Program Highlights
February 17-23
This is the House that Jack Built
Sunday, February 17 at 3:00 pm
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s birth, this documentary chronicles his early years and examines his lasting legacy. The hour-long film touches on familiar themes of JFK’s life, and his ascent to the presidency, his mistakes and triumphs.
Minding the Gap
POV
Monday, February 18 at 9:00 pm
Meet three young men who bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
AMERICAN MASTERS
Thursday, February 19 at 9:00 pm
Explore the entertainer’s vast talent and journey for identity through the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress during 20th-century America. Features Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, and clips from his TV, film and concert performances.
Living Volcanoes
NATURE
Wednesday, February 20 at 8:00 pm
Uncover the variety of activity, both human and natural, that occurs on the slopes of active volcanoes. See the surprising number of animals that survive and thrive alongside these fiery natural phenomena.
The Next Pompeii
NOVA
Wednesday, February 20 at 9:00 pm
Discover Campi Flegrei, a lesser-known volcano in the shadow of Vesuvius. If it erupts, millions of lives could be at risk. Meet the scientists exploring its geography and developing a warning system to prevent Naples from becoming the next Pompeii.
The Nero Files
SECRETS OF THE DEAD
Wednesday, February 20 at 10:00 pm
A forensics profiler takes a close look at the life and legend of Nero, the infamous Roman emperor.
Locked Out: The Fall of Massive Resistance
Thursday, February 21 at 9:00 pm
In 1958, the Commonwealth of Virginia led other Southern states in refusing the U.S. Supreme Court’s mandate to integrate its public schools in the aftermath of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Several counties “locked down” or closed their public schools altogether — one for as long as five years — rather than allow black students into all-white schools.
Wilder: An American First
Thursday, February 21 at 10:00 pm
This historical biography traces the life of Lawrence Douglas Wilder, the first elected African-American governor in the United States. It charts his early years waiting tables in segregated country clubs and hotels during the Depression, to the narrow and heated 1989 race for governor of Virginia to his failed campaign for the 1991 Democratic presidential nomination.
Charley Pride
AMERICAN MASTERS
Friday, February 22 at 9:00 pm
Explore the complicated history of the American South and its music through the life of country star Charley Pride. Raised in segregated Mississippi, his journey shows the ways that artistic expression can triumph over prejudice and injustice.
February 24-28
Roads to Memphis
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Sunday, February 24 at 3:00 pm
Witness the fatefully entwined stories of assassin James Earl Ray and his target, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., against the backdrop of the seething and turbulent forces in American society that led these two men to their violent and tragic collision in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.
People’s Republic of Desire
INDEPENDENT LENS
Monday, February 25 at 10:00 pm
Meet a generation of young people in China who have come of age online, where virtual relationships are replacing real-life connections. Both the wealthy and the poor gather in online showrooms to worship idols who sing karaoke or host talk shows.
Right to Fail
FRONTLINE
Tuesday, February 26 at 10:00 pm
After decades in institutions, a man with schizophrenia faces violence and death to live on his own. In collaboration with ProPublica, the film investigates a court-ordered effort to move those with serious mental illness into independent living.
Lorraine Hansberry
AMERICAN MASTERS
Thursday, February 28 at 9:00 pm
Explore the life and work of the A Raisin in the Sun playwright and activist who played a significant role in the civil rights movement. LaTanya Richardson Jackson narrates. Anika Noni Rose is the voice of Lorraine Hansberry.
