December 2019 - WETA Magazine

DECEMBER 2019 MAGAZINE FOR MEMBERS

Sesame Street: 50 Years & Still Sunny!

A celebration of the iconic series December 4 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD

Seasonal programming on WETA Television & Classical WETA PBS NewsHour & Politico Democratic Debate, December 19 C1_WETA_December_2019_FINAL.indd 1

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WETA Focus A

mong our most important duties at WETA as we pursue our mission of public service is to strive to help keep Americans informed about news developments that affect their lives. In a busy news cycle, and as the election campaigns gather steam, millions of Americans rely on trusted WETA productions PBS NewsHour and Washington Week to stay informed about issues, events, policies and much more. Presenting in-depth reporting and analysis with balance and integrity, our superb news and public affairs productions report on, and make sense of, the news — providing vital context and insight into matters of true consequence.

We at WETA are very proud of the stellar journalism produced on behalf of the public by Judy Woodruff and the PBS NewsHour team, and by Washington Week moderator Robert Costa and the program’s roundtable of top reporters.

On December 19, we will co-produce and present to PBS viewers nationwide the broadcast PBS NewsHour & Politico Democratic Debate; we look forward to drawing out the participating presidential candidates’ views for Americans to consider. Thank you for tuning in, and thank you for your support, which helps make our service possible.

Sharon Percy Rockefeller, President & CEO, WETA

Washington Week

WETA production airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD and streams on the free PBS Video App

SCOTT SUCHMAN

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or insights on each week’s news, tune into WETA’s Peabody Award-winning series Washington Week, moderated by accomplished Washington Post reporter Robert Costa. Each Friday night, the half-hour news analysis program features Costa leading a dynamic, engaging roundtable discussion of the week’s major news developments with the nation’s top journalists. The program broadcasts live each week on WETA TV 26/HD from WETA’s Shirlington television studios and, as of December, repeats Saturdays at 6 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Monday mornings at 7:30 a.m. Washington Week can be streamed on the series website pbs.org/washingtonweek, via the free PBS Video App, on Facebook and on YouTube. WETA also produces an online Washington Week Extra at 8:30 p.m. each Friday, streamed live on the series’ website.

Robert Costa

Major funding for Washington Week is provided by Fidelity Investments, the Yuen Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS.

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New Morning News Block

Mondays-Saturdays, 6-8 a.m. on WETA TV 26/HD

tarting in December, WETA adds news and public affairs programming to the morning WETA TV 26/HD schedule on weekdays and Saturdays. Anchoring the block Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7 a.m. is the preceding night’s PBS NewsHour newscast. The morning repeat presents the West Coast feed of the broadcast, which features updates added after the East Coast broadcast from the previous night. Additional morning news and public affairs programming includes NHK Newsline (international news from Japan public media), Monday through Friday at 6 a.m.; BBC World News, Monday through Friday at 6:30 a.m.; and encore presentations of WETA production Washington Week, Saturdays at 6 a.m. and Mondays at 7:30 a.m. See the December TV Listings on pages 6-13 for details.

W E TA B R OA D CA S T S A N D S E R V I C E S Stream select TV programs via WETA Passport and the free PBS Video App. WETA TV 26 26.4 Over the Air Via Antenna Cox 26, 802 Comcast 26 Fios 26 RCN 26

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WETA HD 26.1 Over the Air Cox 1026, 1003 Fios 526 DirecTV 26, 26-1 RCN 613 Dish 8076

Via Antenna Comcast 800 (in the D.C. area)

WETA UK 26.2 Over the Air Via Antenna Cox 800 Comcast 265 Fios 474

Comcast 219 (Baltimore area)

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December Highlights on WETA TV 26/HD PBS NewsHour & Politico Democratic Debate WETA co-production airs Thurs., Dec.19 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD

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TONY POWELL

ETA production PBS NewsHour and political journalism enterprise Politico are co-hosting a live, televised presidential candidates debate on December 19 at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. The debate will be the sixth of the Democratic primary cycle. Event moderators, who will draw out candidates’ views on the issues, will be announced in coming days, as will the list of participating candidates, who must qualify by reaching specific thresholds in polls and in quantities of unique donors. At the conclusion of the debate event, the PBS NewsHour team will provide analysis of the proceedings. Check television listings at weta.org for the most up-todate scheduling information for the debate. The debate will stream at pbs.org/newshour.

Stream Silk, DCI Banks & The Moonstone on WETA Passport

BBC

Silk

LEFT BACK PICTURES/ITV

ith a qualifying monthly donation of $5 (or $60 per year), you can access thousands of hours of programming on WETA Passport, a popular WETA member benefit that offers an extensive library of superb public television offerings past and present, including drama, public affairs, science, history, arts, “how-to” programs and more, all available for viewing at watch.weta.org. From select Masterpiece series, Ken Burns documentaries and Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., to PBS NewsHour, Washington Week and much more, stream programming on your TV, computer, tablet or smartphone via WETA Passport, which this month includes three engaging dramas, available for binge viewing as of December 1.

Silk, a fast-paced contemporary BBC legal drama that features three seasons (18 episodes), follows the rivalries, passions and intrigues of criminal law stars and barristers in London.

Martha Costello (Maxine Peak, Little Dorrit), is a brilliant, passionate defense lawyer, and her rival, Clive Reader (Rupert Penry-Jones, MI-5; Whitechapel; The 39 Steps) is ruthless, charming and gifted. The two vie to attain the status of Queen’s Counsel.

Contemporary mystery series DCI Banks, featuring five seasons (16 episodes), stars Stephen Tompkinson (Ballykissangel) as the tenacious, stubborn sleuth Chief Inspector Alan Banks and Andrea Lowe as the feisty, headstrong Detective Sergeant Annie Cabbot in crime thrillers set in the Yorkshire countryside. Caroline Catz (Doc Martin) joins the team as Detective Inspector Helen Morton in Series 2.

The Moonstone, a 2016 BBC film featuring five episodes, is a fresh adaptation of Wilkie Collins’ novel about Victorian England, starring Joshua Silver and Terenia Edwards and centering on the theft of a cursed but priceless Indian diamond. When Franklin Blake returns to England, he faces events he fled a year before: Rachel Verinder, his cousin, inherited the Moonstone on her 18th birthday and it went missing that evening. Blake must probe the mystery.

DCI Banks

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Available for streaming starting December 1 at watch.weta.org

The Moonstone

For program and membership inquiries, visit weta.org or call 703-998-2724.

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WETA PBS Kids 26.3 Over the Air Via Antenna Cox 801 Comcast 266 Fios 472 RCN 38

WETA Online weta.org watch.weta.org weta.org/learningmedia

COVER: SESAME STREET, PHOTO COURTESY RICHARD TERMINE

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Classical WETA WETA 90.9 FM Washington WGMS 89.1 FM Hagerstown WETA 88.9 FM Frederick classicalweta.org vivalavoce.org

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Seasonal Programming E

Holiday Music on Classical WETA 90.9 FM

njoy the sounds of the season on Classical WETA 90.9 FM as Greater Washington’s exclusive classical music radio service adds holiday music into its broadcasts in December. Seasonal offerings air throughout the month, increasing substantially during the week of December 16 and culminating with the “Home for the Holidays Weekend” (December 20-22) and special programming on December 24-25. Christmas Eve specials include the traditional Christmas Eve Carolfest (noon.-5 p.m.); Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College, Cambridge (5 p.m.); and Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker (7 p.m.). On Christmas Day, Classical WETA presents Christmas in Washington (10 a.m.), featuring performances of holiday music by D.C.-area choral and instrumental ensembles; Handel’s Messiah (3 p.m.); and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (9 p.m.). Also tune in to Classical WETA’s Sunday-night program Choral Showcase (9 p.m.), which is devoted to Christmas music all month. For more seasonal music on Classical WETA, see pages 16-17; and visit weta.org/happyholidays.

For the Holidays, on WETA TV 26/HD My Music: A Classic Christmas Thur 12/5, 8pm; Rpts Fri 12/6, 3pm; Sun 12/8, 9am, 7pm; Tue 12/10, 4pm Hip Hop Nutcracker Sun 12/8, 11pm; Fri 12/13, 3pm Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir (featuring): Kristin Chenoweth Mon 12/16, 9pm; Rpts Fri 12/20, 10pm; Tue 12/24, 9pm; Wed 12/25, 5pm Sutton Foster & Hugh Bonneville Tue 12/24, 8pm Rolando Villazón Tue 12/24, 10pm Lidia Celebrates America: The Return of the Artisans Fri 12/20, 9pm; Rpts Wed 12/25, 9am Handel’s Messiah (see below) Sun 12/22, 8pm Christmas at Belmont 2019 Mon 12/23, 9pm; Rpts Wed 12/25, 4pm A Chef’s Life Holiday Special Wed 12/25, 8am Christmas at St. Olaf: Ris’n with Healing in His Wings Wed 12/25, 10am A Classic Christmas with the Bach Festival Society Wed 12/25, 11am Wheaton College Christmas Festival: Messiah, Prince of Peace Wed 12/25, noon Christmas at Concordia: Gather Us In, O Child of Peace Wed 12/25, 1pm A St. Thomas Christmas: Comfort & Joy Wed 12/25, 2pm Holiday Handbells: The Raleigh Ringers Wed 12/25, 3pm Lucy Worsley’s 12 Days of Tudor Christmas Wed 12/25, 8pm Call the Midwife Holiday Special 2019 Wed 12/25, 9pm; Rpts Thur 12/26, 3:30pm (Watch WETA UK, Wed 12/25, 12:30-8pm for more Call the Midwife specials.)

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London New Year’s Day Parade 2020 Tue 12/31, 4pm Visit weta.org/happyholidays for holiday program details.

Handel’s Messiah

Sunday, December 22 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD

90-minute docudrama by Lee Groberg (Joseph Smith: American Prophet; First Freedom: The Fight for Religious Liberty) and Mark Goodman and presented by WETA tells the story of prodigious musical genius George Frideric Handel: how he was discovered in Halle, Germany at age 9, his meteoric rise to celebrity composer at age 18, and his great oratorio, Messiah. Jane Seymour narrates the film, a story of redemption that examines how the debut performance of Messiah in Dublin, Ireland in 1742 was a turning point for Handel — and for Charles Jennens, the man who wrote the oratorio’s libretto, and Susannah Cibber, who soloed in the performance.

