tee; country music singer and television actor Charles Esten; Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning actress and singer Cynthia Erivo; three-time Grammy Award nominee Leona Lewis; Broadway, television and film star Megan Hilty; and acclaimed tenor and Broadway star Alfie Boe; in performance with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of pops conductor Jack Everly. The National Memorial Day Concert is made possible by grants from the Lockheed Martin Corporation, the National Park Service, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Department of the Army, General Dynamics, PBS and public television stations nationwide. Air travel is provided by American Airlines.

Arlington National Cemetery

WETA TV 26 production airs May 27 at 7 p.m. & 11 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD

WETA

hts

receding and following the Sunday-night airings of the National Memorial Day Concert, WETA reprises the 2014 TV 26 production Arlington National Cemetery, which examines how the sacred American place that honors the dead, their service and their sacrifice brings so much meaning and solace to the living. For the one-hour film, the WETA production team visited the cemetery through multiple seasons to explore the site and its history, spotlight its rituals, follow the workings of the staff and grounds, and share deeply personal stories of the site’s emotional role in people’s lives. Also tune in for locally focused WETA TV 26 productions Honored to Serve — Sunday, May 27, 3:30-6 p.m. and Monday, May 28, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. — which present stories of America’s Armed Forces from around Greater Washington.

Going to War

Monday, May 28 at 9 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD

n Memorial Day, Monday, May 28 at 9 p.m., the program Going to War explores war as an aspect of human experience that must be comprehended in the same way we know about history, science, nature, the arts and other topics. Drawing on a range of disciplines, including history, anthropology, psychology and neuroscience, the program illuminates a defining experience for all human cultures. In the film, military veterans reveal the truths of combat with unflinching candor. Going to war brings terror, pain and grief, but also exhilaration and a sense of purpose. Helping make sense of this paradox are Karl Marlantes, a highly decorated U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War, author of “Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War” and “What It Is Like to Go to War,” and participant in the Ken Burns and Lynn Novick film The Vietnam War; and Sebastian Junger, the journalist, author and filmmaker known for his book “The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea,” his chronicle of the war in Afghanistan in documentary films Restrepo and Korengal, and his book “War.”

C2-00-00-C4_WETA_May18_4-13.indd 5

4/17/18 1:06 PM

WETA TV 26 & WETA HD May primetime simulcast listings.

Denotes WETA productions, co-productions and presentations

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

Tue

Civilizations (Pt 3 of 5. God and Art)

Wed

Nature: Natural Born Rebels: Survival

Thu

Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Cat Among the Pigeons

Fri

Washington Week

Sat

(from 7pm) Doc Martin, Series 4 (Pts 3-5 of 8) (to 9:32pm)

Sun

Call the Midwife, Season 7 (Pt 8 of 8)

Unforgotten, Series 2 on Masterpiece (Pt 2 of 3)

Mon

Antiques Roadshow: Green Bay, WI (Ep 3 of 3)

Check, Please! DC (Ep 10 of 12) (New!)

Tue

Civilizations (Pt 4 of 5. Encounters)

First Civilizations (Pt 3 of 4. Cities)

Frontline: Myanmar’s Killing Fields (to 11pm) & Pacific Heartbeat: A Place to Call Home (to 12m)

Wed

Nature: Natural Born Rebels: The Mating Game

NOVA Wonders (Ep 3 of 6. Are We Alone?)

NOVA: Life’s Rocky Start (to 11pm) & Pacific Heartbeat: Sons of Halawa (to 12m)

Thu

Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Appointment with Death

Fri

Washington Week

Sat

(from 7pm) Doc Martin, Series 4 (Pts 5-7 of 8) (to 9:32pm)

Sun

Little Women on Masterpiece (Pt 1 of 2)

Unforgotten, Series 2 on Masterpiece (Pt 3 of 3)

Mon

Antiques Roadshow: Newport, RI (Ep 1 of 3)

Check, Please! DC (Ep 11 of 12) (New!)

Tue

Civilizations (Pt 5 of 5. Renaissances)

First Civilizations (Pt 4 of 4. Trade)

Royal Wedding Watch: What to Wear (to 11pm) & Tales from the Royal Wardrobe (to 12m)

Wed

Nature: Super Hummingbirds

NOVA Wonders (Ep 4 of 6. Can We Build a Brain?)

Royal Wedding Watch: Ceremony (to 11pm) & Royal Wives at War (to 12m)

Thu

Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Cards on the Table (from 7:58)

Fri

Washington Week

Sat

(from 7pm) Doc Martin, Series 4 (Pts 7 & 8 of 8) & Series 7 (Pt 1 of 8) (to 9:32pm)

Sun

Little Women on Masterpiece (Pt 2 of 2)

Mon

Antiques Roadshow: Newport, RI (Ep 2 of 3)

Check, Please! DC (Ep 12 of 12) (New!)

Tue

The Great American Read

Frontline: Weinstein (to 11pm) & POV: The Birth of Saké (to 12:30am)

Wed

Nature: The World’s Most Wanted Animal

NOVA Wonders (Ep 5 of 6. Can We Make Life?)

Thu

Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Taken at the Flood

Fri

Washington Week

Sat

(from 7pm) Doc Martin, Series 7 (Pts 1-3 of 8) (to 9:32pm)

The WETA Movie: The Big Sleep (to 11:30pm)

Sun

National Memorial Day Concert 2018

National Memorial Day Concert 2018 (encore) (to 11pm) & Arlington National Cemetery (to 12m)

Mon

Antiques Roadshow: Newport, RI (Ep 3 of 3)

Tue

The Chinese Exclusion Act: American Experience

Frontline: U.N. Sex Abuse Scandal (to 11pm) & Pacific Heartbeat: Poi E (to 12m)

Wed

Nature: Giraffes: Africa’s Gentle Giants

NOVA: Inside Einstein’s Mind (to 11pm) & Reaching West: Dreams of China’s New Generation (to 12m)

Thu

In Principle (Ep 4 of 8) (New!)

In Principle (Ep 5 of 8) (New!)

In Principle (Ep 6 of 8) (New!)

In Principle (Ep 7 of 8) (New!)

First Civilizations (Pt 2 of 4. Religion)

Frontline: Blackout in Puerto Rico (to 11pm) & Pacific Heartbeat: Mele Murals (to 12m)

NOVA Wonders (Ep 2 of 6. What’s Living in You?)

NOVA: Search for the Super Battery (to 11pm) & Pacific Heartbeat: Visions in the Dark (to 12m)

Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Third Girl (to 11pm) & Pacific Heartbeat: Ever the Land (to 12m)

The Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution

8:30

PBS NewsHour airs weeknights at 7 p.m.

C2-00-00-C4_WETA_May18_4-13.indd 6

The WETA Movie: Singin’ in the Rain (to 11:30pm) Check, Please! DC (Ep 9 of 12)

Vera, Series 1 (Ep 4 of 4) (to 11pm) & Independent Lens: No Man’s Land (to 12:30am)

Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Mystery of the Blue Train (to 11pm) & Pacific Heartbeat: Waiting for John (to 12m)

Live from Lincoln Center: Andrew Rannells in Concert

Mystery of the Mountain: Hidden in Plain View & Indep. Lens: In Football We Trust (to 12:30am)

The WETA Movie: An Officer and a Gentleman (to 11:36pm)

Neighborhood Eats

Check, Please! DC (Ep 11 of 12)

Check, Please! DC (Ep 10 of 12)

Royal Wedding Watch: A Wedding Is Announced (to 11pm) & Elizabeth at 90 (to 12:30am)

Royal Wedding Watch: How to Celebrate (to 11pm) & Secrets of Her Majesty’s Secret Service (to 12m)

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story: American Masters

Royal Wedding Watch: Happily Ever After

The WETA Movie: Bringing Up Baby (to 11:30pm) Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women: American Masters (to 11:30pm)

Vera, Series 2 (Ep 1 of 4) (to 11pm) & Independent Lens: Acorn and the Firestorm (to 12:30am)

NOVA: Extreme Animal Weapons (to 11pm) & Pacific Heartbeat: Splinters (to 12m)

Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Five Little Pigs (to 11:07pm) & Relocation Arkansas: Aftermath of Incarceration (to 12m) Great Performances: The Opera House (to 11pm) & The Quietest Place on Earth (to 12m)

Going to War

Independent Lens: Served Like a Girl (to 11:30pm)

NOVA Wonders (Ep 6 of 6. What’s the Universe Made of?)

Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Sad Cypress

8:00

Live from Lincoln Center: Stephanie J. Block in Concert (to 11pm) & The Jazz Ambassadors (to 12m)

Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Death on the Nile (to 11pm) & Pacific Heartbeat: Making Good Men (to 12m)

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

Amanpour on PBS airs late weeknights (check listings).

4/17/18 1:06 PM

WETA TV 26 & WETA HD May simulcast primetime listings, plus weekends for WETA TV 26

• Programming on WETA TV 26 and WETA HD is the same — simulcast — Monday through Friday from 6 p.m. through primetime programs, and weekends beginning at 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. Sundays. • Please note that Saturday daytime listings that follow are for WETA TV 26 only unless otherwise indicated. For complete 24-hour schedules of programs on WETA TV 26 and WETA HD, visit weta.org/tv. • The weeknight primetime schedule on WETA TV 26 often repeats the next weekday afternoon on WETA TV 26. • WETA TV 26 is devoted to children’s programming 5 a.m.–noon weekdays and 6–9 a.m. Sundays. For 24 hours of children’s programming each day, tune in to the WETA Kids channel. See page 15 for schedule information. Program Key ■ — WETA productions, co-productions or presentations. R — Aired within the month. Listings are accurate as of press time. For late-breaking program updates, visit weta.org/tv or call 703-998-2724.

WETA TV 26 26.4 Over the Air Via Antenna Cox 26, 802 Comcast 26 Fios 26 RCN 26

WETA HD 26.1 Over Cox 1026, 1003 Fios 526 DirecTV 26, 26-1 RCN 613

7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 CIVILIZATIONS — A series surveys the history of art, from antiquity to the present, on a global scale. Programs reveals the role art and creative imagination have played in forging humanity and spotlight works of beauty, ingenuity and illumination across cultures. Liev Schreiber narrates. Part 3 of 5. God and Art. Trace the relationship between religion and art, which has inspired some of the most ingenious, affecting, majestic and breathtaking works of art ever made. Yet beneath great works of religious art often lie conflict, intrigue and divine mysteries. Repeats Wed 5/2, 4pm 9:00 FIRST CIVILIZATIONS — Explore the seedbed civilizations of Mesoamerica, the Middle East and the Indus Valley to learn how and why early humans, who had been mobile foragers, created villages, towns, cities and states, establishing the blueprint for the modern world. Part 2 of 4. Religion. Discover the secret to the stability and cohesion of Ancient Egypt — religion. When people share a core set of beliefs, they are more likely to identify as one. That was true for first civilizations and is true today. Repeats Wed 5/2, 5pm 10:00 FRONTLINE: BLACKOUT IN PUERTO RICO — Frontline presents an investigation into the humanitarian and economic crisis in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. With NPR, Frontline examines how the federal response, Wall Street, and years of neglect have left the island struggling to survive. 11:00 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: MELE MURALS — Anthology series Pacific Heartbeat spotlights people, cultures and contemporary issues of the Pacific Islands. Mele Murals. A documentary spotlights the transformative power of art through the unlikely union of graffiti and ancient Hawaiian culture. Repeats Sun 5/13, 1pm 12M AMANPOUR ON PBS — CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour discusses contemporary issues with global leaders and decision-makers.

