PBS Press Tour July 30-31 TCA Schedule
Follow @PBSPressRoom on Twitter for breaking news and more
Go to PBS PressRoom Flickr stream for free, professional photos during Press Tour
Visit PBS PressRoom for current PBS program information
***Remember, no pictures or videotaping allowed in the ballrooms at any time***
Saturday, July 29
10:00 pm – 2:00 am PBS closed-circuit previews – 75 & 76. See separate schedule.
Sunday, July 30
6:00 – 8:55 am PBS closed-circuit previews – 75 & 76. See separate schedule.
8:30 Buffet breakfast (Beverly Hills Ballroom)
9:00 WE’LL MEET AGAIN (Beverly Hills Ballroom)
This new six-part series, executive produced and reported by Ann Curry, explores some of history’s most dramatic events through the personal stories of those who lived through them. From a Vietnam War baby desperate to find the American father she last saw 40 years ago to the military chaplain who helped a stranger through the trauma of 9/11, from a Japanese-American girl interned in 1942 who never forgot the classmate who helped her during her darkest hours to civil rights workers whose lives were forever changed by the deep relationships they formed in the 1960s South, WE'LL MEET AGAIN brings together people whose lives intersected during some of our most turbulent times. With stories of courage, hope, survival and love, WE’LL MEET AGAIN reveals the powerful bonds forged among people who now, against the odds, have the opportunity to reunite with those who transformed their lives.
• Ann Curry, executive producer and reporter • Justine Kershaw, executive producer • Reiko Nagumo, film participant • Mary W. Peters, film participant • Beth Hoppe, PBS chief programming executive
pbs.org • pbs.org/pressroom • facebook.com/pbs • youtube.com/pbs • twitter.com/pbspressroom
Premieres January 2018. PR contact: Stephanie Hirlemann, 212-981-5164, [email protected]; Cara White, 843-881-1480; 843-224-1442 (c); [email protected]
10:00 PBS Exec Session (International Ballroom)
• Paula Kerger, PBS President & CEO
PR contact: Jennifer Byrne, [email protected]; 703-739-548e
10:45 AMERICAN MASTERS “Richard Linklater – dream is destiny” (Int’l Ballroom)
Boasting a trove of never-before-seen archival footage, “Richard Linklater – dream is destiny” provides an unconventional look at the fiercely independent style of filmmaking that emerged out of Austin, Texas, in the late 1980s and 1990s. Early writings from Linklater’s journals and telling interviews with the subject himself are intermingled with clips from some of his most beloved films, including Slacker, Dazed and Confused and Boyhood, revealing the extent to which his filmmaking existed (and continues to exist) decidedly outside of the production power bases of Hollywood and New York.
• Richard Linklater, filmmaker, via satellite (Boyhood, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight, Dazed and Confused) • Louis Black, co-director and co-producer • Karen Bernstein, co-director and co-producer • Michael Kantor, series executive producer
Premieres Friday, September 1, 9:00 pm ET. PR contact: Natasha Padilla, Padilla@wnet.org; 212-560-8824
11:30 WILD ALASKA LIVE finale preview (International Ballroom)
This live, three-night event premiered on July 23, continued on July 26 and concludes on July 30. Get a preview of the night’s WILD ALASKA LIVE finale.
• Chris Kratt, host, via phone from Alaska • Martin Kratt, host, via phone from Alaska • Beth Hoppe, PBS chief programming executive
PR contact: John Michael Kennedy, 212-576-2700; [email protected]
11:45 POV “Swim Team” (International Ballroom)
This film chronicles the overwhelming struggles and extraordinary triumphs of 3 young athletes with autism and shows how a swim team can bring hope to a community.
pbs.org • pbs.org/pressroom • facebook.com/pbs • youtube.com/pbs • twitter.com/pbspressroom
• William M. McQuay, film subject, coach and father • Maria McQuay, film subject, mother • Michael McQuay, film subject, swim team member • Lara Stolman, director • Justine Nagan, series executive producer
Premieres Monday, October 2, 10:00 pm ET. PR contact: Keisha Salmon, [email protected]; 212-989-7425 x333
12:30 Buffet lunch (Beverly Hills Ballroom)
1:00 THE VIETNAM WAR (Beverly Hills Ballroom)
THE VIETNAM WAR is a 10 part, 18-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. An immersive, 360-degree narrative, the series tells the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. THE VIETNAM WAR features testimony from nearly 80 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both the winning and losing sides.