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December Dramas on WETA TV 26/HD

Morse, Call the Midwife, Frankie Drake, Victoria and more For drama programming, also tune in to WETA UK or stream shows via WETA Passport and the free PBS Video App

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COURTESY ITV PLC FOR MASTERPIECE

rom heart-warmers to thrillers, WETA presents an array of drama programs in late December after the conclusion of the annual WETA membership campaign. Among the offerings, on December 25 at 9 p.m., Call the Midwife Holiday Special 2019 unfolds, following the Nonnatus House nurse-midwives as they venture far afield once again, in this year’s special visiting Scotland’s Outer Hebrides in response to a nursing shortage.

On Saturday, December 28 at 8 p.m., WETA features the first installment of three-part series Capital, starring Toby Jones, Gemma Jones, Rachael Stirling (daughter of Dame Diana Rigg) and an ensemble cast in an adaptation of John Lancaster’s novel about urban gentrification that rattles the residents of a South London neighborhood. Also this month, detective series Inspector Morse continues, Thursday, December 26 at 8 p.m. with two Victoria, Series 3 encore back-to-back cases starring John Thaw and Kevin Whately, and Frankie Drake Mysteries continues Saturdays, December 21 & 28 at 9 p.m., featuring further adventures of 1920s Toronto sleuth-duo Frankie (Lauren Lee Smith) and Trudy (Chantel Riley) of Drake Private Detectives. Wrapping up drama offerings for the month, on Sunday, December 28, 4-6 p.m. & 7-11 p.m., WETA presents a stack of reprised episodes of Masterpiece blockbuster Victoria, Series 3, starring Jenna Coleman as Britain’s famed monarch and Tom Hughes as Prince Albert.

Live from Lincoln Center: N.Y. Philharmonic: Celebrating Sondheim n New Year’s Eve, enjoy a Live from Lincoln Center special featuring the New York Philharmonic performing the music of Pulitzer-, Tony-, Oscar- and Grammy-winner Stephen Sondheim with Tony Award-winning stage and screen actress/vocalist Katrina Lenk in her New York Philharmonic debut. Alexander Gemignani conducts the performance, and Lonny Price directs. The program will include selections and suites from popular musicals A Little Night Music, Assassins, Company, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Lenk, who will star in the Broadway revival of Sondheim’s Company in 2020, won the 2018 Tony for Best Actress in a Musical for her originating role as Dina in the Broadway musical The Band’s Visit.

COURTESY CHRIS LEE

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Tuesday, December 31 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD and streaming via the free PBS Video App

The Ornament of the World

Tuesday, December 17 at 8 p.m. and streaming via the free PBS Video App

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COURTESY KIKIM MEDIA

ilmed in Cordoba, Granada, Seville and Toledo, a two-hour program explores a story from the past that is especially relevant today: a remarkable period of 800 years in medieval Spain when Muslims, Christians and Jews forged a common cultural identity that frequently transcended their religious differences.

From 711, when Muslim armies swept across the Mediterranean, until 1492, when Christian power was consolidated under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, an era known as La Convivencia led to a vibrant shared culture of arts, architecture, science, music and letters, raising Spain to dazzling heights of glory and power. A journey through the cities at the center of the story, The Ornament of the World reveals what made this collaboration possible, and what ultimately tore it apart. The film, based on the book by Maria Rosa Menocal, examines the complexities and contradictions of this era through portraits of major figures of the period. The program also highlights architectural wonders such as the Great Mosque of Cordoba (left), medieval synagogues in Toledo, the Alcazar in Seville, and the Alhambra in Granada.

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Major funding for The Ornament of the World provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional funding provided by King Philanthropies; the Mosaic Foundation; the Enid and Crosby Kemper Family Foundation; the R.C. Kemper, Jr. Charitable Trust; and Sheila and Mark Wolfson.

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December Specials on WETA TV 26/HD Sesame Street: 50 Years & Still Sunny!

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new documentary celebrates the 50th anniversary of the iconic WETA PBS Kids children’s series with favorite memories and special guests. The program, hosted by musical artist Gloria Estefan, features interviews with Jodie Foster; Itzhak Perlman; LL Cool J; filmmaker Ken Burns; PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger; and Jeffrey D. Dunn, President and CEO of Sesame Workshop. It includes interviews with many of the award-winning writers and puppeteers who brought the series’ beloved characters to life — and features video clips of Sesame Street’s most unforgettable moments. The program examines the series’ significant and lasting impact on families across America. Throughout the years, the critically acclaimed program has remained experimental, each year researching issues that affect kids and adapting to the cultural and social trends of the time. The program repeats Friday, December 13 at 8:30 p.m.

The Supremes

My Music: A Classic Christmas

Thursday, December 5 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD

avin MacLeod (The Love Boat) and Marion Ross (Happy Days) host a nostalgic celebration of traditional carols and popular holiday standards performed by legends of song. Among the great artists featured in rare, archival footage from the 1950s through the 1970s are Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, The Carpenters, Andy Williams, Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Mathis, Gene Autry, The Supremes, The Beach Boys, The Lennon Sisters, Mahalia Jackson, Jose Feliciano, The Drifters and, in an all-new performance, Ronnie Spector. Songs include carols “Silent Night” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”; as well as standards “White Christmas,” “Jingle Bells,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”; children’s tunes “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty The Snowman”; and much more. The program repeats Sunday, December 8 at 7 p.m.

Great Performances: An Intimate Evening with David Foster

Wednesday, December 4 at 9:30 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD

n his third concert special on Great Performances, 16-time Grammy Award-winner David Foster takes the stage for a show-stopping concert celebrating hits from his musical career of four decades as a composer, producer and performer. Songs performed include Celine Dion’s “The Power of Love,” Whitney Houston’s famed interpretation of the Dolly Parton song “I Will Always Love You,” Earth Wind & Fire’s “After the Love Is Gone,” Chicago’s “You’re the Inspiration,” and many more. Joining Foster for the star-studded special evening of performances are Pia Toscano, Sheléa, Fernando Varela, Loren Allred, and “Smash” and Broadway’s “Waitress” star Katharine McPhee.

The program repeats December 7 at 10 p.m. and December 9 at 8 p.m.

Host Kathy Mattea

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COURTESY JOSEPH SINNOTT

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SEASON 1 CAST IMAGE COURTESY ROBERT FUHRING

Wednesday, December 4 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD

Ken Burns: Country Music

Sunday, December 1 at 7 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD

oin host and award-winning singer Kathy Mattea to learn more about the making of the epic documentary series and WETA co-production Country Music, devoted to the history of the American art form. The special features music, video clips and interviews with musical artists and series participant Rosanne Cash, along with Ken Burns, his long-time collaborator Dayton Duncan and other members of the creative team who helped make the documentary series so riveting. Ken Burns: Country Music highlights the most passionate, inspiring and revealing moments from the 16-hour film, which premiered in September, exploring how country music evolved over the course of the 20th century and focusing on trailblazers who created and shaped it. The special repeats December 5 at 10 p.m. and December 10 at 9:30 p.m.

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WETA TV 26 & WETA HD December Primetime Listings.

Denotes WETA productions, co-productions and presentations

Check weta.org for the most up-to-date schedule information.

8:30

8:00

(from 7pm:) Ken Burns: Country Music

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

Downton Abbey Returns! (to 11pm) & Mister Rogers: It’s You I Like (to 12:30am)

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Sun

2

Mon

Il Volo: Ten Years

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Tue

Aging Backwards 3 with Miranda Esmonde-White

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Wed

Sesame Street: 50 Years & Still Sunny!

5

Thu

My Music: A Classic Christmas

6

Fri

Washington Week

7

Sat

My Music: The Big Band Years

8

Sun

(from 7pm:) My Music: A Classic Christmas

9

Mon

Great Performances: An Intimate Evening with David Foster

10

Tue

Rick Steves: Fascism in Europe

11

Wed

My Music: John Sebastian Presents: Folk Rewind

3 Steps to Pain-Free Living (to 11:30pm) & Ken Burns: Country Music (to 1am)

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Thu

Memory Rescue with Daniel Amen, MD

Downton Abbey Returns! (to 12m)

13

Fri

Washington Week

Aging Backwards 3 with Miranda Esmonde-White

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Sat

WETA Viewer Favorites

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Sun

WETA Viewer Favorites

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Mon

Antiques Roadshow: New Orleans, LA (Hour 3)

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Tue

The Ornament of the World

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Wed

Nature: Animals of Winter

19

Thu

PBS NewsHour & Politico Democratic Debate

Washington in the 2000s

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Fri

Washington Week

Lidia Celebrates America: The Return of the Artisans

Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir Featuring Kristin Chenoweth

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Sat

London: 2000 Years of History (Pt 4 of 4)

Frankie Drake Mysteries, Series 1 (Pt 3 of 11. Summer in the City)

The WETA Movie: A River Runs Through It (to 12:03am)

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Sun

Handel’s Messiah

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Mon

Antiques Roadshow: Mansion Masterpieces

Christmas at Belmont 2019

Independent Lens: Supergirl (to 11:30pm)

24

Tue

Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir Featuring Sutton Foster and Hugh Bonneville

Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir Featuring Kristin Chenoweth

Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir Featuring Rolando Villazón

25

Wed

Lucy Worsley’s 12 Days of Tudor Christmas

Call the Midwife Holiday Special 2019

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Thu

Inspector Morse: The Last Enemy

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Fri

Washington Week

28

Sat

Capital (Pt 1 of 3)

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Sun

(from 4pm:) Victoria, Series 3 on Masterpiece (Pts 1-6 of 8) (to 11pm)

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Mon

Antiques Roadshow: St. Louis, MO (Hour 1)

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Tue

Live from Lincoln Center: N.Y. Philharmonic: Celebrating Sondheim

8:00

Memory Rescue with Daniel Amen, MD (to 11pm) & Downton Abbey Returns! (to 1am) My Music: Aretha Franklin: Remembered (to 10:30pm) & The Brain Fitness Program (to 12:30am)

Ken Burns: Country Music (to 11:30pm) & Retire Safe & Secure with Ed Slott (to 1am)

The Brain Fitness Program

Il Volo: Ten Years (to 12m) Great Performances: An Intimate Evening with David Foster (to 12m)

My Music: John Sebastian Presents: Folk Rewind (to 11pm) & Hip Hop Nutcracker (to 1am) The Brain Fitness Program (to 11:30pm) Ken Burns: Country Music (to 11:30pm) & Memory Rescue with Daniel Amen, MD (to 1am)

Sesame Street: 50 Years & Still Sunny!

Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir Featuring Kristin Chenoweth

Independent Lens: Attla Frontline: Weinstein

NOVA: Inside Animal Minds: Who’s the Smartest?