What’s Living in You? Dive into the human microbiome, an ecosystem of bacteria, fungi and viruses living right beneath our noses. Discover how parasite larvae can grow in our skin, and how ingesting poop in a pill can save lives. {DVI} Repeats Thur 5/3, 2pm 10:00 NOVA: SEARCH FOR THE SUPER BATTERY — Renowned gadget geek and host David Pogue sets out on a quest to discover how batteries work and uncover what the future of batteries means for our gadgets, our lives and even our planet. {DVI} Repeats Thur 5/3, 3pm 11:00 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: VISIONS IN THE DARK: THE LIFE OF PINKY THOMPSON — World War II veteran Myron “Pinky” Thompson became a social worker, mentor and revered leader in the Native Hawaiian community who left a legacy of positive social change and pride in Pacific heritage. Repeats Sun 5/13, 2:30pm 12M AMANPOUR ON PBS

3 Thursday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT: CAT AMONG THE PIGEONS — David Suchet portrays Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot in mysteries based on novels by Agatha Christie. Cat Among the Pigeons. Poirot tackles an intriguing and dangerous murder case involving international espionage, a Middle-Eastern revolution and a missing princess. The surviving heir to a nation’s throne is hidden away from revolutionaries in a small English

RLJ ENTERTAINMENT/ACORN MEDIA

2 Wednesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 NATURE: NATURAL BORN REBELS: SURVIVAL — Some animals will do whatever it takes to survive. Cockatoos turn to vandalism, boxer crabs hold anemones hostage, sloths become filthy, puff adders have an invisibility cloak to hide themselves, and chimps use violence to stay in power. {DVI} Repeats Thur 5/3, 1pm 9:00 NOVA WONDERS: WHAT’S LIVING IN YOU? — A new, thematic magazine-style science series explores the frontiers of science, where researchers are tackling some of the biggest questions about life and the cosmos.

WETA Television

1 Tuesday

the Air Via Antenna Dish 8076 Comcast 800 (in the D.C. area) Comcast 219 (Baltimore area)

Thursdays at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD WETA TV 26 presents double features of Agatha Christie’s Poirot, starring David Suchet in his signature role as the great sleuth in mysteries such as Appointment with Death and Death on the Nile.

For full schedules and program information, visit weta.org 7

07-15_Listings_WETA_May18.indd 7

4/17/18 1:07 PM

and Benny Goodman to travel as cultural ambassadors and combat racially charged Soviet propaganda through their music. 12M AMANPOUR ON PBS

IN PRINCIPLE A WETA PRODUCTION

WETA Television

Fridays at 8:30 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD In Principle, a new WETA public affairs production co-hosted by columnist Michael Gerson and commentator Amy Holmes, airs each Friday in May, exploring the framework of today’s news and political conversations — with guests from the worlds of politics, policy, the arts and academia.

girl’s school, but when — one by one — teachers are found murdered, it seems the school may not be a haven after all. Harriet Walter, Natasha Little, Anton Lesser and Claire Skinner co-star. Repeats Fri 5/4, 2:52pm 9:32 AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT: THE THIRD GIRL — Poirot (David Suchet) is joined by crime novelist Ariadne Oliver (Zoë Wanamaker) as he attempts to prove the innocence of a young girl accused of murder. The mystery stretches back 18 years to the suicide of the girl’s mother. Peter Bowles and James Wilby co-star. Repeats Fri 5/4, 4:26pm 11:00 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: EVER THE LAND — For 150 years, grievances over colonization tactics defined the relationship between the Ngâi (tribe) Tûhoe and New Zealand government. In 2014 history was made when the Tûhoe’s ancestral homelands were returned, the government made an official apology and Tûhoe built a “Living Building” as a testament to their values and vision of self-governance. Repeats Sun 5/13, 3:30pm 12M AMANPOUR ON PBS

4 Friday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 WASHINGTON WEEK — In WETA’s long-running weekly production, join moderator Robert Costa for a robust roundtable discussion with award-winning journalists who provide reporting and analysis of the major news stories emanating from the nation’s capital. Visit pbs.org/washingtonweek. Repeats Sat 5/5, 6:30pm 8:30 IN PRINCIPLE — A new weekly WETA public affairs production co-hosted by syndicated Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson and political news commentator Amy Holmes explores the framework of today’s news and political conversations, examining how history, faith and culture influence the larger discussions taking place in the country today. Gerson and Holmes interview guests from across the ideological spectrum in the worlds of politics, policy, the arts and academia. Episode 4 of 8. Visit pbs.org/inprinciple. 9:00 THE POWER TO HEAL: MEDICARE AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS REVOLUTION — A documentary presented by WETA, directed by Dante James and narrated by Danny Glover chronicles the historic struggle to secure equal and adequate access to healthcare for all Americans. Central to the story is the tale of how a new national program, Medicare, was used to mount a dramatic, coordinated effort that racially desegregated thousands of hospitals across the country in 1966. 10:00 LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER: STEPHANIE J. BLOCK IN CONCERT — Stephanie J. Block, a show-stopping Tony-nominated performer who was featured in Lincoln Center Theater’s Falsettos as well as in Wicked and The Boy from Oz, unleashes her immense voice and bold charisma for a special night of cabaret. 11:00 THE JAZZ AMBASSADORS — Discover how the Cold War and Civil Rights movement collided when America asked Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington

ON WETA TV 26, 6AM-6PM. See weta.org/hd for WETA HD. 6AM NEW SCANDINAVIAN COOKING 6:30 ESSENTIAL PÉPIN 7:00 CIAO ITALIA 7:30 HUBERT KELLER: SECRETS OF A CHEF 8:00 JOANNE WEIR’S COOKING CONFIDENCE 8:30 RICK STEVES’ EUROPE 9:00 GLOBE TREKKER 10:00 THE THIS OLD HOUSE HOUR 11:00 A CHEF’S LIFE 11:30 PATI’S MEXICAN TABLE 12N THE MIND OF A CHEF 12:30 SARA’S WEEKNIGHT MEALS 1:00 BAKING WITH JULIA 1:30 LIDIA’S KITCHEN 2:00 IN JULIA’S KITCHEN WITH MASTER CHEFS 2:30 JACQUES PÉPIN: MORE FAST FOOD MY WAY! 3:00 MARTHA STEWART’S COOKING SCHOOL 3:30 MARTHA BAKES 4:00 COOK’S COUNTRY FROM AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN 4:30 AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN FROM COOK’S ILLUSTRATED 5:00 CHRISTOPHER KIMBALL’S MILK STREET TELEVISION 5:30 CHECK, PLEASE! DC — R SIMULCAST ON WETA TV 26 & WETA HD, 6PM-1AM: 6:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6:30 WASHINGTON WEEK — R 7:00 DOC MARTIN, SERIES 4 — Part 3 of 8. R 7:59 DOC MARTIN, SERIES 4 — Parts 4 & 5 of 8. 9:32 THE WETA MOVIE: SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN — Love and stardom await a member of a song-and-dance act who lands a job in a 1920s Hollywood film studio. The 1952 musical stars Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds. (1:43) Repeats Sun 5/6, 11:30am 11:30 POV: CUTIE AND THE BOXER — An Oscar-nominated reflection on love, sacrifice and the creative spirit explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of a New York couple: famed “boxing” painter Ushio Shinohara and artist Noriko Shinohara. (90 min.)

6 Sunday ON WETA TV 26, 6AM-11:30AM. See weta.org/hd for WETA HD. 6AM-9AM WETA KIDS PROGRAMMING 9:00 WHITE HOUSE CHRONICLE 9:30 TO THE CONTRARY WITH BONNIE ERBE 10:00 THIS IS AMERICA AND THE WORLD WITH DENNIS WHOLEY 10:30 DEFENSE NEWS WEEKLY 11:00 THE OPEN MIND SIMULCAST ON WETA TV 26 & WETA HD, 11:30AM-12M: 11:30 THE WETA MOVIE: SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN — (1:43) R

KISLAK CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF PENNYSYLVANIA

STEPHEN VOSS

5 Saturday

THE POWER TO HEAL: MEDICARE AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS REVOLUTION A WETA PRESENTATION Friday, May 4 at 9 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD The Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution, a WETA presentation, documents the historic struggle in the United States to secure equal and adequate healthcare for all Americans.

8 MAY 2018 For full schedules and program information, visit weta.org

07-15_Listings_WETA_May18.indd 8

4/17/18 1:07 PM

Mondays, May 7-21 at 9 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD The WETA TV 26 production Check, Please! DC presents more new episodes, featuring reviews of Greater Washington restaurants by local diners, who offer tips on their favorite establishments.

7 Monday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: GREEN BAY, WI — Episode 3 of 3. Repeats Tue 5/8, 12:30pm; Wed 5/9, noon

8 Tuesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 CIVILIZATIONS — A series surveys the history of art, from antiquity to the present, on a global scale. Part 4 of 5. Encounters. See how advances in seafaring and a thirst for trade and exploration sent human beings around the planet. Distant and disparate cultures met for the first time, and art became the great interface by which civilizations understood each other. Repeats Wed 5/9, 4pm 9:00 FIRST CIVILIZATIONS — Learn how and why early humans set out on the road to civilization. Part 3 of 4. Cities. View the birthplace of civilization: the Middle East, site of the world’s first villages, towns and cities — from the hills of Turkey to the plains of Iraq. They were crucibles of invention and innovation, turbocharging the pace of progress. Repeats Wed 5/9, 5pm 10:00 FRONTLINE: MYANMAR’S KILLING FIELDS — Secret footage going back years shows the effort to kill and expel Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar. With accounts from victims and a whistleblower within the military, Frontline examines evidence that security forces committed crimes against humanity. 11:00 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: A PLACE TO CALL HOME — In New Zealand, the government is about to sell off a third of its publicly owned state houses. With a growing housing crisis and a lack of affordable homes, where will the thousands of state house tenants end up? Repeats Sun 5/20, 1:30pm 12M AMANPOUR ON PBS

WETA Television

1:30 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: POI E: THE STORY OF OUR SONG — A film tells the story of how “Poi E,” a simple song with a catchy beat, became New Zealand’s unofficial national anthem. Not many songs have the power to bridge cultures, save towns, change lives, travel the world, set records and give pride to a culture, a community, a language and a people. Repeats Tue 5/29, 11pm 2:30 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: MAKING GOOD MEN — What would you say if you came face to face with your childhood bully as an adult? A film chronicles the story of two men — Norm Hewitt, a former New Zealand rugby player, and actor Manu Bennett (The Hobbit) — who reveal their account of bullying with unprecedented honesty and reconcile many years after one violently attacked the other at a boarding school. Repeats Thur 5/31, 11pm 3:30 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: BEING BRUNO BANANI — A film spotlights the first and only Tongan luge athlete, who managed to qualify in a remarkably short amount of time for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. 5:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 5:30 DOWNTON ABBEY, SERIES 2 ON MASTERPIECE — WETA reprises the Masterpiece drama’s second season, which follows the lives of the noble Crawley family, and the staff that serves them, at their Edwardian country house. The all-star cast includes Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith and Elizabeth McGovern. Part 1 of 7. Two years into World War I, Downton Abbey is in turmoil, as Matthew and other young men go to war — or avoid it. The women also pitch in, and many couples see their romantic dreams dashed. Repeats Mon 5/7, 1pm 8:00 CALL THE MIDWIFE, SEASON 7 — In the drama series, a team of midwives serves the community of the Poplar neighborhood of East London during the 1960s. Part 8 of 8. The team rallies to prepare for Sister Monica Joan’s birthday. Meanwhile, the closing of a nearby maternity home brings an influx of expectant mothers to the Nonnatus midwives. Lucille meets Olive, whose father has a secret he can no longer keep. Repeats Mon 5/7, 5pm 9:00 UNFORGOTTEN, SERIES 2 ON MASTERPIECE — Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar portray homicide police. Part 2 of 3. The victim’s life comes into focus; it was a mess. Meanwhile, Sara’s scandalous past is revealed, and Colin is blackmailed. Marion, a pediatric nurse, joins the list of suspects. Repeats Mon 5/7, 3:30pm 10:30 CHECK, PLEASE! DC — A WETA TV 26 production offers an unfiltered look at the local restaurant scene via a panel of citizen reviewers. Rose Previte hosts. Episode 9. Flavor and spice from around the world are the main attractions, as guest reviewers explore a Spanish wine bar in Rockville, one of the first ramen shops in D.C., and brew-pub comfort food in Hyattsville. 11:00 POETRY IN AMERICA

JOHN ROGERS/MAINSTREET PICTURES

WETA

CHECK, PLEASE! DC — NEW EPISODES! A WETA TV 26 PRODUCTION

9:00 CHECK, PLEASE! DC — NEW EPISODE! A WETA TV 26 production offers an unfiltered look at the Greater Washington restaurant scene via a panel of citizen reviewers. Rose Previte hosts. Episode 10. From street food to fine dining, guest reviewers select a casually hip Korean spot and a homestyle Afghan bistro in Adams Morgan, as well as a sustainable seafood market and restaurant in Palisades. Repeats Wed 5/9, 1:30pm, 3:30pm; Sat 5/12, 5:30pm; Sun 5/13, 10:30pm; Mon 5/14, 1:30pm 9:30 VERA, SERIES 1: LITTLE LAZARUS — Brenda Blethyn stars as Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope, who investigates cases in the northeast England county of Northumberland. Episode 4 of 4. Little Lazarus. A woman is brutally murdered in a hedgerow. Her son escapes the violent attack, only to fall through the ice of a frozen pond, where Vera finds him. She must ultimately unravel deadly secrets and their murderous consequences — fueled by power, money, and above all, a mother’s love. Repeats Tue 5/8, 4:30pm; Wed 5/9, 2pm; Fri 5/11, 1:21pm 11:00 INDEPENDENT LENS: NO MAN’S LAND — Go inside the 2016 standoff at Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge between anti-government protestors and federal authorities. With remarkable access, the film documents the occupation from inception to its dramatic demise. 12:30AM AMANPOUR ON PBS

Sundays, May 6 & 13 at 9 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD Mystery drama Unforgotten on Masterpiece continues, starring Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar as a pair of detectives who investigate formerly unsolved murder cases.

For full schedules and program information, visit weta.org 9

07-15_Listings_WETA_May18.indd 9

4/17/18 1:07 PM

MYSTERY OF THE MOUNTAIN: HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW A WETA PRESENTATION Friday, May 11 at 10 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD Mystery of the Mountain: Hidden in Plain View, a presentation of WETA, spotlights the story of a rugged mountain in Central Mexico and its extraordinary connection to an ancient people.

WETA Television

9 Wednesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 NATURE: NATURAL BORN REBELS: THE MATING GAME — Getting ahead in the mating game requires some astonishing behavior — from promiscuous prairie dogs, to backstabbing manakins, kidnapping macaques, and hyenas with a bad case of sibling rivalry. {DVI} Repeats Thur 5/10, 1pm 9:00 NOVA WONDERS: ARE WE ALONE? — Join astronomers and engineers on a hunt for life on worlds near and far. Discover the next generation of telescopes, probes and robots that are getting us one step closer to answering one of humanity’s biggest questions: Are we alone? {DVI} Repeats Thur 5/10, 2pm 10:00 NOVA: LIFE’S ROCKY START — From the first sparks of life to the survival of the fittest, unearth the secret relationship between rocks and life. NOVA goes around the world and back in time to investigate how minerals are vital to the origins and evolution of life. {DVI} Repeats Thur 5/10, 3pm 11:00 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: SONS OF HALAWA — Pilipo Solatorio of the island of Molokai is the last to hold the cultural traditions, music, and stories of a sacred Hawaiian valley that has been home to his family for hundreds of years. This program follows his search for a successor to keep the traditions alive. Repeats Sun 5/20, 2:30pm 12M AMANPOUR ON PBS

10 Thursday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 7:59 AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT: APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH — While holidaying in Syria, Poirot (David Suchet) is drawn to the murder of Lady Boynton (Cheryl Campbell), wife of an eccentric English archaeologist (Tim Curry), at an archaeological dig. Each of the suspects has a motive for killing the victim, but only Poirot knows which of them arranged her demise. Costarring are John Hannah, Mark Gatiss and Elizabeth McGovern. Repeats Fri 5/11, 2:51pm 9:33 AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT: THE MYSTERY OF THE BLUE TRAIN — Poirot (David Suchet) investigates the brutal murder of an American heiress and the theft of a fabulous ruby on the Blue Train between Calais and Nice. James D’Arcy, Alice Eve, Nicholas Farrell, Lindsay Duncan and Elliot Gould co-star. Repeats Fri 5/11, 4:25pm 11:00 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: WAITING FOR JOHN — When the American military landed on a remote island in the South Pacific during World War II, the islanders were amazed by America’s fantastic cargo. The John Frum Movement was born: a unique religion now considered the last surviving “Cargo Cult”. Repeats Sun 5/20, 3:30pm 12M AMANPOUR ON PBS

7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 WASHINGTON WEEK — In WETA’s long-running weekly production, join moderator Robert Costa for a robust roundtable discussion with award-winning journalists who provide reporting and analysis of the major news stories emanating from the nation’s capital. Visit pbs.org/washingtonweek. Repeats Sat 5/12, 6:30pm 8:30 IN PRINCIPLE — A new weekly WETA public affairs production co-hosted by syndicated Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson and political news commentator Amy Holmes explores the framework of today’s news and political conversations, examining how history, faith and culture influence the larger discussions taking place in the country today. Gerson and Holmes interview guests from across the ideological spectrum in the worlds of politics, policy, the arts and academia. Episode 5 of 8. Visit pbs.org/inprinciple. 9:00 LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER: ANDREW RANNELLS IN CONCERT — Known for his Tony-nominated, Grammywinning performance as Elder Price in The Book of Mormon and as Elijah in HBO’s Girls, Andrew Rannells brings his signature blend of superb vocal prowess and wry wit to a sparkling set of songs. 10:00 MYSTERY OF THE MOUNTAIN: HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW — A film by Lee Groberg (Joseph Smith: American Prophet; First Freedom: The Fight for Religious Liberty) and Mark Goodman and presented by WETA chronicles a remarkable story: What if one of the world’s largest pyramids is waiting to be unearthed in a rugged hilltop in Mexico? The program investigates a 430-year-old map that was passed down from generation to generation, depicting what would be one of the largest step pyramid structures in known history. Actor Memo Sauceda narrates. 11:00 INDEPENDENT LENS: IN FOOTBALL WE TRUST — A film explores the story behind the Polynesian pipeline to the NFL through the lives of high school players in Utah. As they enter the high-stakes world of college recruiting and the promise of pro sports, they still struggle with gang violence and poverty. 12:30AM AMANPOUR ON PBS

12 Saturday ON WETA TV 26, 6AM-6PM. See weta.org/hd for WETA HD. 6AM-6PM See the Saturday, May 5 listings. SIMULCAST ON WETA TV 26 & WETA HD, 6PM-1:30AM: 6:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6:30 WASHINGTON WEEK — R 7:00 DOC MARTIN, SERIES 4 — Part 5 of 8. R 7:59 DOC MARTIN, SERIES 4 — Parts 6 & 7 of 8. 9:32 THE WETA MOVIE: AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN — In Taylor Hackford’s 1982 film, a hardened loner (Richard Gere) shapes up for a military drill instructor (Louis Gossett Jr., who won an Academy Award for his role) and a factory girl (Debra Winger) from town. (2:04) Repeats Sun 5/13, 11:30am 11:30 POV: THE LOOK OF SILENCE — This Oscar-nominated documentary film, winner of more than 50 awards,

AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION

GROBERG FILMS

11 Friday

Saturday, May 12 at 9:32 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD The WETA Movie: An Officer and a Gentleman stars Richard Gere and Debra Winger in the story of a young man in Navy officer candidate training who becomes involved with a local woman.