The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations (Series 2, Ep 13)

Aurora: Fire in the Sky

The Child in Time on Masterpiece

The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations (Series 2, Ep 14)

8:30

PBS NewsHour airs weeknights at 7 p.m.

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Great Performances: An Intimate Evening with David Foster (to 11:30pm) & Memory Rescue with Daniel Amen, MD (to 1am)

Vicious Special (to 11:30pm)

Inspector Morse: Deceived by Flight (to 11:30pm) Craft in America: Quilts

Craft in America: Identity

Frankie Drake Mysteries, Series 1 (Pt 4 of 11. Healing Hands)

The WETA Movie: Love Story (to 12m)

Antiques Roadshow: St. Louis, MO (Hour 2)

POV: Midnight Traveler (to 11:30pm)

Live from Lincoln Center: N.Y. Philharmonic: Celebrating Sondheim (Encore)

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

Amanpour and Company airs late weeknights (check listings).

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WETA TV 26 & WETA HD December Television Listings

• Programming is the same on WETA TV 26 and WETA HD. • WETA TV 26 is devoted to children’s programming 8 a.m.–3 p.m. weekdays and 6-9 a.m. Sundays. For 24 hours of children’s programming each day, tune in to the WETA PBS Kids channel. See page 13 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 programming may be preempted periodically during the month of December by events not scheduled as of press time for this magazine. Please visit website weta.org/tv for up-to-date WETA Television Listings.

SONY ITALY

WETA Television

6AM MEMORY RESCUE WITH DANIEL AMEN, MD — See the Monday, December 2, 9:30 p.m. listing.

7:30 THE BRAIN FITNESS PROGRAM — See the Friday, December 6, 8:30 p.m. listing.

9AM MY MUSIC: CLASSICAL REWIND — Experience the beauty, romance and power of musical masterpieces in this joyride through the world of classical hits. Martin Goldsmith hosts, with reflections from Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Stewart Copeland of the band The Police, and others. Repeats Mon 12/2, 3pm; Wed 12/11, 4:30pm 10:30 GROWING BOLDER’S LAUNCHPAD TO WHAT’S NEXT — Journalist Marc Middleton hosts a special that explores how to have active, purposeful lives after retirement, offering ways to empower healthy aging. Repeats Sun 12/8, 2pm 12N MY MUSIC: A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS — See the Thursday, December 5, 8 p.m. listing.

2:00 MEMORY RESCUE WITH DANIEL AMEN, MD — See the Monday, December 2, 9:30 p.m. listing.

3:30 MISTER ROGERS: IT’S YOU I LIKE — Michael Keaton hosts a celebration of Fred Rogers’ beloved children’s series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which premiered 50 years ago and became a landmark in children’s television. Repeats tonight; Sat 12/7, 8am 5:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND — Repeats Monday, 7am 5:30 RICK STEVES: FASCISM IN EUROPE — Travel expert Rick Steves explores how fascism rose and fell in Europe, tracing the ideology’s history and visiting sites throughout Europe relating to fascism. Repeats Mon 12/2, 4:30pm; Sat 12/7, 4pm; Tue 12/10, 8pm; Wed 12/11, 3pm 7:00 KEN BURNS: COUNTRY MUSIC — Join host Kathy Mattea to learn more about the making of the epic documentary series, a WETA co-production devoted to the history of this American art form. Features interviews with Rosanne Cash, along with Ken Burns and other members of the filmmaking team. Repeats Thur 12/5, 10pm; Sat 12/7, 11am; Sun 12/8, 3:30pm; Mon 12/9, 3pm; Tue 12/10, 9:30pm; Wed 12/11, 11:30pm

Monday, December 2 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD Il Volo: Ten Years features the vocal trio in concert from Matera, Italy, celebrating their music and memories and performing new arrangements of greatest hits and songs from their new album.

COURTESY AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION

1 Sunday

Tuesday, December 3 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD In Aging Backwards 3, former ballerina Miranda Esmonde-White uses science to develop a six-point plan anyone can use to keep a sharp mind and active body with gentle daily movement.

9:00 DOWNTON ABBEY RETURNS! — Join host Jim Carter (Mr. Carson) for a celebration of the beloved drama series.

This reprised special program features interviews with the cast and creators and video clips. Repeats Mon 12/2, 11pm; Wed 12/4, 3pm; Thur 12/5, 4:30pm; Sat 12/7, 6pm; Mon 12/9, 11:30pm: Thur 12/12, 10pm 11:00 MISTER ROGERS: IT’S YOU I LIKE — R 12:30AM AGING BACKWARDS 3 WITH MIRANDA ESMONDEWHITE — See the Tuesday, December 3, 8 p.m. listing.

2 Monday NEW WEEKDAY DAYTIME LINEUP: 6AM NHK NEWSLINE (Mon-Fri) 6:30 BBC WORLD NEWS (Mon-Fri) 7AM PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND — R 7:30AM WASHINGTON WEEK — (new Monday repeat) R 8AM-3PM WETA KIDS PROGRAMMING (weekdays) 3PM-6PM AFTERNOON PROGRAMMING & REPEATS 6PM BBC WORLD NEWS (weekdays) 6:30 NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT (weekdays) 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — WETA production PBS NewsHour provides in-depth analysis of current events with a news summary, live studio interviews and discussions of domestic and international issues. Judy Woodruff anchors. Visit pbs.org/newshour. Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 IL VOLO: TEN YEARS — Celebrate 10 years of friendship, memories and music with popular international trio Il Volo in concert from Matera, Italy. The vocal artists perform new arrangements of their greatest hits and songs from their new album. Repeats Tue 12/3, 3pm; Fri 12/6, 10:30pm 9:30 MEMORY RESCUE WITH DANIEL AMEN, MD — Psychiatrist, neuroscientist and bestselling author Dr. Daniel Amen offers advice on how to supercharge your memory and remember what matters most to you. Amen identifies brain risk factors and shares his mnemonic to help people remember them. Repeats Tue 12/3, 4:30pm; Wed 12/4, 11:30pm; Sun 12/8, 11am; Tue 12/10, 11:30pm; Thur 12/12, 8pm 11:00 DOWNTON ABBEY RETURNS! — R 1AM AMANPOUR AND COMPANY — Christiane Amanpour leads conversations with global thought leaders on contemporary issues.

6 DECEMBER 2019 • Stream select programs via the free PBS Video App.

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4 Wednesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 SESAME STREET: 50 YEARS & STILL SUNNY! — Join host Gloria Estefan for a 50th anniversary celebration of the iconic children’s series. This new documentary includes celebrity appearances, interviews with puppeteers and video clips of Sesame Street’s most unforgettable moments. Repeats Thur 12/5, 3pm; Sat 12/7, 12:30pm; Sun 12/8, 12:30pm; Fri 12/13, 8:30pm 9:30 GREAT PERFORMANCES: AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH DAVID FOSTER — Enjoy a star-studded concert with celebrated 16-time Grammy Award-winner David Foster as he explores the music of his career with guest artists Loren Allred, Pia Toscano, Fernando Varela, Sheléa, Katharine McPhee and more. Repeats Sat 12/7, 10pm; Mon 12/9, 8pm 11:30 MEMORY RESCUE WITH DANIEL AMEN, MD — R 1AM AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

Thursday, December 5 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD My Music: A Classic Christmas, with Gavin MacLeod and Marion Ross hosting, presents a festive, all-star lineup of favorite carols and popular standards. Performers include Nat King Cole (above).

5 Thursday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 MY MUSIC: A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS — Join hosts Gavin MacLeod (The Love Boat) and Marion Ross (Happy Days) for this festive special of favorite carols and popular standards. Performers include Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, The Carpenters and many other musical artists. Repeats Fri 12/6, 3pm; Sun 12/8, 9am, 7pm; Tue 12/10, 4pm 10:00 KEN BURNS: COUNTRY MUSIC — See the Sunday, December 1, 7 p.m. listing. R 11:30 RETIRE SAFE & SECURE WITH ED SLOTT — What do recent tax code changes mean for you and your family, and how can you protect your hard-earned savings?

Retirement, tax and financial expert Ed Slott, CPA, explores these topics and more in this special. Repeats Mon 12/9, 4:30pm 1AM AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

6 Friday

WETA Television

7AM PBS NEWSHOUR — (Tue-Sat) Repeat of previous night 8AM-3PM WETA KIDS PROGRAMMING (weekdays) 3PM-6PM AFTERNOON PROGRAMMING & REPEATS 6PM BBC WORLD NEWS 6:30 NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 AGING BACKWARDS 3 WITH MIRANDA ESMONDEWHITE — You have a choice in how you age and whether you remain mobile, healthy and pain-free throughout life. Former ballerina Miranda EsmondeWhite presents a practical six-point plan for keeping one’s mind sharp and body active using gentle daily movement. Repeats Fri 12/6, 5pm, midnight; Sun 12/8, 1am; Tue 12/10, 3pm; Thur 12/12, midnight; Fri 12/13, 5pm, 10pm 9:00 MY MUSIC: ARETHA FRANKLIN REMEMBERED — Celebrate the legendary Queen of Soul, the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with her greatest hits from television appearances spanning the 1960s to 2000s. Repeats Wed 12/4, 4:30pm; Sat 12/7, midnight 10:30 THE BRAIN FITNESS PROGRAM — See the Friday, December 6, 8:30 p.m. listing.

12:30AM RICK STEVES’ EUROPE: REMOTE, SACRED, WILD — The travel expert celebrates the wonder of the great outdoors and religious sites in Europe and beyond. The special finds Steves canoeing through Dutch canals, hiking in Northern England’s pristine Lake District, exploring Italy’s Riviera, and marveling at exquisite medieval art in the sister cities of Ravenna and Chartres. In the Muslim and Arab half of the Holy Land, Rick ventures through the Judean Desert, and visits a remote monastery and the Dead Sea. 1AM AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

COURTESY TJL PRODUCTIONS

3 Tuesday

7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 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 12/7, 6am, Mon 12/9, 7:30am 8:30 THE BRAIN FITNESS PROGRAM — Discover the inner workings of the brain and how we can harness the power of its neuroplasticity to make positive changes in our lives, using breakthrough research showing the incredible benefits of brain training with regard to dementia. Repeats Sat 12/7, 9:30am; Sun 12/8, 6am, 5:30pm; Mon 12/9, 10pm 10:30 IL VOLO: TEN YEARS — See the Monday, December 2, 8 p.m. listing. R 12M AGING BACKWARDS 3 WITH MIRANDA ESMONDEWHITE — R 1AM AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

7 Saturday

COURTESY TJL PRODUCTIONS

6AM 6:30 7AM 8AM 9:30 11AM 12:30 2:00

Tuesday, December 3 at 9 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD My Music: Aretha Franklin Remembered celebrates the Queen of Soul, the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with her hits from TV appearances spanning the 1960s-2000s.