10 MAY 2018 For full schedules and program information, visit weta.org

07-15_Listings_WETA_May18.indd 10

4/17/18 1:07 PM

13 Sunday

14 Monday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: NEWPORT, RI — Episode 1 of 3. Repeats Tue 5/15, 1pm; Wed 5/16, noon 9:00 CHECK, PLEASE! DC — NEW EPISODE! A WETA TV 26 production offers an unfiltered look at the Greater Washington restaurant scene via a panel of citizen reviewers. Rose Previte hosts. Episode 11. Guest reviewers discuss comfort food options in Logan Circle and 14th Street NW that will please every palate — at a neighborhood tavern, a creative Northern Thai restaurant, and a Southern-influenced seafood destination. Repeats Wed 5/16, 1:30pm; Sat 5/19, 5:30pm 9:30 NEIGHBORHOOD EATS — This episode of the WETA TV 26 series Neighborhood Eats explores culinary hotspots of Greater Washington areas Adams Morgan/Mt. Pleasant; Southwest D.C.; Del Ray in Alexandria, Virginia; and Silver Spring, Maryland. The series spotlights a vibrant collection of restaurants, cafes and chefs that are proud to call themselves local. 10:00 ROYAL WEDDING WATCH — Produced by BBC nightly from London, a five-part series is hosted by American news anchor Meredith Vieira and British television presenter Matt Baker, who present updates on the preparations for the much-anticipated wedding of Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. WETA presents live coverage of the ceremony on Saturday, May 19, beginning at 4:30 a.m. ET. Episode 1 of 5. A Wedding Is Announced. BBC shares more about the bride and groom. The program reveals

15 Tuesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 CIVILIZATIONS — A series surveys the history of art, from antiquity to the present, on a global scale. Part 5 of 5. Renaissances. Travel east and west to explore the connections and rivalries between Renaissance Italy and the Islamic empires that experienced their own cultural flowering in the 15th and 16th centuries. Both spheres were open to influences flowing both ways. 9:00 FIRST CIVILIZATIONS — Learn how and why early humans set out on the road to civilization. Part 4 of 4. Trade. Examine an ancient civilization unlike any other, that of the Indus Valley. Rather than imposing order through war or religion, it relied on the free flow of trade. The exchange of goods promoted wealth, cooperation and trust. 10:00 ROYAL WEDDING WATCH — Special programs spotlight the upcoming wedding of Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Episode 2 of 5. What to Wear. Royal weddings are shrouded in secrecy and no secret is more closely guarded than that of the dress. This program steps into the archive to look at the dresses chosen by previous Royal brides and explores why Royal style is dictated as much by protocol and etiquette as it is by fashion. Repeats Wed 5/16, 5pm; Fri 5/18, 1pm 11:00 TALES FROM THE ROYAL WARDROBE — A film examines the significance of the royal wardrobes of English monarchs over the last 400 years. Learn why most kings and queens have carefully choreographed every aspect of their apparel and why. For those who have not, the consequences have sometimes been calamitous. Repeats Wed 5/16, 4pm; Thur 5/17, 3pm 12M AMANPOUR ON PBS

WETA Television

ON WETA TV 26, 6AM-11:30AM. See weta.org/hd for WETA HD. 6AM-11:30AM See the Sunday, May 6 listings. SIMULCAST ON WETA TV 26 & WETA HD, 11:30AM-12M: 11:30 THE WETA MOVIE: AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN — (2:04) R 1:30 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: MELE MURALS — R 2:30 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: VISIONS IN THE DARK: THE LIFE OF PINKY THOMPSON — R 3:30 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: EVER THE LAND — R 4:30 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: NEXT GOAL WINS — In 2001, the tiny Pacific island of American Samoa suffered a world record football defeat at the hands of Australia. This film spotlights the power of hope in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds and explores what it really means to be a winner in life. 6:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6:30 DOWNTON ABBEY, SERIES 2 ON MASTERPIECE — Part 2 of 7. Downton Abbey is turned into a convalescent home for soldiers, with Thomas in charge. Meanwhile, Lavinia and Sir Richard’s secret comes out, Anna tracks down Bates and Branson seizes his chance to strike a blow for Ireland. Repeats Mon 5/14, 2pm 8:00 LITTLE WOMEN ON MASTERPIECE — Based on the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott and loved by generations worldwide, Little Women is a universal coming-of-age story. Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, the story follows sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March on their journey from childhood to adulthood. With the help of their mother, Marmee, the girls navigate what it means to be a young woman: from sibling rivalry and first love to loss and marriage. Part 1 of 2. With their father away at war, the four March sisters come to terms with their new life, alongside their mother. The girls make friends with Laurie, the new boy next door. Repeats Mon 5/14, 5pm; Wed 5/16, 2pm; Mon 5/21, 3pm; Wed 5/23, noon 9:00 UNFORGOTTEN, SERIES 2 ON MASTERPIECE — Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar portray homicide police. Part 3 of 3. Tessa, Sara, Colin and Marion each have a motive — but also an alibi. On the verge of getting romantic with Sunny, Cassie has a revelation. Has she cracked the case? Repeats Mon 5/14, 3:30pm 10:30 CHECK, PLEASE! DC — Episode 10. R 11:00 POETRY IN AMERICA 11:30 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW BBC

the story of how Queen Victoria set the trend for the modern white wedding, and discovers what it takes to be a Royal bride in training. Repeats Tue 5/15, 5pm; Fri 5/18, noon 11:00 ELIZABETH AT 90: A FAMILY TRIBUTE — A special BBC program narrated by the Prince of Wales presents a unique celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s life and is granted special access to the collection of Her Majesty’s personal ciné films, shot by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen herself, as well as by King George VI and the Queen Mother. Repeats Tue 5/15, 3:30pm 12:30AM AMANPOUR ON PBS

16 Wednesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 NATURE: SUPER HUMMINGBIRDS — Nature enters the fast-paced world of hummingbirds through high-speed cameras and breakthrough science. For the first time, see them mate, fight and raise families. They are super hummingbirds — great athletes, yet tender moms who are up for any challenge. {DVI} Repeats Thur 5/17, 1pm 9:00 NOVA WONDERS: CAN WE BUILD A BRAIN? — Decode the latest advances in artificial intelligence. AI can interpret emotions, play games, even act as personal companion. How does it actually work — and is it truly intelligent? And are we handing over too much power to machines? {DVI} Repeats Thur 5/17, 2pm

MASTERPIECE/PBS, BBC & PLAYGROUND

spotlights an optometrist who identifies the men who killed his brother in the 1965 Indonesian genocide. He confronts them while testing their eyes and demands they accept responsibility. Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, the film is a companion piece to his 2012 documentary The Act of Killing. (1:43)

Sundays, May 13 & 20 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD Little Women on Masterpiece adapts Louisa May Alcott’s classic coming-of-age novel, following four Massachusetts sisters on their journey to adulthood in Civil War-era America.

For full schedules and program information, visit weta.org 11

07-15_Listings_WETA_May18.indd 11

4/17/18 1:07 PM

COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION

WETA Television

Friday, May 18 at 9 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story: American Masters spotlights the Austrian-American actress and ingenious inventor whose work became the basis for secure WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth.

10:00 ROYAL WEDDING WATCH — Special programs spotlight the upcoming wedding of Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Episode 3 of 5. Ceremony. Explored are the ceremony and traditions at the heart of a Royal Wedding. Experts dissect the finer points of Royal protocol while historian Lucy Worsley explores the history of Royal marriages. Repeats Thur 5/17, 5pm; Fri 5/18, 2pm 11:00 ROYAL WIVES AT WAR — A BBC program takes a fresh look at Britain’s abdication crisis of 1936 through dramatized monologues by the two women at its heart, the Queen Mother and Wallis Simpson, as they look back at the events that led to Edward VIII’s decision to give up the throne. Gina McKee and Emma Davies star. Repeats Thur 5/17, 4pm 12M AMANPOUR ON PBS

17 Thursday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 7:58 AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT: CARDS ON THE TABLE — Sleuth Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) must investigate a murder that unfolds at an unusual dinner party: the enigmatic, sinister Mr. Shaitana, one of London’s richest men, invites eight guests, four of them possible murderers and four “detectives” to his opulent apartment. Zoë Wanamaker and Lesley Manville co-star. Repeats Fri 5/18, 4:28pm 9:30 CHECK, PLEASE! DC — Episode 11. See the Monday, May 14, 9 p.m. listing. R 10:00 ROYAL WEDDING WATCH — Special programs spotlight the upcoming wedding of Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Episode 4 of 5. How to Celebrate. The Royal Family knows how to celebrate a marriage in style. Historian Lucy Worsley heads to Hampton Court Palace to discover the secrets behind a State banquet, and experts explore everything from the carriage procession to the cake. Repeats Fri 5/18, 3pm 11:00 SECRETS OF HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE — A documentary lifts the veil of secrecy on MI6, the legendary British spy agency that was set up in 1909 and not formally acknowledged to exist until 1994. With unprecedented access to key players in British espionage, this film explores the shadowy world of spying, going back in time and behind the scenes to look at some the world’s most delicately executed operations. 12M AMANPOUR ON PBS

18 Friday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 WASHINGTON WEEK — In WETA’s long-running weekly production, join moderator Robert Costa for a robust roundtable discussion with award-winning journalists who provide reporting and analysis of the major news stories emanating from the nation’s capital. Visit pbs.org/washingtonweek. Repeats Sat 5/19, 6:30pm

8:30 IN PRINCIPLE — A new weekly WETA public affairs production co-hosted by syndicated Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson and political news commentator Amy Holmes explores the framework of today’s news and political conversations, examining how history, faith and culture influence the larger discussions taking place in the country today. Gerson and Holmes interview guests from across the ideological spectrum in the worlds of politics, policy, the arts and academia. Episode 6 of 8. Visit pbs.org/inprinciple. 9:00 BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR STORY: AMERICAN MASTERS — Discover the story of the Austrian-American actress, one of the most beautiful woman in the world and an ingenious inventor. Her pioneering work helped revolutionize modern communication, including WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth. 10:00 ROYAL WEDDING WATCH — Special programs spotlight the upcoming wedding of Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Episode 4 of 5. Happily Ever After. The dress is chosen, the uniforms are pressed, the trumpeters are ready. Historian Lucy Worsley spotlights Kensington Palace, traditionally the London base for young Royal families and soon to be Markle’s new home. Experts explore the centuries of history, tradition and ceremony shaping Meghan and Harry’s big day. 11:30 AMANPOUR ON PBS

19 Saturday O N WETA TV 26, 4:30AM-6PM. See weta.org/hd for WETA HD. 4:30AM-9:30AM ROYAL WEDDING LIVE — WETA features live coverage of the wedding of Britain’s Prince Harry and American Meghan Markle. 9 :30AM-6PM See the Saturday, May 5 listings. S IMULCAST ON WETA TV 26 & WETA HD, 6PM-1AM: 6:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6:30 WASHINGTON WEEK — R 7:00 DOC MARTIN, SERIES 4 — Part 7 of 8. R 7:59 DOC MARTIN, SERIES 4 & 7 — Series 4, Part 8 of 8; Series 7, Part 1 of 8. 9:32 THE WETA MOVIE: BRINGING UP BABY — While trying to secure a $1 million donation for his museum, a befuddled paleontologist is pursued by a flighty heiress and her pet leopard “Baby.” Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant star in Howard Hawks’ 1938 comedy. (1:42) Repeats Sun 5/20, 11:30am 11:30 INDEPENDENT LENS: MEET THE PATELS — In this wistfully comic documentary film, Ravi Patel, whose tradition-minded Hindu family is not happy that he’s single at almost 30, enters the semi-arranged marriage system in America. Explore the influence of culture and identity on an intense, personal, important part of one’s life — love. (90 min.)

20 Sunday O N WETA TV 26, 6AM-11:30AM. See weta.org/hd for WETA HD. 6 AM-11:30AM See the Sunday, May 6 listings. S IMULCAST ON WETA TV 26 & WETA HD, 11:30AM-12M: 11:30 THE WETA MOVIE: BRINGING UP BABY — (1:42) R 1:30 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: A PLACE TO CALL HOME — R 2:30 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: SONS OF HALAWA — R 3:30 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: WAITING FOR JOHN — R 4:30 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: DREAM BIG: NANAKULI AT THE FRINGE — A program follows the students of Hawaii’s Nanakuli High and Intermediate School Performing Arts Center (NPAC) (on Oahu) who were given an opportunity to travel halfway across the globe to perform at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. 5:30 SCI-TECH NOW 6:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6:30 DOWNTON ABBEY, SERIES 2 ON MASTERPIECE — Part 3 of 7. Isobel and Cora lock horns over control of Downton’s medical role. Mrs. Bird starts a soup kitchen. And Matthew and William embark on a perilous patrol behind German lines. Repeats Mon 5/21, 1:30pm 8:00 LITTLE WOMEN ON MASTERPIECE — Masterpiece’s adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic coming-ofage story continues. Part 2 of 2. The March family fears the worst when Mr. March falls ill, and Marmee must travel to Washington to care for him. At Christmas, Jo receives a wonderful surprise. Laurie tries to tell Jo how he feels about her, and John Brooke proposes to Meg before enlisting in the Union army. Amy gets the chance to travel to Europe, and Jo moves to New York to pursue her writing, but Beth faces health issues,

12 MAY 2018 For full schedules and program information, visit weta.org

07-15_Listings_WETA_May18.indd 12

4/17/18 1:32 PM

COURTESY NUTOPIA/PBS

and the family must come together to face their most difficult challenge yet. Repeats Mon 5/21, 4pm (Part 1 repeats at 3pm); Fri 5/25, 1pm; Parts 1 & 2 repeat Wed 5/23, noon-3pm 10:03 LOUISA MAY ALCOTT: THE WOMAN BEHIND LITTLE WOMEN: AMERICAN MASTERS — The biography series examines the literary double life of this celebrated author, who wrote scandalous works under a pseudonym. Elizabeth Marvel and Jane Alexander star. Repeats Tue 5/22, 3pm; Thur 5/24, noon 11:30 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW BBC

21 Monday

22 Tuesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 THE GREAT AMERICAN READ — Examine the power, passion and joy of reading through the lens of America’s 100 best-loved books chosen by the public. The multi-part series features reflections from notable and everyday citizens, culminating in a vote to choose “America’s Best-Loved Book.” Meredith Vieira hosts. Repeats Wed 5/23, 4pm; Sun 5/27, 1:30pm; Tue 5/29, 4pm; Wed 5/30, 2pm; Thur 5/31, noon 10:00 FRONTLINE: WEINSTEIN — Frontline reprises an investigation into how Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein allegedly sexually harassed and abused dozens of women over four decades. The film examines the ways he and those around him tried to silence his accusers.

Tuesday, May 22 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD The Great America Read kicks off a multi-part television competition that explores the power of books and the joy of reading through the lens of America’s 100 best-loved novels, as voted on by the public. Meredith Vieira hosts. Above, author Margaret Atwood is among the series participants.

11:00 POV: THE BIRTH OF SAKÉ — A program goes behind the scenes at Japan’s Yoshida Brewery, where a brotherhood of artisans, ranging from 20 to 70, spends six months in nearly monastic isolation as they follow an age-old process to create saké, the nation’s revered rice wine. 12:30AM AMANPOUR ON PBS

23 Wednesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 NATURE: THE WORLD’S MOST WANTED ANIMAL — Join conservationist Maria Diekmann in the crusade to save pangolins, the most trafficked animal in the world. Learn about these little-known yet highly desired scaly mammals whose basic biology remains a mystery, hampering conservation efforts. {DVI} Repeats Thur 5/24, 2pm 9:00 NOVA WONDERS: CAN WE MAKE LIFE? — Discover the breakthroughs in genetic engineering enabling scientists to create and manipulate DNA as never before. Explore the promise and peril of CRISPR genome editing technology. Can we cure genetic diseases? Bring extinct animals back to life? Even edit our own genes? {DVI} Repeats Thur 5/24, 3pm 10:00 NOVA: EXTREME ANIMAL WEAPONS — Explore the secrets that underlie nature’s battleground. Every animal has some kind of weapon, whether claws or horns, fangs or stings. But why are some armaments huge and extreme, far beyond any practical need? {DVI} Repeats Thur 5/24, 4pm 11:00 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: SPLINTERS — In the 1980s, an Australian pilot left behind a surfboard in the seaside village of Vanimo, Papua New Guinea. Decades later, surfing is not only a pillar of village life, but it’s also a means to prestige. This story unfolds in the months leading up to the first National Surf Championships. 12M AMANPOUR ON PBS

WETA Television

7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: NEWPORT, RI — Episode 2 of 3. Repeats Tue 5/22, 1pm 9:00 CHECK, PLEASE! DC — NEW EPISODE! A WETA TV 26 production offers an unfiltered look at the Greater Washington restaurant scene via a panel of citizen reviewers. Rose Previte hosts. Episode 12. Exploration is the name of the game with these three unique local dining spots. Guest reviewer selections include a trip through Latin America in Northwest D.C., a traditional Ethiopian restaurant in Hyattsville, Maryland, and a unique cultural mash-up of cuisines in Sterling, Virginia. Repeats Thur 5/24, 1:30pm; Sat 5/26, 5:30pm 9:30 VERA, SERIES 2: GHOST POSITION — Brenda Blethyn stars as DCI Vera Stanhope in a second season of mysteries based on the best-selling Inspector Stanhope books by Ann Cleeves. Episode 1 of 4. Ghost Position. Vera is reunited — under tragic circumstances — with her first-ever sergeant, Stuart Macken, when his house is firebombed and he is burned and his teenage daughter badly injured. Battling through grief for her friend, she is determined to track down the assailant. Repeats Tue 5/22, 4:30pm 11:00 INDEPENDENT LENS: ACORN AND THE FIRESTORM — Explore the politically charged battle to take down ACORN, a controversial national community-organizing group. Working with lower-income communities, the group was investigated by undercover journalists, cutting to the heart of the political divide. 12:30AM AMANPOUR ON PBS

24 Thursday

Wednesday, May 23 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD Nature: The World’s Most Wanted Animal spotlights the pangolin; the scaly mammal is the most-trafficked animal in the world.

7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 7:59 AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT: TAKEN AT THE FLOOD — Sleuth Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) is enlisted to help when a young widow is left in sole possession of her late husband’s fortune and a family row begins about the inheritance. Poirot seeks to discover if the widow’s missing first husband might not be dead after all. Costarring are Jenny Agutter, Tim Pigott-Smith and Celia Imrie. Repeats Fri 5/25, 2:53pm 9:33 AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT: FIVE LITTLE PIGS — Poirot (David Suchet) must bring a fresh perspective to a notorious 14-year-old murder case. Caroline Crane (Rachael Stirling) was hanged for the murder of her flamboyant artist husband in an apparent crime of passion after he flaunted yet another extramarital affair. Their 21-year-old daughter returns from Canada, having learned the truth about her parents, and persuades Poirot to re-examine the case. Toby Stephens, Gemma Jones and Marc Warren co-star. Repeats Fri 5/25, 4:28pm

For full schedules and program information, visit weta.org 13

07-15_Listings_WETA_May18.indd 13

4/17/18 1:33 PM

26 Saturday

CAPITAL CONCERTS

ON WETA TV 26, 6AM-6PM. See weta.org/hd for WETA HD. 6AM-6PM See the Saturday, May 5 listings. SIMULCAST ON WETA TV 26 & WETA HD, 6PM-12M: 6:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6:30 WASHINGTON WEEK — R 7:00 DOC MARTIN, SERIES 7 — Part 1 of 8. R 7:59 DOC MARTIN, SERIES 7 — Parts 2 & 3 of 8. 9:32 THE WETA MOVIE: THE BIG SLEEP — Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall star in Howard Hawks’ 1946 adaptation of the Raymond Chandler tale about private eye Philip Marlowe’s investigations of two wealthy sisters through a maze of murders. (1:56) Repeats Sun 5/27, 11:30am; Tue 5/29, 1pm 11:30 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW

NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT 2018 A WETA CO-PRODUCTION

WETA Television

Sunday, May 27 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD National Memorial Day Concert 2018, a co-production of WETA and Capital Concerts, presents the annual performance live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, honoring the service and sacrifice of American men and women in uniform and their families at home.

11:07 RELOCATION ARKANSAS: AFTERMATH OF INCARCERATION — In 1942, nearly 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry were forced into prisons in the interior; and two of the camps were in Arkansas. Spotlighted are the legacy of imprisonment: a member of the Takemoto family strives to come to terms with his relatives’ experience; the Yada family stayed in Arkansas and became sharecroppers contending with segregation in society; and a determined local town mayor had her life threatened because she had the audacity to see the prisoners as Americans who had been wronged. 12M AMANPOUR ON PBS

25 Friday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 WASHINGTON WEEK — In WETA’s long-running weekly production, join moderator Robert Costa for a robust roundtable discussion with award-winning journalists who provide reporting and analysis of the major news stories emanating from the nation’s capital. Visit pbs.org/washingtonweek. Repeats Sat 5/26, 6:30pm 8:30 IN PRINCIPLE — A new weekly WETA public affairs production co-hosted by syndicated Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson and political news commentator Amy Holmes explores the framework of today’s news and political conversations. Gerson and Holmes interview guests from across the ideological spectrum in the worlds of politics, policy, the arts and academia. Episode 7 of 8. Visit pbs.org/inprinciple. 9:00 GREAT PERFORMANCES: THE OPERA HOUSE — Explore the rich history of the Met Opera’s Lincoln Center home and the cultural life of 1950s-1960s New York City. Spotlighted are famed soprano Leontyne Price, the Met’s general manager Rudolf Bing, city planner Robert Moses and architect Wallace Harrison. Repeats Sat 5/26, midnight 11:00 THE QUIETEST PLACE ON EARTH — The Hawaiian Islands are the most remote major island group on earth. On Maui, the Haleakala volcano rises 10,000 feet — nearly two miles — into the sky; and the massive crater located at its summit carries the unique distinction of “The Quietest Place on Earth.” This documentary explores Maui’s geological and spiritual birthplace through the eyes of Hawaiian cultural practitioners, artists, scientists, doctors, authors, musicians, paniolo (cowboys) and spiritual leaders. 12M AMANPOUR ON PBS