WASHINGTON WEEK — (new Saturday repeat) R FIRING LINE WITH MARGARET HOOVER — R PBS NEWSHOUR — R MISTER ROGERS: IT’S YOU I LIKE — R THE BRAIN FITNESS PROGRAM — R KEN BURNS: COUNTRY MUSIC — R SESAME STREET: 50 YEARS & STILL SUNNY! — R GI JEWS: JEWISH AMERICANS IN WORLD WAR II — Discover the story of the Jewish Americans who served in World War II, fighting not only for their country, but for their beliefs and brethren across the world. Interviewees include Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Henry Kissinger.

4:00 RICK STEVES: FASCISM IN EUROPE — R 5:30 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6:00 DOWNTON ABBEY RETURNS! — See the Sunday, December 1, 9 p.m. listing. R

For the most up-to-date schedules and program information, visit weta.org 7

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8:00 MY MUSIC: THE BIG BAND YEARS — Enjoy a “Big Band” retrospective featuring songs by Glenn Miller, the Andrews Sisters, Benny Goodman and many more artists from the 1930s and 1940s. Peter Marshall hosts.

10:00 GREAT PERFORMANCES: AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH DAVID FOSTER — See the Wednesday, December 4, 9:30 p.m. R 12M MY MUSIC: ARETHA FRANKLIN REMEMBERED — R

WETA Television

6AM THE BRAIN FITNESS PROGRAM — R 7:30 3 STEPS TO PAIN-FREE LIVING — Eliminate the root cause of many painful conditions with this easy-to-follow plan from neuromuscular therapist, yoga instructor and pain specialist Lee Albert, who teaches five exercises to correct muscle imbalance. Repeats Wed 12/11, 10pm 9AM MY MUSIC: A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS — R 11AM MEMORY RESCUE WITH DANIEL AMEN, MD — R 12:30 SESAME STREET: 50 YEARS & STILL SUNNY! — R 2:00 GROWING BOLDER’S LAUNCHPAD TO WHAT’S NEXT — R 3:30 KEN BURNS: COUNTRY MUSIC — R 5:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND — Repeats Monday, 7am 5:30 THE BRAIN FITNESS PROGRAM — R 7:00 MY MUSIC: A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS — R 9:00 MY MUSIC: JOHN SEBASTIAN PRESENTS: FOLK REWIND — A music special focuses on the folk singers and songwriters of the classic 1950s and 1960s folk era.

Presented by John Sebastian of The Lovin’ Spoonful, the program features a trove of historical footage and concert performances by artists such as Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, Harry Belafonte, Trini Lopez, Rod McKuen, Bobby Darin, The Kingston Trio and others. Repeats Wed 12/11, 8pm; Thur 12/12, 3pm; Fri 12/13, 11pm 11:00 HIP HOP NUTCRACKER — A reimagining of Tchaikovsky’s classic score set in contemporary New York City features hip hop choreography. Dancers, a DJ, an electric violinist and emcee Kurtis Blow bring the Nutcracker story to life, celebrating love, community and the magic of the holiday season. Repeats Fri 12/13, 3pm 1AM AGING BACKWARDS 3 WITH MIRANDA ESMONDEWHITE — R

9 Monday 6AM NHK NEWSLINE (Mon-Fri) 6:30 BBC WORLD NEWS (Mon-Fri) 7AM PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND — R 7:30AM WASHINGTON WEEK — R 8AM-3PM WETA KIDS PROGRAMMING (weekdays) 3PM-6PM AFTERNOON PROGRAMMING & REPEATS 6PM BBC WORLD NEWS 6:30 NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 GREAT PERFORMANCES: AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH DAVID FOSTER — Enjoy a star-studded concert with celebrated 16-time Grammy Award-winner David Foster as he performs the music of his career with guest artists Loren Allred, Pia Toscano, Fernando Varela, Sheléa, Katharine McPhee and more. R 10:00 THE BRAIN FITNESS PROGRAM — Discover the inner workings of the brain and how we can harness the power of its neuroplasticity to make positive changes in our lives,

COURTESY JOSEPH SINNOTT

8 Sunday

Monday, December 9 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD Great Performances: An Intimate Evening with David Foster presents a star-studded concert with the celebrated 16-time Grammy Awardwinner as he explores the music of his career with guest artists.

using breakthrough research showing the incredible benefits of brain training with regard to dementia. R 11:30 DOWNTON ABBEY RETURNS! — R 1AM AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

10 Tuesday 7AM PBS NEWSHOUR — (Tue-Sat) R 8AM-3PM WETA KIDS PROGRAMMING (weekdays) 3PM-6PM AFTERNOON PROGRAMMING & REPEATS 6PM BBC WORLD NEWS 6:30 NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 RICK STEVES: FASCISM IN EUROPE — Travel expert Rick Steves explores how fascism rose and fell in Europe, tracing the ideology’s history from its roots in the turbulent aftermath of World War I, when masses of angry people rose up, to the rise of charismatic leaders who manipulated that anger, and the totalitarian societies they built. Steves visits sites throughout Europe relating to fascism and talks to eyewitnesses. R 9:30 KEN BURNS: COUNTRY MUSIC — Join host Kathy Mattea to learn more about the making of the epic documentary series, a WETA co-production devoted to the history of this American art form. Features interviews with Rosanne Cash, along with Ken Burns and other members of the filmmaking team. R 11:30 MEMORY RESCUE WITH DANIEL AMEN, MD — R 1AM AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

11 Wednesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 MY MUSIC: JOHN SEBASTIAN PRESENTS: FOLK REWIND — See the Sunday, December 8, 9 p.m. listing. R 10:00 3 STEPS TO PAIN-FREE LIVING — Eliminate the root cause of many painful conditions with this easy-to-follow plan from neuromuscular therapist, yoga instructor and pain specialist Lee Albert, who teaches five exercises to correct muscle imbalance. R 11:30 KEN BURNS: COUNTRY MUSIC — R 1AM AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

12 Thursday

COURTESY RICK STEVES

7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 MEMORY RESCUE WITH DANIEL AMEN, MD — Psychiatrist, neuroscientist and bestselling author Dr. Daniel Amen offers advice on how to supercharge your memory and remember what matters most to you. Amen identifies brain risk factors and shares his mnemonic to help people remember them. R 10:00 DOWNTON ABBEY RETURNS! — R 12M AGING BACKWARDS 3 WITH MIRANDA ESMONDEWHITE — R 1AM AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

Tuesday, December 10 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD Rick Steves: Fascism in Europe features the travel expert tracing the ideology’s history on the Continent to explore the hard lessons of the 20th century and to recognize fascism in this century.

13 Friday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 WASHINGTON WEEK — In WETA’s long-running weekly production, join moderator Robert Costa for a robust roundtable discussion with award-winning journalists

8 DECEMBER 2019 • Stream select programs via the free PBS Video App.

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10:00 11:00 1AM

SCOTT HENRICHSEN PHOTOGRAPHY

8:30

who provide reporting and analysis of the major news stories emanating from the nation’s capital. Visit pbs.org/washingtonweek. Repeats Sat 12/14, 6am; Mon 12/16, 7:30am SESAME STREET: 50 YEARS & STILL SUNNY! — Join host Gloria Estefan for a 50th anniversary celebration of the iconic children’s series. This new documentary includes celebrity appearances, interviews with puppeteers and video clips of Sesame Street’s most unforgettable moments. R AGING BACKWARDS 3 WITH MIRANDA ESMONDEWHITE — R MY MUSIC: JOHN SEBASTIAN PRESENTS: FOLK REWIND — R AMANPOUR AND COMPANY — Repeats Monday, 5pm

PBS NEWSHOUR & POLITICO DEMOCRATIC DEBATE

14 Saturday 6AM WASHINGTON WEEK — R 6:30 FIRING LINE WITH MARGARET HOOVER — R 7AM PBS NEWSHOUR — (Tue-Sat) R 8AM-5:30PM WETA VIEWER FAVORITES 5:30 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6PM-6AM WETA VIEWER FAVORITES

15 Sunday

A WETA CO-PRODUCTION Thursday, December 19 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD PBS NewsHour & Politico Democratic Debate features a presidential primary debate live from Loyola Marymount University in L.A., with moderators to be announced. Above: PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff.

17 Tuesday

6AM-5:30PM WETA VIEWER FAVORITES 5:30 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND — Repeats Monday, 7am 6PM-5AM WETA VIEWER FAVORITES

6AM NHK NEWSLINE (Mon-Fri) 6:30 BBC WORLD NEWS (Mon-Fri) 7AM PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND — R 7:30 WASHINGTON WEEK — R 8AM-3PM WETA KIDS PROGRAMMING (weekdays) 3PM-6PM AFTERNOON PROGRAMMING & REPEATS 6PM BBC WORLD NEWS 6:30 NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: NEW ORLEANS, LA — Hour 3.

Featured are a Jamie Wyeth “Andy Warhol” portrait, a Chinese wine vessel, ca. 1795 and a Smith & Son pocket watch. Repeats Tue 12/17, 3pm 9:00 CHRISTMAS WITH THE TABERNACLE CHOIR FEATURING KRISTIN CHENOWETH — The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square are joined by Kristin Chenoweth, Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and singer, for a traditional Christmas performance featuring favorite holiday music, dancing and storytelling. Repeats Wed 12/18, 3pm; Fri 12/20, 10pm; Sat 12/21, 2am; Tue 12/24, 9pm; Wed 12/25, 5pm 10:00 INDEPENDENT LENS: ATTLA — Discover the inspiring true story of Alaska Native dogsled champion George Attla, who, with one good leg and fierce determination, rose to international fame. His racing prowess and ability to identify and train exceptional dogs made him a legend.

11:00 AMANPOUR AND COMPANY — Repeats tomorrow, 5pm

WETA Television

16 Monday

7AM PBS NEWSHOUR — (Tue-Sat) R 8AM-3PM WETA KIDS PROGRAMMING (weekdays) 3PM-6PM AFTERNOON PROGRAMMING & REPEATS 6PM BBC WORLD NEWS 6:30 NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 THE ORNAMENT OF THE WORLD — Filmed in Cordoba, Granada, Seville and Toledo, this is the story of a remarkable 800-year period when Muslims, Christians and Jews in medieval Spain forged a common cultural identity that often transcended their religious differences. Repeats Fri 12/20, 3pm 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. With allegations going back to Weinstein’s early years, the film examines the elaborate ways he and those around him tried to silence his accusers.