27 Sunday ON WETA TV 26, 6AM-11:30AM. See weta.org/hd for WETA HD. 6AM-11:30AM See the Sunday, May 6 listings. SIMULCAST ON WETA TV 26 & WETA HD, 11:30AM-12M: 11:30 THE WETA MOVIE: THE BIG SLEEP — (1:56) R 1:30 THE GREAT AMERICAN READ — R 3:30 HONORED TO SERVE: LOCAL HEROES — Part of a WETA initiative exploring local stories surrounding America’s Armed Forces, a WETA TV 26 production spotlights the U.S. Army Band, U.S. Army Artists, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and National Park Service’s Museum Resource Center, and the National Capital Honor Flights that bring veterans to Washington. Repeats tonight; Mon 5/28, 1:30pm 4:00 HONORED TO SERVE: THE ART OF THE SOLDIER — A WETA TV 26 production spotlights military artists, musicians and arts in military history, featuring a Fort Belvoir art collection; the U.S. Army Band; the work of the real “Monuments Men”; and more. Repeats Mon 5/28, 11:30am 4:30 HONORED TO SERVE: NEVER FORGOTTEN — A WETA TV 26 production spotlights memorials throughout the national capital area, from war memorials to the Tomb of the Unknowns, from the Women in Military Service for America Memorial to JFK’s gravesite. Repeats Mon 5/28, noon 5:00 HONORED TO SERVE: ULTIMATE SACRIFICE — A WETA TV 26 production follows rituals at Arlington National Cemetery and visits memorials throughout the national capital area. Repeats Mon 5/28, 12:30pm 5:30 HONORED TO SERVE: VIETNAM REMEMBERED — A WETA TV 26 production presents the story of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, spotlights those who care for the Memorial, and explores what happens to items left at the Wall. Repeats Mon 5/28, 1pm 6:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6:30 HONORED TO SERVE: LOCAL HEROES — R 7:00 ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY — A WETA TV 26 production spotlights Arlington National Cemetery, an active national cemetery, an extraordinary tourist destination, and a place of grief, reflection, and healing for thousands of families whose loved ones are interred there. The production goes behind the scenes to reveal the inner life of the cemetery. Repeats tonight; Mon 5/28, 8:30am, 3:30pm; Wed 5/30, 1pm 8:00 NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT 2018 — Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna co-host the 29th annual broadcast of this special concert, a co-production of WETA and Capital Concerts. The night of remembrance, airing live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, honors the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, their families at home and all those who have given their lives for our country. The performance features an all-star lineup of actors and musicians, along with pops conductor Jack Everly and the National Symphony Orchestra. Repeats tonight, Mon 5/28, 9:30am, 4:30pm 9:30 NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT 2018 — (Encore) 11:00 ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY — R

WETA Magazine is published monthly by the Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association for its members. Three dollars of each member’s dues are designated for its subscription. WETA occasionally exchanges member names with other organizations. If you wish that your name not be exchanged, please call Audience Services at 703-998-2724. ©2018 by Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written permission. Periodical postage paid at Arlington, VA 22210 and additional offices. Send address changes to WETA, 3939 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, Virginia 22206. Volume 31, Number 5. ISSN No. 1041-2700. PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

Publisher Mary Stewart Editor Jeff Giese Design MANIFEST LLC Editorial and Advertising Offices 3939 Campbell Ave Arlington, VA 22206

14 MAY 2018 For full schedules and program information, visit weta.org

07-15_Listings_WETA_May18.indd 14

4/17/18 2:51 PM

28 Monday

31 Thursday

8AM ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY — R 9:30AM NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT 2018 — R 11AM HONORED TO SERVE: LOCAL HEROES 11:30AM HONORED TO SERVE: THE ART OF THE SOLDIER — R 12M HONORED TO SERVE: NEVER FORGOTTEN — R 12:30PM HONORED TO SERVE: ULTIMATE SACRIFICE — R 1PM HONORED TO SERVE: VIETNAM REMEMBERED — R 1:30 HONORED TO SERVE: LOCAL HEROES — R 2:00 NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT 2017 3:30 ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY — R 4:30 NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT 2018 — R 6:00 BBC WORLD NEWS 6:30 NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: NEWPORT, RI — Episode 3 of 3. Repeats Wed 5/30, noon 9:00 GOING TO WAR — Author Sebastian Junger and decorated Vietnam War veteran, U.S. Marine and author Karl Marlantes reveal the soldier’s journey with unflinching candor. Repeats Tue 5/29, 3pm 10:00 INDEPENDENT LENS: SERVED LIKE A GIRL — A film spotlights five remarkable women rebuilding their lives with humor and heart in the Ms. Veteran America Competition. Wounded in action and transitioning to civilian life, these women seek to help others struggling with homelessness, PTSD, and other trauma. 11:30 AMANPOUR ON PBS

29 Tuesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE — The history series examines the origin, history and impact of the 1882 law that made it illegal for Chinese workers to come to America and for Chinese nationals already here ever to become U.S. citizens. The Act remained in force for more than 60 years. Repeats Wed 5/30, 4pm 10:00 FRONTLINE: U.N. SEX ABUSE SCANDAL — Frontline presents an investigation of sex abuse by United Nations peacekeepers in the world’s conflict zones. The film traces allegations from Bosnia to Congo to the Central African Republic, with firsthand accounts from survivors, witnesses and officials. 11:00 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: POI E: THE STORY OF OUR SONG — A film tells the story of how “Poi E,” a simple song with a catchy beat, became New Zealand’s unofficial national anthem. Not many songs have the power to bridge cultures, save towns, change lives, travel the world, set records and give pride to a culture, a community, a language and a people. R 12M AMANPOUR ON PBS

30 Wednesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 GIRAFFES: AFRICA’S GENTLE GIANTS — What does it take to relocate a herd of wild giraffes in Africa? One man, his family and a band of enthusiastic helpers journey across the wild heart of Uganda and the mighty Nile River to move the world’s rarest and most precious “cargo.” {DVI} Repeats Thur 5/31, 2pm 9:00 NOVA WONDERS: WHAT’S THE UNIVERSE MADE OF? — Peer into the deepest unknowns of the universe to explore the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy. Join physicists on their quest to uncover the identity of these elusive components, and their epic battle over the fate of the universe. {DVI} Repeats Thur 5/31, 3pm 10:00 NOVA: INSIDE EINSTEIN’S MIND — The science series retraces Einstein’s thought experiments to reveal the simple but powerful ideas that reshaped our understanding of gravity, illuminating the theory of general relativity — and Einstein’s brilliance. {DVI} Repeats Thur 5/31, 4pm 11:00 REACHING WEST: DREAMS OF CHINA’S NEW GENERATION — A documentary follows several determined and engaging students through their senior year at one of the private high schools in Beijing that prepares students for study abroad. The program chronicles the rigors of the application process and provides a window into the students’ daily lives and the challenges they face — from dating to the impact of American pop culture. 12M AMANPOUR ON PBS

7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 7:59 AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT: SAD CYPRESS — Poirot (David Suchet) is caught up in a tense murder mystery, racing against the clock to save the life of a young woman convicted of a double slaying. As Poirot watches the judge sentence socialite Elinor Carlisle to death for poisoning both her aunt and her rival in love, he can’t help feeling something’s wrong. Diana Quick, Kelly Reilly, Paul Mcgann and Rupert Penry-Jones co-star. 9:33 AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT: DEATH ON THE NILE — A mystery adapted from Agatha Christie’s famous crime thriller is set on board a Nile cruise on which, against Poirot’s advice, a heartbroken woman (Emma Griffiths Malin) has joined the trip to stalk her former fiancé and his new heiress wife. When the unfortunate heiress is found shot in the head, Poirot must sort out the alibis; and the tension rises as the body count increases. Judy Parfitt, James Fox and Barbara Flynn co-star. 11:00 PACIFIC HEARTBEAT: MAKING GOOD MEN — R 12M AMANPOUR ON PBS

26.3 Over the Air Comcast 266 Cox 801 FiOS 472 RCN 38

The WETA Kids channel offers a safe haven for young viewers, presenting educational broadcasts 24 hours each day, seven days a week. WETA KIDS ON WEEKDAYS WETA KIDS AIRINGS IN BLACK; WETA TV 26 IN BLUE • Sid the Science Kid, 5am • Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, 5:30am • Sesame Street, 6am • Wild Kratts, 6:30am, 7am (6am, 6:30am) • Ready Jet Go!, 7:30am (7am) • The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, 8am (7:30am) • Nature Cat, 8:30am (8am) • Curious George, 9am (8:30am) • Pinkalicious and Peterrific, 9:30am (9am) • Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, 10am, 10:30am (9:30am, 10am) • Splash and Bubbles, 11am (10:30am) • Sesame Street, 11:30am (11am) • Super WHY!, 12N (5am, 11:30am) • Dinosaur Train, 12:30pm • Peg + Cat, 1pm • Sesame Street, 1:30pm • Splash and Bubbles, 2pm • Curious George, 2:30pm • Pinkalicious and Peterrific, 3pm • Nature Cat, 3:30pm • Wild Kratts, 4pm, 4:30pm • Odd Squad, 5pm, 5:30pm • Arthur, 6pm, 6:30pm • Ready Jet Go!, 7pm Visit weta.org/kids • WordGirl, 7:30pm for full listings of • Sesame Street, 8pm, 8:30pm • Cyberchase, 9pm (5:30am) children’s programs • Bob the Builder, 9:30pm on WETA Kids • SciGirls, 10pm & WETA TV 26. • Maya & Miguel, 10:30pm • Bob the Builder, 11pm • Ready Jet Go!, 11:30pm • Arthur, 12M

For full schedules and program information, visit weta.org 15

07-15_Listings_WETA_May18.indd 15

4/17/18 1:07 PM

26.2 Over the Air Via Antenna Cox 800 Comcast 265 FiOS 474 RCN 39

British Television at Its Best The WETA UK channel is devoted to the best in British television programming, presenting beloved classics and contemporary series around the clock, seven days a week. WETA UK offers a full schedule of great entertainment programming — featuring drama, mystery, comedy and documentary series — all delivered with an accent from the Isles. Visit wetauk.org for a complete schedule and program descriptions. ROYAL WEDDING LIVE — 5/19, 4:30AM-9:30AM

P.M. PROGRAMMING ON WETA UK IN MAY SUNDAY

12pm

Globe Trekker

1:30pm

2pm

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Are You Being Served?

As Time Goes By

• And Then There Were None • Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, Series II (starts 5/27)

New Tricks

Midsomer Murders, Series XIII

MI-5

• Victoria, Series II on Masterpiece (except 5/20; 2 hrs on 5/6 & 5/13) • Tales from the Royal Wardrobe (5/20)

Waking the Dead

• Royal Wives at War (5/20) • Foyle’s War, Series IV (5/27)

• Nature’s Microworlds (5/5-5/21) • Morocco to Timbuktu: An Arabian Adventure (5/28)

Globe Trekker

I Want My Wife Back

Midsomer Murders, Series XIII

Father Brown, Series VI

• Midsomer Murders XI (5/1) • Midsomer Murders, Series XIII

The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Series V

The Commander, Series I (to 7pm on 5/3)

EastEnders

Midsomer Murders, Series XIII

• Midsomer Murders XI (5/1) • Pie in the Sky, Series II

Doc Martin, Series IV

• Life of Crime (starts 5/10) • Secrets of Highclere Castle (5/31)

I Want My Wife Back

Are You Being Served?

As Time Goes By

Pie in the Sky, Series II

The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Series V

Midsomer Murders, Series XIII (starts 5/2)

Father Brown, Series VI

Death in Paradise, Series VII (starts 5/4)

Happy Valley, Series I

Doc Martin, Series IV

Downton Abbey, Series II on Masterpiece (to 11:30pm on 5/2)

Silk, Series I (Series II starts 5/24)

Tutankhamun (starts 5/4)

The Commander, Series I

I Want My Wife Back (starts 5/1)

Sharpe, Series IV/V & Sharpe’s Challenge (to 12m on 5/31)

Foyle’s War, Series VI

12:30pm

1pm

MONDAY Are You Being Served?

2:30pm

3pm 3:30pm

4pm 4:30pm

5pm 5:30pm

6pm 6:30pm

7pm 7:30pm

8pm 8:30pm

• Antiques Roadshow BBC (5/6) • Tutankhamun (starts 5/6, 6pm, then 5pm in May) • Tutankhamun (5/6, 6pm) • Nature’s Microworlds (5/6, 7-10pm; 5/13, 6-10pm; 5/20, 6-8pm) • Morocco to Timbuktu: An Arabian Adventure (5/20-5/27, 8-9pm) • Animal Super Parents (starts 5/20, 9-10pm)

9pm

Mum, Series I

9:30pm

10pm

Globe Trekker

Mum, Series I (starts 5/1)

10:30pm

11pm

Doctor Who: Peter Davison Movies

11:30pm

• Father Brown VI (except 5/14) • Royal Wedding Watch (5/14)

• Hustle, Series VII (except 5/15) • Royal Wedding Watch (5/15)

MONDAY

TUESDAY

SUNDAY

• Life of Crime (starts 5/9) • Secrets of Highclere Castle (5/30) • Hustle (except 5/16) • Royal Wedding Watch (5/16)

WEDNESDAY

• Waking the Dead (except 5/17) • Royal Wedding Watch (5/17)

THURSDAY

Mum

• New Tricks (except 5/18) • Royal Wedding Watch (5/18)

FRIDAY

SATURDAY Doc. Blake Mysteries V

• Father Brown, Series VI (5/5, 1-4pm; 5/12, 2pm; 5/26, 2-4pm) • Pie in the Sky II (5/5-5/12, 4:30pm) • Animal Super Parents (starts 5/26, 4pm) • Morocco to Timbuktu (starts 5/26, 5pm) • Downton Abbey II (5/5, 5:30-8pm; 5/12, 6pm, 5/26, 6pm)

ROYAL WEDDING LIVE — 5/19, 4:30AM-9:30AM; then Royal Wedding Watch, Eps 1-5 are reprised 1pm-6pm (5/19). Royal Wedding coverage repeats 6pm-11pm (5/19). • And Then There Were None (8pm, 5/5-5/12) • Hetty Wainthropp, Series II (8pm, starts 5/26) Victoria, Series II on Masterpiece (except 5/19) (to 10pm on 5/26)

• The Tunnel, Series II (except 5/19) (10 p.m. on 5/26) • Death in Paradise, Series VII (5/19, 5/26)

SATURDAY

VISIT WETAUK.ORG FOR A PRINTABLE FULL-DAY SCHEDULE. 16 MAY 2018

C2-00-00-C4_WETA_May18_4-13.indd 16

4/17/18 1:06 PM

WETA UK May Highlights I

Fridays at 8 p.m., starting May 4 on WETA UK

n a new series of the mystery drama, filmed on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, D.I. Jack Mooney (Ardal O’Hanlon) is settling into the sun-soaked idyll of Isle Saint Marie and beginning to make the shack on the beach his home. He and his team, including DS Florence Cassel (Joséphine Jobert), face some taxing cases. Jack’s laconic style as a police detective belies a sharp mind and relentless determination; but he’ll need all his instinctive genius to solve several mysterious murders, including that of a champion poker player, apparently poisoned at the table in front of an astonished audience; a novelist, killed in a plot more surprising than anything he’s ever written; and a spiritual leader, strangled at a time when all the suspects were each others’ alibis. And it’s not just Jack who has challenges to face, as one member of his staff faces injury, another confronts a face from his past, and yet another, Office Dwayne Myers (Danny John-Jules), finds himself out of his depth — and in love.

BBC/RED PLANET PICTURES 2017/DENIS GUYENON

Death in Paradise, Series VII

Tutankhamun

Fridays at 9 p.m., starting May 4 on WETA UK

ITV

et against the ochre sands, looming cliffs and baking heat of Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, a four-part adventure-drama series stars Max Irons (son of Jeremy Irons) in the true story of Howard Carter’s epic quest to discover the lost tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamun. The down-on-his-heels archaeologist stumbles upon evidence of an undiscovered tomb of the forgotten boy-king right at the heart of the valley. Other archaeologists dismiss his theories as impossible, a romantic dream. The area, they say, has been dug out. Only one man believes in Carter’s mission and puts up the money he needs: dashing British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon (portrayed by Sam Neil), a born gambler, thrillseeker and enthusiastic amateur archaeologist. Together, this unlikely pair overcome all odds — corrupt officials and rival digs, World War, Revolution — in pursuit of their goal. It seems as if nothing can come between them — until Carter falls in love with Carnarvon’s daughter, Lady Evelyn (Amy Wren).

Life of Crime

Wednesdays, May 9-23 at 10:30 p.m. on WETA UK

Also this month: Happy Valley and The Commander continue Mondays at 9 and 10 p.m., respectively; The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Series V continues Tuesdays at 8 p.m.; Midsomer Murders, Series XIII airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m., restarting May 2; Father Brown, Series VI continues Thursdays at 8 p.m.; Silk, Series I continues Thursdays at 9 p.m., entering Series II on May 24; miniseries And Then There Were None continues Saturdays, May 5 and 12 at 8 p.m.; The Tunnel, Series II continues in Saturday latenights (see timings on WETA UK grid on page 16); and documentary series Nature’s Microworlds continues Sundays, May 6, 13 and 20.

AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION

n a three-part drama, Hayley Atwell (Any Human Heart) stars as a risk-taking and impulsive rookie police officer who becomes obsessed with tracking down the killer of a 15-year-old girl. Set against the backdrop of iconic moments in British history — London’s Brixton riots in 1985, the death of Princess Diana in 1997, and the present day — the series follows the life of ambitious officer Denise Woods as she progresses through London’s Metropolitan Police and the case that dominates her career. As a new police constable, she accompanies Detective Sergeant Ray Deans (Richard Coyle) to a crime scene where the teenager has been found, strangled. Woods is skeptical about the apparent circumstances of the girl’s death. Working against the instruction and advice of her senior officers, she follows her own lines of inquiry, not knowing that the case is far from over. The choices that she makes as a young officer will have long lasting and explosive repercussions in both her professional and personal lives.

Midsomer Murders

For full schedules and program information, visit weta.org 17

C2-00-00-C4_WETA_May18_4-13.indd 17

4/17/18 1:06 PM

WETA UK May Highlights A

Mum

Tuesdays at 10:30 p.m. on WETA UK

ITV

iring each Tuesday in May following the comedy I Want My Wife Back, the family comedy series Mum stars Olivier Award-winner and BAFTA- and Academy Award-nominee Lesley Manville. The series, which starts May 1, is seen through the eyes of Cathy, a suburban mother in her late fifties who finds herself at a milestone in life after the death of her husband. Over the course of one year, starting with the funeral in January and ending on New Year’s Eve, Cathy must navigate the everyday realities of this new era of her life alongside the good intentions of her lovably baffling family. Offering a humorous and modern perspective on an often-overlooked stage in life, Mum is the story of a woman discovering who she is again and perhaps, if she could only meet him, finding love the second time around.

Sundays, May 20 & 27 at 8 p.m. on WETA UK

COURTESY AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION

Morocco to Timbuktu: An Arabian Adventure

n the travel and culture series Morocco to Timbuktu: An Arabian Adventure, writer and explorer Alice Morrison attempts to follow some of North Africa’s ancient “Salt Roads,” historically one of the world’s richest trading networks, which led from south of Tangier to the fabled sandstone city of Timbuktu (in what is now the country of Mali). Riding the famous Marrakech Express train, crossing the vast Sahara on camelback and trekking on foot through snowstorms, Morrison takes a centuries-old journey through unforgettable destinations. The series highlights North Africa’s ancient cultural heritage, from hidden libraries to the world’s oldest university in Fes, while also providing perspective on how modern political realities have affected the trade routes.

Animal Super Parents

Sundays at 9 p.m., starting May 20 on WETA UK

ETA UK reprises the BBC natural history miniseries Animal Super Parents, which explores how animals try to give their offspring the best start in life. The three programs uncover intriguing and engaging stories of animal parents in the wild. Going It Alone explores the surprising reasons why some animals are single parents. It Takes Two uncovers the motivation behind a species choosing to share parenthood — something of a rare and surprising phenomenon in the animal kingdom; these parents are driven by the same aim to protect and nurture through to adulthood as many offspring as possible. Team Work discovers why it sometimes pays to work together — and reveals captivating group parenting stories from the animal world.

Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on WETA UK

NICK BRIGGS/ITV FOR MASTERPIECE

Downton Abbey, Series II on Masterpiece

asterpiece’s most popular production returned in April, as WETA UK reprised Series I of historical period drama Downton Abbey. In May, WETA UK continues its presentation of Downton Abbey, featuring Series II, in which World War I brings profound change to the estate and its residents — and transforms British society as well. Debuting in 2011, writer Julian Fellowes’ story of the noble Crawley family, its servants and the manor estate became a runaway hit, with millions tuning in to learn the fate of the characters — portrayed by a superb cast, including Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Dan Stevens, Penelope Wilton, Joanne Froggatt, Brendan Coyle, Jim Carter and many others. The drama would go on to become one of the most-honored, award-winning series on television.

C2-00-00-C4_WETA_May18_4-13.indd 18

4/17/18 1:06 PM

Saturdays at 8 p.m. starting May 26 on WETA UK

BBC

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, Series II

illed as the shrewdest, nosiest and most unlikely private detective since Miss Marple, Hetty Wainthropp is certainly a most unusual sleuth. Armed with little more than her pocketbook and her prodigious common sense, the Lancashire housewife-turned-gumshoe can easily match wits with the best of them — even if she has to take the bus to get to the scene of the crime. Starring award-winning actress Patricia Routledge (Keeping Up Appearances), Series II features six episodes. Among this round of adventures, Wainthropp goes undercover in four very different roles, demonstrating her continued fearlessness in the face of criminal offences. By her side are her recently retired husband Robert (Derek Benfield) and Geoffrey Shawcross (Dominic Monaghan), the teenager rescued by Hetty from a brief career of shoplifting and who now lives with the Wainthropps and acts as Hetty’s investigating sidekick. Also part of the cast, John Graham Davies portrays local chief of police DCI Adams.