11:00 AMANPOUR AND COMPANY — Repeats tomorrow, 5pm

18 Wednesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 NATURE: SNOWBOUND: ANIMALS OF WINTER — Travel across the snow globe with wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan to meet animal survivors of winter, from the penguins of Antarctica to the Arctic fox and the bison of Yellowstone. Snow looks magical, but it’s a harsh reality to these animals. Repeats Thur 12/19, 3pm 9:00 NOVA: INSIDE ANIMALS MINDS: WHO’S THE SMARTEST? — What makes an animal smart? Many scientists believe the secret lies in relationships. Could the skills required to keep track of friend and foe make animals smarter? To find out, go inside the social lives of the smartest animals on the planet. Repeats Thur 12/19, 4pm 10:00 AURORA: FIRE IN THE SKY — A program examines legends about the origins and meaning of the aurora, the colorful glow that often brightens the night sky in Earth’s polar regions, investigating the myths of Finland’s Saami, Alaska’s Inuit, Canada’s Native Americans and New Zealand’s Maori. Repeats Sun 12/22, 2pm 11:00 AMANPOUR AND COMPANY — Repeats tomorrow, 5pm

COURTESY WGBH

19 Thursday

Monday, December 16 at 9 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir Featuring Kristin Chenoweth features the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square joined by the award-winning actress and singer for a traditional Christmas performance with holiday music, dancing and storytelling.

7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 PBS NEWSHOUR & POLITICO DEMOCRATIC DEBATE — WETA newscast PBS NewsHour and Politico co-host a Democratic primary debate in Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University, spotlighting presidential candidates’ positions on current issues. See page 1.

10:00 WASHINGTON IN THE 2000S — A WETA TV 26 production, the most recent installment of the WETA “decades” series, revisits the major events, people and developments of the new millennium in the national capital

For the most up-to-date schedules and program information, visit weta.org 9

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WETA Television

area. From the 9/11 terrorist attack and the D.C. sniper to the return of Major League Baseball and a baby panda’s birth, the region experienced great lows and highs. Washington also experienced a wave of investment and growth, and became a foodie scene. Weaving together stories of local politics, sports and culture, the film spotlights a city reshaped by the times. Donnie Simpson narrates.

11:00 AMANPOUR AND COMPANY — Repeats tomorrow, 5pm

20 Friday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 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 12/21, 6am, 6:30pm; Mon 12/23, 7:30am 8:30 THE DAVID RUBENSTEIN SHOW: PEER-TO-PEER CONVERSATIONS, SERIES 2 — The renowned Washington, D.C.-based financier and philanthropist explores successful leadership through interviews with influential people in prominent fields of endeavor. Episode 13.

Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin CEO. Repeats Sun 12/22, 6:30pm 9:00 LIDIA CELEBRATES AMERICA: THE RETURN OF THE ARTISANS — Join Emmy and James Beard Awardwinning chef Lidia Bastianich as she travels America to meet people mastering the art of meat curing, coopering, jam-making, cider-making and more and to find out what inspires and motivates them. Repeats Sat 12/21, 1am; Sun 12/22, 7pm; Wed 12/25, 9am 10:00 CHRISTMAS WITH THE TABERNACLE CHOIR FEATURING KRISTIN CHENOWETH — R 11:00 AMANPOUR AND COMPANY — Repeats Monday, 5pm

21 Saturday 6AM 6:30 7AM 8AM 8:30 9AM 9:30 10AM 11AM 11:30 12N 12:30 1:00 1:30 2:00 2:30 3:00 3:30 4:00 4:30 5:00 5:30 6:00

WASHINGTON WEEK — R FIRING LINE WITH MARGARET HOOVER — R PBS NEWSHOUR — (Tue-Sat) R JOANNE WEIR GETS FRESH RICK STEVES’ EUROPE JOSEPH ROSENDO’S TRAVELSCOPE BARE FEET IN NYC WITH MICKELA MALLOZZI THE THIS OLD HOUSE HOUR A CHEF’S LIFE JACQUES PÉPIN: HEART & SOUL YAN CAN COOK: SPICE KINGDOM CHRISTOPHER KIMBALL’S MILK STREET TELEVISION NICK STELLINO: STORYTELLER LIDIA’S KITCHEN IN JULIA’S KITCHEN WITH MASTER CHEFS SARA’S WEEKNIGHT MEALS MARTHA STEWART’S COOKING SCHOOL MARTHA BAKES COOK’S COUNTRY FROM AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN FROM COOK’S ILLUSTRATED PATI’S MEXICAN TABLE SAMANTHA BROWN’S PLACES TO LOVE PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND

22 Sunday 6AM-9AM WETA KIDS — Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood/Dinosaur Train/Sesame Street/Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood/Pinkalicious & Peterrific/Molly of Denali 9AM WHITE HOUSE CHRONICLE 9:30 TO THE CONTRARY WITH BONNIE ERBE 10AM THIS IS AMERICA AND THE WORLD WITH DENNIS WHOLEY 10:30 THE OPEN MIND 11AM FIRING LINE WITH MARGARET HOOVER 11:30 THE WETA MOVIE: A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT — (2:03) R 1:33 BBC ANTIQUES ROADSHOW 2:00 AURORA: FIRE IN THE SKY — R 3:00 IN THEIR OWN WORDS: QUEEN ELIZABETH II — Enjoy profiles of notable figures, using their most memorable quotes to frame their stories. Episode 1 of 3. Follow Queen Elizabeth II’s remarkable life, from her youth to her uncle’s abdication, her father’s coronation as King George VI, her experience during World War II, her sudden ascension to the throne and her eventful reign of more than 60 years.

4:00 IN THEIR OWN WORDS: MUHAMMAD ALI — Episode 2 of 3. Follow Muhammad Ali’s path from a gym in Louisville to boxing successes, conversion to Islam, opposition to the Draft, exile from the ring, comeback fights, Parkinson’s disease and his inspirational reemergence at the Atlanta Olympics.

5:00 IN THEIR OWN WORDS: JIM HENSON — Episode 3 of 3.

Follow Jim Henson’s career, from his early television work with the Muppets in the 1950s to his commercial

COURTESY GROBERG FILMS

COURTESY AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION

Saturdays, December 21 & 28 at 9 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD Frankie Drake Mysteries stars Lauren Lee Smith and Chantel Riley (right, portraying Trudy Clarke) as detectives in 1920s Toronto.

6:30 WASHINGTON WEEK — R 7:00 GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW, SERIES 4 — Part 10 of 10.

8:00 LONDON: 2000 YEARS OF HISTORY — Follow the story of the evolution of one of the largest and most famous cities in the world. Presenters Dan Jones (Secrets of Great British Castles), Dr. Suzannah Lipscomb (Elizabeth I), and Rob Bell (Great British Royal Ships) explore the history of England’s capital. Episode 4 of 4.

9:00 FRANKIE DRAKE MYSTERIES — Lauren Lee Smith and Chantel Riley star as private detectives in 1920s Toronto. Episode 3 of 11. Summer in the City. When a body is found in a young man’s trunk, the case brings the ladies to the city’s upper crust.

10:00 THE WETA MOVIE: A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT — In Robert Redford’s 1992 drama, two Montana boys become different men (Craig Sheffer, Brad Pitt), one reserved, one rebellious, under the influence of flyfishing and their minister father (Tom Skerritt).

(2:03) Repeats Sun 12/22, 11:30am 12:03AM A CHEF’S LIFE HOLIDAY SPECIAL — Join Vivian Howard as she serves up the best of her Southern cooking heritage and the Chanukah traditions of her husband Ben. From humble Hoppin’ John to elegant red velvet cake, sample a charming and delicious holiday celebration. Repeats Wed 12/25, 8am 1AM LIDIA CELEBRATES AMERICA: THE RETURN OF THE ARTISANS — R 2AM CHRISTMAS WITH THE TABERNACLE CHOIR FEATURING KRISTIN CHENOWETH — R

HANDEL'S MESSIAH A WETA PRESENTATION Sunday, December 22 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD Docudrama Handel’s Messiah, a film by Lee Groberg, chronicles the life of composer George Frideric Handel, exploring his path to success and the creation of his magnum opus, the oratorio Messiah.

10 DECEMBER 2019 • Stream select programs via the free PBS Video App.

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7:00 8:00

9:30

11:00

6AM NHK NEWSLINE (Mon-Fri) 6:30 BBC WORLD NEWS (Mon-Fri) 7AM PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND — R 7:30 WASHINGTON WEEK — R 8AM-3PM WETA KIDS PROGRAMMING (weekdays) 3PM-6PM AFTERNOON PROGRAMMING & REPEATS 6PM BBC WORLD NEWS 6:30 NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: MANSION MASTERPIECES — History meets fantasy with treasures fit for a period costume drama, plus a $500,000-$700,000 find.

9:00 CHRISTMAS AT BELMONT 2019 — The special features Belmont University students in performance along with Michael W. Smith, CeCe Winans and the Nashville Children’s Choir. Taped in Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the show includes holiday songs and festive tunes. Repeats Wed 12/25, 4pm 10:00 INDEPENDENT LENS: SUPERGIRL — Meet Naomi, a seemingly ordinary Orthodox Jewish preteen from New Jersey whose extraordinary talent — breaking world powerlifting records — turns her into an international phenomenon in this unique coming-of-age story.

11:30 AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

Thursday, December 26 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD WETA presents a double feature of mystery series Inspector Morse, starring John Thaw in his iconic role as the Oxford detective.

The cases probe the deaths of a professor and a cricket player.

24 Tuesday 7AM PBS NEWSHOUR — (Tue-Sat) R 8AM-6PM DICKENSIAN — TV 26 features a ten-part BBC period drama series, airing in back-to-back episodes, that presents a reinvention of Charles Dickens’ timeless novels — featuring romance, scandal and intrigue — with the author’s most iconic characters living side by side in the same neighborhood in Victorian London as Inspector Bucket investigates the murder of Ebenezer Scrooge’s partner Jacob Marley. The stellar cast includes Stephen Rea, Pauline Collins, Caroline Quentin, Peter Firth and Anton Lesser. Creator and co-writer of the series is Tony Jordan (Life on Mars and Hustle).