Sharpe

Thursdays at 10 p.m. on WETA UK

ITV

ean Bean (Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Goldeneye, Patriot Games) stars as the Napoleonic-era swashbuckling soldier Richard Sharpe in more episodes of the Sharpe action series based on novels by Bernard Cornwell. As the series progress, Sharpe steadily rises in the ranks, reaching Lieutenant-Colonel by the end of the Napoleonic Wars. In May, WETA UK wraps up the hero’s adventures in Europe in Sharpe’s Mission (May 3, with Mark Strong), the last episode of Series IV, and, in Series V, Sharpe’s Revenge (May 10), Sharpe’s Justice (May 17, with Philip Glenister) and the epic battle of the era in Sharpe’s Waterloo (May 24, with Paul Bettany). Then it’s off to India for the protagonist in the drama’s penultimate story, Sharpe’s Challenge (May 31), set in 1817. In the latter, Sharpe and his comrade in arms, Patrick Harper (Daragh O’Malley), have been temporarily called out of retirement by the Duke of Wellington (Poirot’s Hugh Fraser) and asked to go on a mission to India. Padma Lakshmi and Toby Stephens co-star.

Saturdays at 9 p.m. (except May 19) on WETA UK

Victoria, Series II on Masterpiece

WIKI COMMONS/M. JONES

enna Coleman stars as the young Queen of England who wants it all — romance, power, an heir, and personal freedom — in the second season of the lavish Masterpiece drama Victoria, which airs in seven episodes starting May 5. Tom Hughes co-stars as the queen’s consort, Prince Albert. Rufus Sewell portrays Lord Melbourne. Created and scripted by novelist Daisy Goodwin, Season II of the drama finds Victoria adapting to motherhood after the birth of her first child, a daughter. Meanwhile, the disaster of the Anglo-Afghan War unfolds abroad, and the catastrophic Irish potato famine begins to wreak havoc closer to home. In other foreign affairs, a royal state visit to France is in the offing. Most intriguing to Prince Albert is the Industrial Revolution sweeping England. Among the new advances is a mechanical calculator, a project that involves Ada Lovelace, daughter of the scandalous Lord Byron. Joining the cast in Series II is Dame Diana Rigg, who plays the Duchess of Buccleuch, the court’s new Mistress of the Robes and a source of old-fashioned good advice for the queen.

C2-00-00-C4_WETA_May18_4-13.indd 19

ROYAL WEDDING LIVE! On Saturday, May 19, 4:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. ET, WETA UK presents live coverage of the wedding of Britain’s Prince Harry and American Meghan Markle in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Palace. At 1 p.m., WETA UK presents a series of PBS specials titled Royal Wedding Watch (that will first be broadcast Monday-Friday, May 14-18 on WETA UK in latenights). The five, hour-long programs unpack the history, ceremony and traditions shaping these royal nuptials. Then, at 6 p.m. on May 19, WETA UK reprises the morning’s wedding ceremony coverage. For full schedules and program information, visit weta.org 19

4/17/18 1:06 PM

Classical WETA 90.9 FM NSO’s David Hardy (cello) and Daniel Foster (viola)

NSO Showcase Presents Musical Memorials Wednesday, May 2 at 9 p.m.

“L

By Nicole Lacroix, Afternoon On-Air Host

Wolf Trap Operas on Classical WETA Opera House Saturdays, May 12 & 19 at 1 p.m.

By Linda Carducci, Morning On-Air Host

pon the conclusion of this season’s Metropolitan Opera broadcasts on May 5, Classical WETA Opera House will broadcast two Wolf Trap Opera productions from its 2017 summer season. Giochino Rossini’s first recognized comic masterpiece, The Touchstone, airs Saturday, May 12. Rossini was only 20 years old when the opera premiered at La Scala in 1812 to great success, ensuring his name as an operatic force. The Touchstone The Touchstone tells the tale of a wealthy Count who, unsure of whether the affections of his friends are sincere, devises a test to determine their genuine motives. The Count is pleased with his clever trick until the tables are turned on him. The result is a delightful mixture of comedy, shifting affections, disguises and misunderstandings in this work that brims with Rossini’s unique brand of lovely melodies and tight ensembles. The following Saturday, May 19, features a double bill of one-act operas: John Musto’s Bastianello, and Philip Glass and Robert Moran’s The Juniper Tree. Composed in the 20th century, each opera’s narrative draws from old stories with themes of conflict, redemption and enlightenment. In the Italian fable Bastianello, a young bridegroom abandons his young bride and her family in a fit of anger during the wedding night feast and embarks on a journey to find six people who are as foolish as them, only to discover the facets of humanity and his own character. The Juniper Tree, based on a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, depicts a dark form of jealousy that turns to murder, but ultimately life and redemption as the spirit of a dead child takes the form of a lovely singing bird that springs from a juniper tree. Join me for broadcasts of these engaging Wolf Trap Opera performances, Saturdays, May 12 and 19 at 1 p.m. SCOTT SUCHMAN/WOLF TRAP

Classical WETA 90.9 FM

MARGOT SCHULMAN

es morts sont assez tristes dans leur silence éternel” — “the dead are sad enough in their eternal silence.” This was Maurice Ravel’s response when he was asked why his World War I musical memorial to fallen friends, Le Tombeau de Couperin, was not more funereal. It was, however, the heartfelt creation of a real hero. Even though he was considered too delicate to be a soldier, Ravel volunteered for the grueling job of ambulance driver. His Tombeau de Couperin is at the same time a neo-baroque keyboard suite in memory of the great French composer François Couperin “Le Grand” (16681733), and a personal tribute to six friends killed in the war. Ravel then orchestrated four of the six movements. Le Tombeau de Couperin opens our Classical WETA 90.9 FM May NSO Showcase program, with Matthew Halls conducting. All the music for NSO Showcase was recorded at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. If Ravel’s Tombeau was criticized for not sounding tragic, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ 1935 Fourth Symphony was also misinterpreted. Many writers believed it to be a dramatic warning of the coming horrors of World War II. But no, asserted the composer, “I wrote it not as a definite picture of anything external — e.g. the state of Europe — but simply because it occurred to me like this...it was what I wanted to do at the time.” James MacMillan leads the National Symphony Orchestra in a performance of this “craggy and ferocious” (Gramophone) symphony. For comic relief, and some very fine cello and viola solos by the NSO’s David Hardy and Daniel Foster, the May NSO Showcase broadcast also features Richard Strauss’ brilliant Don Quixote, complete with vicious sheep, flying horses, and those pesky windmills. Sir Mark Elder conducts. Remembering heroes, real and imaginary, is the theme for this month’s NSO Showcase. I hope you’ll join us for this month’s broadcast, Wednesday evening, May 2 at 9 p.m. on Classical WETA.

VivaLaVoce on vivalavoce.org

C2-00-00-C4_WETA_May18_4-13.indd 20

Stream Audio at classicalweta.org

4/17/18 1:06 PM

Classical for Washington Nurit Bar-Josef

Front Row Washington & Choral Showcase By Jim Allison, Program Director, Classical WETA 90.9 FM & VivaLaVoce

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

his month’s schedule of Front Row Washington broadcasts (Monday evenings at 9 p.m. on Classical WETA 90.9 FM) features several talented and wonderfully expressive performers. We’ll start the month with a May 7 presentation of Cuarteto Latinoamericano’s recent concert at the National Gallery of Art, the highlight of which is their alternately energetic and lyrical performance of Leo Brouwer’s Quartet No. 3, written in 1997. And we’ll close the month on May 28 with Ana Vidovic from the Marlow Guitar Series. Her recital begins with a transcription of a Bach partita in a moving and finely crafted interpretation that sets the tone for the remainder of the program, ranging from Scarlatti to Piazzolla. In the middle of the month we have a great example of the range of interpretive choices performers can make. On May 14, we broadcast a concert by The National Chamber Players recorded in Alexandria last May. Violinist Nurit Bar-Josef is featured in a suite by Claude Bolling that is lyrical, spirited, uplifting…and includes surprises along the way (such as a jazz trio’s brief appearance in each movement). Bar-Josef’s lyricism carries into the ensemble’s interpretation of the Brahms Piano Quintet, and the result is a refreshingly intimate and expressive performance of a piece that is typically full of bold gestures and large sonorities. On the other hand, if you prefer your Brahms to be big and bold, you’ll want to tune in on May 21 for a Phillips Collection recital by cellist Andrei Ioniţă and pianist Yekwon Sunwoo. After a lyrical performance of a Schubert sonata they launch into the Brahms Cello Sonata No. 1 with all the power, heft and brooding that one comes to expect from the composer. In fact, if you listen carefully in the finale you’ll hear the piano shaking from the intensity of their performance. Intensity is a word that comes to mind when describing the new music director of the National Symphony Orchestra, Gianandrea Noseda. Earlier in the season we featured many of his orchestral recordings on Classical WETA. This month, we get a chance to hear his recordings of choral music in our weekly Choral Showcase program, airing Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. We’ll present two Italian-themed weeks with Verdi’s Four Sacred Pieces (May 13) and the Magnificat (May 20) by 20th-century countryman Goffredo Petrassi — both with Teatro Regio, The Juniper Tree Torino (where Maestro Noseda also serves as music director). And we close out the month on May 27 with a Russian flare with Noseda’s recording of The Bells by Rachmaninoff, featuring the Chorus of the Mariinsky Theatre.

Classical WETA Opera House

Saturdays at 1 p.m. on Classical WETA 90.9 FM

May 12: Wolf Trap Opera: Rossini’s The Touchstone May 19: Wolf Trap Opera: Musto’s Bastianello/Glass & Moran’s The Juniper Tree May 26: Lyric Opera of Chicago: Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice

SCOTT SUCHMAN/WOLF TRAP

May 5: Met Opera season finale: Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette

Center Stage from Wolf Trap

he series Center Stage from Wolf Trap continues Saturday evenings at 9 p.m. on Classical WETA 90.9 FM, showcasing performances recorded from Chamber Music at the Barns. This month’s programs include the Borromeo String Quartet performing Shostakovich (May 5); pianist Jeremy Denk performing Beethoven (May 12); Peter Kolkay, Deirdre Chadwick and Alexandra Nguyen performing Lalliet, Previn, and Poulenc (May 19); and the Poulenc Trio performing Beethoven and Schnittke (May 26). Classical WETA’s Rich Kleinfeldt and Wolf Trap’s Lee Anne Myslewski host.

Classical WETA: 90.9 FM Greater Washington; 88.9 FM Frederick; WGMS 89.1 FM Hagerstown

C2-00-00-C4_WETA_May18_4-13.indd 3

4/17/18 1:06 PM

WETA Passport Start streaming Masterpiece and your other favorites with WETA Passport, our popular member benefit that provides you with access to an extensive library of the best public television programs! Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ready to activate now at pbs.org/passport if you see a four-word activation code above your name and address at left â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or go to weta.org/passport to make your qualifying donation of $60 (or $5 monthly) to start enjoying WETA Passport today. ADVERTISEMENT

C2-00-00-C4_WETA_May18_4-13.indd 4

4/17/18 1:06 PM