6PM BBC WORLD NEWS 6:30 NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 CHRISTMAS WITH THE TABERNACLE CHOIR FEATURING SUTTON FOSTER AND HUGH BONNEVILLE — Join Tony Award-winning actress Sutton Foster and Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville, guest musical artist and narrator for a 2018 Christmas celebration with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

9:00 CHRISTMAS WITH THE TABERNACLE CHOIR FEATURING KRISTIN CHENOWETH — This year, the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square are joined by Kristin Chenoweth, Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and singer, for the annual Christmas performance featuring favorite holiday music, dancing and storytelling. R 10:00 CHRISTMAS WITH THE TABERNACLE CHOIR FEATURING ROLANDO VILLAZÓN — The 2017 season’s crosscultural spectacular features the world’s leading tenor, Rolando Villazón, performing seasonal favorites with the renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

11:00 AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

WETA Television

23 Monday

ITV

6:00 6:30

work and network appearances, his breakthrough with Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, his fantasy films and his sudden death in 1990.

PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND — Repeats Monday, 7am THE DAVID RUBENSTEIN SHOW: PEER-TO-PEER CONVERSATIONS — Episode 13. Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin CEO. R LIDIA CELEBRATES AMERICA: THE RETURN OF THE ARTISANS — R HANDEL’S MESSIAH — A docudrama by filmmaker Lee Groberg (Joseph Smith: American Prophet; First Freedom: The Fight for Religious Liberty), and narrated by Jane Seymour, tells the story of prodigious musical genius George Frideric Handel; how he was discovered in Halle, Germany at age nine, his meteoric rise to celebrity composer at age 18, and the turning point that came in his career with the debut of his great oratorio, Messiah, in Dublin, Ireland in 1742. Rpts Mon 12/23, 3pm THE CHILD IN TIME ON MASTERPIECE — A moment of distraction triggers a crisis in the lives of a happy, successful British couple in Ian McEwan’s haunting tale of a lost child and redeemed love, starring Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire).

AMERICA REFRAMED: SAVING BRINTON — History teacher Mike Zahs uncovers a trove of 19th-century showreels of one of America’s first motion picture impresarios, William Franklin Brinton. Zahs sets out to restore these showreels and present them to today’s audiences. In this portrait of an unlikely Midwestern folk hero, the documentary offers a meditation on the legacy of illusionist Frank Brinton, and the magic of living history.

COURTESY NEAL STREET PRODUCTIONS

25 Wednesday

Wednesday, December 25 at 9 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD Call the Midwife Holiday Special 2019 follows Mother Mildred and the Nonnatus House midwives as they respond to a nursing shortage, visiting Scotland's Outer Hebrides and aiding the locals.

7AM PBS NEWSHOUR — R 8AM A CHEF’S LIFE HOLIDAY SPECIAL — R 9AM LIDIA CELEBRATES AMERICA: THE RETURN OF THE ARTISANS — R 10AM CHRISTMAS AT ST. OLAF: RIS’N WITH HEALING IN HIS WINGS 11AM A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS WITH THE BACH FESTIVAL SOCIETY 12N WHEATON COLLEGE CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL: MESSIAH, PRINCE OF PEACE 1:00 CHRISTMAS AT CONCORDIA: GATHER US IN, O CHILD OF PEACE 2:00 A ST. THOMAS CHRISTMAS: COMFORT & JOY 3:00 HOLIDAY HANDBELLS: THE RALEIGH RINGERS 4:00 CHRISTMAS AT BELMONT 2019 — R 5:00 CHRISTMAS WITH THE TABERNACLE CHOIR FEATURING KRISTIN CHENOWETH — R 6PM BBC WORLD NEWS (weekdays)

For the most up-to-date schedules and program information, visit weta.org 11

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furniture maker Wendy Maruyama and sculptor Cristina Córdova. Repeats Sat 12/28, 1am; Sun 12/29, 3pm 11:00 AMANPOUR AND COMPANY — Repeats Monday, 5pm

WETA Television

Saturday, December 28 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD Capital, a three-part drama starring Toby Jones (above) among an ensemble cast, follows the gentrification of a London neighborhood and its impact on one street’s residents, who come from different social classes and each experience the changes in varying ways.

6:30 NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT (weekdays) 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 LUCY WORSLEY’S 12 DAYS OF TUDOR CHRISTMAS — Join English historian Lucy Worsley on a 12-day extravaganza as she discovers that much of what we enjoy in contemporary Christmas — from carols to turkey, giftgiving to mistletoe and mulled wine — has surprising Tudor origins, rooted in devotion and charity.

9:00 CALL THE MIDWIFE HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2019 — In the midwifery drama’s annual holiday special this year, Mother Mildred and the Nonnatus House team travel to the Outer Hebrides in response to a nursing shortage.

Navigating the new terrain, they strive to keep up with the needs of the locals. Repeats Thur 12/26, 3:30pm 10:30 VICIOUS SPECIAL — A special episode of the drama charts a year in the life of Freddie (Ian McKellen) and Stuart (Derek Jacobi) as they enjoy their inheritance and a birthday. Violet (Frances de la Tour) moves on from her divorce and Ash (Iwan Rheon) arrives with news.

11:30 AMANPOUR AND COMPANY — Repeats tomorrow, 5pm

26 Thursday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 INSPECTOR MORSE: THE LAST ENEMY — Morse (John Thaw) goes to Oxford University to unravel the mystery of a missing college professor and a mutilated corpse floating in a nearby canal. Repeats Fri 12/27, 3pm 9:30 INSPECTOR MORSE: DECEIVED BY FLIGHT — Morse (John Thaw) and Sgt. Lewis (Kevin Whately) investigate the apparent suicide of an old acquaintance of Morse, who happens to be a member of the Clarets XI cricket team. Lewis is sent in to work undercover, but before the case is solved, a second tragedy unfolds and Lewis himself is attacked. Repeats Mon 12/30, 3pm 11:30 AMANPOUR AND COMPANY — Repeats tomorrow, 5pm

27 Friday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 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 12/28, 6am, 6:30pm; Mon 12/30, 7:30am 8:30 THE DAVID RUBENSTEIN SHOW: PEER-TO-PEER CONVERSATIONS, SERIES 2 — Ep. 14. Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State. Repeats Sun 12/29, 6:30pm 9:00 CRAFT IN AMERICA: QUILTS — Learn about contemporary quilters as we celebrate the role quilts have played in our country’s story. Featured are Susan Hudson, Victoria Findlay Wolfe, Michael A. Cummings, Judith Content, the International Quilt Museum and special guest Ken Burns. Repeats Sat 12/28, midnight; Sun 12/29, 2pm; Tue 12/31, 3pm 10:00 CRAFT IN AMERICA: IDENTITY — Artists explore issues of gender, race, culture and place, offering true expressions of their experiences in this world. Featured are potter Diego Romero, photographer Cara Romero,

6AM-6PM See the Saturday, December 21 listings.

6:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6:30 WASHINGTON WEEK — R 7:00 GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW, SERIES 5 — Part 1 of 10.

8:00 CAPITAL — Part 1 of 3. Set on a street in South London, a drama spotlights a neighborhood transformed by soaring property prices and gentrification. The fictional residents come from different social classes and experience the changes in varying ways as they receive anonymous postcards saying “We want what you have,” but they all interconnect. The cast includes Toby Jones, Gemma Jones and Rachael Stirling.

9:00 FRANKIE DRAKE MYSTERIES — Lauren Lee Smith and Chantel Riley star as private detectives in 1920s Toronto. Episode 4 of 11. Healing Hands. Protecting a faith-healer unexpectedly takes the ladies into Toronto’s fledgling jazz scene.

10:00 THE WETA MOVIE: LOVE STORY — In Arthur Hiller’s 1970 romance-drama, an old-money Harvard man (Ryan O’Neal) woos and weds a no-money music student (Ali MacGraw) from the wrong side of the tracks, and tragedy strikes. Ray Milland co-stars. (2:00) Repeats Sun 12/29, 11:30am 12M CRAFT IN AMERICA: QUILTS — R 1AM CRAFT IN AMERICA: IDENTITY — R (60 min.)

29 Sunday 6AM-11:30AM See the Sunday, December 22 listings.

11:30 THE WETA MOVIE: LOVE STORY — (2:00) R 1:30 BBC ANTIQUES ROADSHOW 2:00 CRAFT IN AMERICA: QUILTS — R 3:00 CRAFT IN AMERICA: IDENTITY — R 4PM-6PM VICTORIA, SERIES 3 ON MASTERPIECE — WETA reprises Series 3 of the drama. As the storyline opens, it is 1848, and revolution is breaking out across Europe. In Britain, one woman stands between order and chaos: Queen Victoria. Jenna Coleman stars as the young monarch, and Tom Hughes portrays Prince Albert. Parts 1-2 of 8 (Series resumes at 7pm): Part 1.

Revolution sweeps across Europe and pressure builds on Victoria with new arrivals at the Palace. Part 2. Victoria must decide whether to fight the Chartists with force or allow them to present their petition.

6:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND — Repeats Monday, 7am 6:30 THE DAVID RUBENSTEIN SHOW: PEER-TO-PEER CONVERSATIONS, SERIES 2 — Episode 14. Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State. R 7PM-11PM VICTORIA, SERIES 3 ON MASTERPIECE — Parts 3-6 of 8: Part 3. At Osborne House, Albert relishes the opportunity to spend time with the family away from London, but Victoria is desperate to get back to the Palace and the business of politics. Part 4. When Albert leaves the Palace for Cambridge, Victoria faces the impact of a cholera epidemic on the streets of London. Part 5. After an assassination attempt, the Royal household visits Ireland. Intrigue, conflict and romance all blossom during

COURTESY ITV PLC FOR MASTERPIECE

COURTESY AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION

28 Saturday

Sunday, December 29, 4-6 p.m. & 7-11 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD WETA reprises Victoria, Series 3 on Masterpiece, with Jenna Coleman portraying Britain’s famed queen. The Series 3 storyline is set in 1848, when revolution threatened chaos throughout Europe.

12 DECEMBER 2019 • Stream select programs via the free PBS Video App.

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26.3 OTA Cox 801 Comcast 266 FiOS 472 RCN 38

COURTESY DENISE KANG

The WETA PBS Kids channel offers a safe haven for young viewers, presenting educational programming 24 hours each day, seven days a week.

WETA PBS KIDS ON WEEKDAYS Friday, December 27 at 9 & 10 p.m. on WETA TV 26/HD Craft in America explores the vitality, history and significance of the craft movement in the U.S., featuring episodes spotlighting quilters (9 p.m.) and artists exploring issues of gender, race and culture (10 p.m.), including sculptor Cristina Córdova, above.

a stay at the Palmerston estate. Part 6. A Georgian ball at the Palace could not come at a worse time as private pictures of the royal family are made public.

11:00 AUSTIN CITY LIMITS: AUSTIN CITY LIMITS 6TH ANNUAL HALL OF FAME HONORS — Celebrate the 2019 Austin City Limits Hall of Fame with host Robert Earl Keen as Shawn Colvin, Buddy Guy and Lyle Lovett are inducted.

Guest performers include Jackson Browne, Bruce Hornsby, Shemekia Copeland, Jimmie Vaughan, Sarah Jarosz and more.

30 Monday 6AM NHK NEWSLINE (Mon-Fri) 6:30 BBC WORLD NEWS (Mon-Fri) 7AM PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND— R 7:30 WASHINGTON WEEK — R 8AM-3PM WETA KIDS PROGRAMMING (weekdays) 3PM-6PM AFTERNOON PROGRAMMING & REPEATS 6PM BBC WORLD NEWS 6:30 BBC NEWS AMERICA 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: ST. LOUIS, MO — Hour 1. Finds include a 1901 “Longest Bearded Man” banner, a Chaucer book from 1602 and a15th-century Bodhisattva bronze.

9:00 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: ST. LOUIS, MO — Hour 2. Featured are a Rookwood Shirayamadani vase, an Elijah Pierce preaching stick and an Ozark Airlines poster.

10:00 POV: MIDNIGHT TRAVELER — When the Taliban puts a bounty on Afghan director Hassan Fazili’s head, he is forced to flee with his wife and two young daughters.

Fazili shows firsthand the dangers facing refugees seeking asylum and the love shared between a family on the run.

11:30 AMANPOUR AND COMPANY — Repeats tomorrow, 5pm

WETA PBS KIDS AIRINGS IN BLACK; WETA TV 26 IN BLUE • Cyberchase, 6am, 6:30am (5:30am) • Arthur, 7am • Odd Squad, 7:30am Visit weta.org/kids • Ready Jet Go!, 8am for full listings of • Peg + Cat, 8:30am children’s programs • Clifford the Big Red Dog, 9am on WETA PBS Kids • Pinkalicious & Peterrific, 9:30am & WETA TV 26.

• Sesame Street, 10am • Super WHY!, 10:30am (5am) • WordWorld, 11am • Splash and Bubbles, 11:30am (1:30pm) • Sid the Science Kid, 12n • Caillou, 12:30pm • Peep and the Big Wide World, 1pm • Martha Speaks, 1:30pm • Sesame Street, 2pm (11am, 1pm) • Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, 2:30pm, 3pm (10am, 10:30am) • Pinkalicious & Peterrific, 3:30pm (11:30am, 2pm) • The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, 4pm (12:30pm) • Dinosaur Train, 4:30pm (noon) • Let’s Go Luna!, 5pm (9:30am, 2:30pm) • Nature Cat, 5:30pm • Wild Kratts, 6pm, 6:30pm (8am) • Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum, 7pm (9am) • Molly of Denali, 7:30pm (8:30am) • Odd Squad, 8pm As of December 1, children's • Arthur, 8:30pm programming airs 8 a.m.-3 p.m., • Ready Jet Go!, 9pm • WordGirl, 9:30pm weekdays on WETA TV 26.

• Sesame Street, 10pm • Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, 10:30pm, 11pm • Pinkalicious & Peterrific, 11:30pm "Family Night" Kids programming airs Fridays, 7-10pm

7AM PBS NEWSHOUR — (Tue-Sat) R 8AM-3PM WETA KIDS PROGRAMMING (weekdays) 3PM-6PM AFTERNOON PROGRAMMING & REPEATS 6PM BBC WORLD NEWS 6:30 BBC NEWS AMERICA 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR — Repeats tomorrow, 7am 8:00 LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER: N.Y. PHILHARMONIC: CELEBRATING SONDHEIM — Ring in the New Year with the New York Philharmonic performing Stephen Sondheim’s most beloved works. The orchestra and guest vocalist Katrina Lenk, a Tony Award winner, perform suites from “Sunday in the Park,” “Into the Woods,” “Sweeney Todd,” and more. Repeats tonight 9:30 LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER: N.Y. PHILHARMONIC: CELEBRATING SONDHEIM — R 11:00 AMANPOUR AND COMPANY

©SPIFFY ENTERTAINMENT, LLC

31 Tuesday

A new one-hour special, Nature Cat: A Nature Carol, airs on the WETA Kids channel this month; for airtimes, visit weta.org/kids.

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. ©2019 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 32, Number 12. 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

For the most up-to-date schedules and program information, visit weta.org 13

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

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.

DECEMBER SUNDAY

12pm

Love, Lies & Records

12:30pm

1pm

Shakespeare & Hathaway, Series 1

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Wed., December 25: Call the Midwife Holiday Specials 2015-2019; 12:30pm8pm (90 min. each)

WEDNESDAY

P.M. PROGRAMMING ON WETA UK THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Are You Being Served?

Are You Being Served?

Are You Being Served? (ex. 12/25)

Are You Being Served?

Are You Being Served?

Doctor Blake Mysteries, Series 5

As Time Goes By

As Time Goes By

As Time Goes By (except 12/25)

As Time Goes By

As Time Goes By

New Tricks

New Tricks

New Tricks (except 12/25)

New Tricks

New Tricks

Love, Lies and Records

MI-5

MI-5 (except 12/25)

MI-5

MI-5

Father Brown, Series 6 & 7)

Waking the Dead

• Wonderful World of Gordon Watson • Doc Martin, Series 8 (12/28)

1:30pm

2pm

Midsomer Murders, MI-5 Series 14 (Series 15 starts 12/29)

2:30pm

3pm

Shetland, Series 4 (Series 5 starts 12/15)

Waking the Dead

Waking the Dead

Waking the Dead (except 12/25)

Waking the Dead

Frankie Drake Mysteries

• Joanna Lumley’s India • Great Indian Railway Journeys (starts 12/16)

Shetland, Series 4 & 5 (except 12/25)

Midsomer Murders, Frankie Drake Series 14 & 15 Mysteries

Agatha Raisin

• Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, Series 4 • London: 2000 Years of History (starts 12/15)

• Super Skyscrapers • Magical Land of Oz (starts 12/9) • Meet the Lords (12/30)

• Miss Marple, 4pm (10am-7pm on 12/24) • Wonderful World of Gordon Watson, 5:30pm (except 12/24); 4-5:30pm on 12/31 • Pie in the Sky, Series 2, 6pm (except 12/24)

Father Brown, Series 6 & 7 (except 12/25)

Agatha Raisin

EastEnders

Pie in the Sky, Series 2

• Madagascar (12/1) • Joanna Lumley’s India • Great Indian Railway Journeys (starts 12/22)

Shakespeare & Hathaway, Series 1

Poldark, Series 4 on Masterpiece (except 12/25)

Doc Martin, Series 8

• Super Skyscrapers • Magic Land of Oz (starts 12/13)

Death in Paradise, Series 7

• Super Skyscrapers • Magical Land of Oz (starts 12/15)

Are You Being Served?

Are You Being Served?

Are You Being Served?

Are You Being Served?

Are You Being Served?

As Time Goes By

As Time Goes By

As Time Goes By

As Time Goes By

As Time Goes By

Shetland, Series 4 (Series 5 starts 12/14)

• Joanna Lumley’s India • Great Indian Railway Journeys (starts 12/15)

Pie in the Sky, Series 2

Doctor Blake Mysteries, Series 5 (two-hour film on 12/31)

Midsomer Murders, Father Brown, Series 14 (Series 15 Series 6 (Series 7 starts 12/12) starts 12/25)

• Press on Masterpiece • Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doors (12/27)

Shakespeare & Hathaway, Series 1

• Super Skyscrapers • Magical Land of Oz (starts 12/8) • Meet the Lords (starts 12/29)

Shetland, Series 4 (Series 5 starts 12/9)

Love, Lies and Records (except 12/31)

Doc Martin, Series 8

• Jonathan Creek, Series 5 • Hinterland, Series 2 (starts 12/12)

Poldark, Series 4 on Masterpiece

Vera, Series 8

Atlantis, Series 1

Silent Witness, Series 19

Agatha Raisin

Death in Paradise, Series 7

Frankie Drake • Murder in Suburbia, Series 2 Mysteries • DCI Banks, Series 1 (90 min) (starts 12/19)

3:30pm

4pm 4:30pm

5pm 5:30pm

6pm 6:30pm

7pm 7:30pm

8pm 8:30pm

9pm 9:30pm

10pm 10:30pm

11pm

Shakespeare & Hathaway, Series 1

11:30pm

BBC World News

BBC World News

BBC World News

BBC World News (11:30 on 12/19, 12/26)

Father Brown, Series 6 & 7

Pie in the Sky, Series 2

Doctor Blake Mysteries, Series 5

Midsomer Murders, Father Brown, Series 14 & 15 Series 6 & 7

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

BBC World News

FRIDAY

• Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, Series 4 • London: 2000 Years of History (starts 12/14)

Press on Masterpiece

SATURDAY

VISIT WETAUK.ORG FOR A PRINTABLE FULL-DAY SCHEDULE.

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COURTESY AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION

WETA UK Highlights

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Great Indian Railway Journeys

Sundays, December 15, 22 & 29 at 8 p.m. on WETA UK

I

n a four-part series, British journalist, broadcaster and former politician Michael Portillo (Great American Railroad Journeys) sets off to visit the majestic mountains and ornate palaces of India, with guidebook “Bradshaw’s 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel” in hand. Episode 1 travels from Amritsar to Shimla; Episode 2 trains from Rajasthan’s Jodhpur to Delhi, including the Jaipur-Agra-Delhi triangle; Episode 3 goes from Mysuru (Mysore) to Chennai (formerly Madras); and Episode 4 journeys from Lucknow to Kolkata.

Vera, Series 8

Saturdays at 9 p.m. starting December 7 on WETA UK

Shetland, Series 5

Mondays at 9 p.m. starting December 9 on WETA UK

ITV/BBC

D

ouglas Henshall (left) returns in his BAFTA-winning role as Shetland Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez in the acclaimed crime drama based on the novels of Ann Cleeves and set in the Scottish archipelago. In Series 5, Perez and his team — including DS Alison “Tosh” Macintosh (Alison O’Donnell) and DC Sandy Wilson (Steven Robertson) — must investigate discoveries of body parts washing ashore on a Shetland beach, their connection to a modern slave-trafficking ring, related crimes and tragedies in the local community, and the disappearance of an identified Nigerian victim’s sister that sparks a missing-persons search. The narrative arc of the story unfolds through the series’ six episodes.

Magical Land of Oz

Sundays, December 8, 15 & 22 at 9 p.m. on WETA UK

COURTESY NEAL STREET PRODUCTIONS

dazzling three-part nature series spotlights fauna of Australia as cameras capture diverse animals and their behavior in the continent’s highest snowy peaks, frigid southern seas and suburban backyards. Episode 1, Land, travels from wintery mountains to tropical Queensland, discovering how animals have learned to thrive across the continent’s harsh and beautiful extremes. Episode 2, Ocean, visits South Australia to spotlight coastal denizens, including sea lions, giant cuttlefish, humpback whales, Australian spider crabs, stingrays, petrels and more. Episode 3, Human, explores humankind’s impact on the continent’s wildlife, documenting species thriving or struggling.

T

COURTESY NORTHERN PICTURES

A

ITV

eaturing BAFTA- and Golden Globe Award-winning actress Brenda Blethyn, the crime drama Vera follows the investigations of the unorthodox but brilliant police sleuth DCI Vera Stanhope. In this Vera series (2018), based on the bestselling Inspector Stanhope novels by 2017 CWA Diamond Dagger recipient Ann Cleeves, the detective and her team are drawn into four compelling cases set around Newcastle: the body of a police officer discovered in an abattoir incinerator, a mysterious car crash, a suburban back-garden murder, and the circumstances that led to the death of a teenage boy.

Call the Midwife Holiday Specials Wednesday, December 25, 12:30-8 p.m. on WETA UK

he BBC period drama Call the Midwife, spotlighting a group of nurse-midwives serving the impoverished Poplar neighborhood of London’s East End, produces an annual holiday special and this year WETA UK presents five of the specials back to back on Christmas Day. Starting at 12:30 p.m. (after an 11:30 a.m. Upstart Crow holiday program), the five 90-minute specials (2015-2019) unfold. The 2015 program follows an unexpected surprise for a grieving mother; the 2016 special visits South Africa; the 2017 show is set during an especially cold winter; the 2018 special features four orphans who bring joy and chaos; and 2019’s special brings the midwives to the Outer Hebrides off the coast of Scotland.

Also this month: DCI Banks, Series 1 airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. starting Dec. 19; Doctor Blake Mysteries Movie: Family Portrait airs Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m.; and Miss Marple (Julia McKenzie) episodes air Tuesday, Dec. 24, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

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Classical WETA 90.9 FM Freer-Sackler & Phillips Concerts on Front Row Washington Mondays at 9 p.m.

COURTESY THE ARTISTS

T

By John Banther, On-Air Host and Producer

Classical WETA 90.9 FM

COURTESY THE ARTISTS

his month on Front Row Washington, Classical WETA 90.9 FM’s Monday evening program, we enjoy performances from the Freer|Sackler and the Phillips Collection. The Shanghai Quartet is featured on December 2 with their concert Shanghai Quartet from the Freer|Sackler earlier this year. They perform quartets by Beethoven, Dvořák and Tan Dun. The Quartet No. 1, Feng-Ya-Song (Ballad-Hymn-Ode) by Tan Dun was composed in 1982 and earned him international acclaim in 1983 when it won second prize at the Weber Chamber Music Composition Competition. His music was subsequently banned in China for 6 months. The quartet is inspired by Shi Jing, a collection of songs likely written by Confucius in 484 BC. The sound of the original songs is lost to history, but within three sections the quartet deals with aspects of ordinary people’s lives, politics, and songs of ritual.

On December 9, we listen to a Phillips Collection concert of an ensemble The Washington Post calls “versatile, intelligent, and deeply musical.” The Boreal Trio, made up of graduates from Juilliard and the New England Conservatory of Music, performs the Kegelstatt Trio by Mozart, Märchenerzählungen (Fairytales) composed in 3 days by Robert Schumann, and 20th-century music by Max Bruch and Jean Françaix.

The December 16 program is a combination of two concerts from the Phillips Collection, starting with pianist Alexander Schimpf, who made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2011. He plays Eight Piano Pieces, Op. 76 by Brahms and the Piano Sonata No. 7, Op. 64 “White Mass” by Alexander Scriabin. Then, performing piano music by Liszt, it’s Leon McCawley, who took first prize at the 1993 International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna.

We listen to pianist Somang Jeagal on December 23, who won Grand Prize at the Pianist Alexander Schimpf 61st Washington International Competition for Piano. In this concert from the Phillips Collection he performs the Piano Sonata No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Scherzos Nos. 1-4 by Frédéric Chopin.

We finish the year on December 30 with the award-winning Smetana Trio’s performance at the Phillips Collection.

You might be familiar with the later works of composers Alexander von Zemlinsky and Dmitri Shostakovich. The Trio opens the concert with early works by von Zemlinsky and then performs compositions by teenaged Dmitri Shostakovich.

The final piece on the program is Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 1.

Tune in Monday nights at 9 p.m. for world-class local concert performances on Front Row Washington.

NSO Showcase Presents Handel’s Messiah Wednesday, December 4 at 9 p.m. on Classical WETA 90.9 FM

T

By Nicole Lacroix, Afternoon On-Air Host

ROGER MASTROIANNI

he National Symphony Orchestra has a December tradition: each year, a new conductor leads the ensemble in Handel’s Messiah, offering a personal interpretation of the beloved masterpiece. A 2017 performance, recorded at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, featured the NSO debut of Baroque specialist Jeannette Sorrell. Ms. Sorrell is renowned as the founder and music director of Apollo’s Fire, one of the country’s premier early-music ensembles. The four soloists, Sophie Daneman, Ann McMahon Quintero, Karim Sulayman and Christian Immler, were also making their NSO debuts, while the University of Maryland Concert Choir (prepared by Edward Jeannette Sorrell MacLary) was singing its third consecutive Messiah appearance with the NSO. Classical WETA kicks off the holiday season with Handel’s Messiah. Be sure to join us Wednesday, December 4 at 9 p.m. for what The Washington Post called a “cheerful and colorful” performance of this treasured musical tradition.

VivaLaVoce on vivalavoce.org

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Classical for Washington Music for the Season on Choral Showcase Sundays at 9 p.m.

W

By Bill Bukowski, Midday On-Air Host

CORREGGIO, OLD MASTERS GALLERY, DRESDEN

e present Christmas cantatas, and carols old and new, this month on Classical WETA’s Sunday evening program, Choral Showcase. On December 1, a new recording of Hector Berlioz’s L’Enfance du Christ (The Childhood of Christ) features the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under Sir Andrew Davis (who together were in town this fall for a concert at the Kennedy Center). Featuring “The Shepherd’s Farewell,” Berlioz’s dramatic oratorio recounts the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt. It takes some liberties with scripture, but the tale of the infant Jesus and his family fleeing persecution and seeking refuge in a foreign land remains timeless.

Music for Advent is on the bill on December 8, with hymns sung by Chanticleer The Holy Night, Correggio, 1522 and the Choir of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, alongside Antonio Vivaldi’s Magnificat, a setting of Mary’s song of praise from the Gospel of St Luke. Vivaldi’s music will also be part of the Folger Consort’s Christmas program at St Mark’s on Capitol Hill, December 13-15. We’ll also hear A Ceremony of Carols, Benjamin Britten’s 1942 reimagining of 15th-century texts. This Yuletide favorite will be presented at this year’s “Christmas at the Cathedral” concert at Washington National Cathedral, Sunday, December 15.

Holiday music from another 20th-century British composer is presented on December 15, with two works by Ralph Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Christmas Carols from 1912, and from 1954, the cantata Hodie (This Day).

We’ll explore the mystery of Christmas on December 22, with cantatas retelling the appearance of the angels to the shepherds: Felix Mendelssohn’s Vom Himmel hoch (From heaven high), and Lauda per la Natività del Signore (Laud for the Nativity) by Ottorino Respighi. Our seasonal celebration concludes December 29 with Carols from the Old and New Worlds: Czech and Polish Christmas songs; a cantata from Latvia; and carols from early America.

2019-2020 Met Opera Season Saturday afternoons starting December 7

MARTY SOHL/METROPOLITAN OPERA

he 89th season of Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcasts gets underway in December as Classical WETA 90.9 FM presents weekly 1 p.m. Saturday matinees on Classical WETA Opera House. December performances are a premiere of Philip Glass’ Akhnaten (Dec. 7); Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades (Dec. 14); Verdi’s Macbeth (Dec. 21), with Anna Netrebko, Matthew Polenzani and Željko Lučić; and Mozart’s The Magic Flute (Dec. 28), in an abridged English-language version.

The 2019-2020 season presents 23 matinee performances airing each Saturday through May 9 from New York’s Lincoln Center and features the world’s greatest contemporary opera vocalists. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, in his second season as Anna Netrebko as Lady Macbeth in Metropolitan Opera Music Director, leads performances of Berg’s Wozzeck (Jan. 11) Verdi’s Macbeth (2014-15 season) and Massenet’s Werther (March 28). On the broadcasts, Mary Jo Heath returns for her 5th season as Met matinee broadcast host, alongside Ira Siff, in his 13th season as commentator.

In addition to December offerings, the new season features three Puccini operas: La Bohème (January 25), with Ailyn Pérez, Olga Kulchynska and Matthew Polenzani, Tosca (April 11), with Anna Netrebko, and Turandot (April 25), with Nina Stemme; two additional Mozart operas: Le Nozze di Figaro (Feb. 22) and Così fan tutte (March 7); two additional Verdi operas: La Traviata (Jan. 18) and Simon Boccanegra (April 18); and an additional Massenet opera: Manon (Feb 15). The season’s presentations also include R. Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier (Jan. 4); the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (Feb. 1), in a new production with Eric Owens, Angel Blue and Denyce Graves; Berlioz’ La Damnation de Faust (Feb. 8), with Elina Garanča and Michael Spyres; Handel’s Agrippina (Feb. 29), a Met premiere starring Joyce DiDonato; and more. For monthly opera details, visit classicalweta.org.

Classical WETA 90.9 FM

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The 2019-2020 Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Radio Broadcast season is sponsored by Toll Brothers, America’s luxury homebuilder®, with generous long-term support from The Annenberg Foundation and GRoW @ Annenberg, The Neubauer Family Foundation, and the Vincent A. Stabile Endowment for Broadcast Media, and through contributions from listeners worldwide. Local support for the broadcasts is provided by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; and Center for the Arts at George Mason University.

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

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