• Ken Burns, filmmaker • Lynn Novick, filmmaker • Gen. Merrill McPeak, Air Force, retired • Mai Elliott, author, The Sacred Willow: Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family
Premieres Sundays through Thursdays at 8:00 pm ET, September 17-21 and 24-28, encore plays immediately following the premiere play each of these nights; encore marathons the weekends of September 23-24 and September 30-October 1; weekly encore Tuesdays at 9:00 pm ET beginning October 3
PR contact: Joe DePlasco, 212-981-5125 or 917-742-6760; [email protected] or Brian Moriarty, 212-981-5252; [email protected]
2:30 AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Into the Amazon” (International Ballroom)
In 1914, President Theodore Roosevelt and legendary Brazilian explorer Candido Rondon made a perilous journey into the dark and deadly heart of the Amazon rainforest to chart an unknown river in one of the wildest places on earth. What was anticipated to be relatively tranquil journey turned out to be a brutal test of courage and character, claiming the lives of three men and almost killing the president.
• Tweed Roosevelt, great-grandson of Theodore Roosevelt and President of the Board of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, who retraced his great-grandfather’s adventure down the Rio Roosevelt • Larry Rohter, former Rio de Janeiro Bureau Chief of The New York Times, author of
pbs.org • pbs.org/pressroom • facebook.com/pbs • youtube.com/pbs • twitter.com/pbspressroom
Brazil on the Rise: The Story of a Country Transformed, and an upcoming biography of Candido Rondon • John Maggio, writer, director and producer • Mark Samels, series executive producer
Premieres January 2018. PR contact: Cara White, 843-881-1480; 843-224-1442 (c); [email protected]
3:15 Snack break (International Ballroom Foyer)
3:45 AMERICAN MASTERS “Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive” (International Ballroom)
AMERICAN MASTERS draws on the rich palette of Edgar Allan Poe’s evocative imagery and sharply drawn plots to tell the real story of the notorious author. The film, featuring Tony Award- winning and Emmy-nominated actor Denis O’Hare, explores the misrepresentations of Poe as an alcoholic madman akin to the narrators of his horror stories.
• Denis O’Hare, Emmy-nominated and Tony-winning actor • Eric Stange, writer and director • Michael Kantor, series executive producer
Premieres Monday, October 30, 9 pm ET. PR contact: Natasha Padilla, [email protected]; 212- 560-8824
4:30 NATURE “H Is for Hawk: A New Chapter” (International Ballroom)
Helen Macdonald’s international best-selling book “H Is for Hawk” told the story of a grieving daughter who found healing in the form of Mabel, a goshawk. The goshawk is one of Mother Nature’s own fighter jets, capable of finding and killing its prey with tremendous speed. For the first time after Mabel’s death, Macdonald tries again to train another one of these secretive birds of prey and intimately explore their lives in the wild forests they call home.
• Helen Macdonald, author, H is for Hawk • Mike Birkhead, producer and director • Goshawk and falconer • Fred Kaufman, series executive producer
Premieres Wednesday, November 1, 8:00 pm ET. PR contact: Johanna Baker, 212-560-3134, 347-886-0414 (cell), [email protected]
5:15 THE RUFF RUFFMAN SHOW (International Ballroom) EMBARGOED UNTIL 7/30
The star of the classic series FETCH! WITH RUFF RUFFMAN returns to PBS KIDS in THE RUFF RUFFMAN SHOW, a short-form, animated multi-platform digital series with videos and games designed to help kids ages 4-8 explore science concepts.
pbs.org • pbs.org/pressroom • facebook.com/pbs • youtube.com/pbs • twitter.com/pbspressroom
• Jim Conroy, five-time Emmy®-nominated actor and writer, voice of Ruff (and the voice of every character in the Ruff Ruffman family since its debut in 2005) • Marcy Gunther, senior series producer • Linda Simensky, vice president, children’s programming, PBS
PR Contact: Maria Vera Whelan, [email protected]; 703-739-3225; 703-541-9693
6:00-9:00 pm Evening Rooftop Reception
In advance of Monday's lunch session for THE FARTHEST – VOYAGER IN SPACE, join us for a 40th anniversary toast to NASA’s Voyager spacecraft, and meet members of the original Voyager team. Rooftop reception in the Stardust Lounge. Voyager-inspired specialty cocktails and heavy hors d'oeuvres will be served.
TCA members and PBS-credentialed press are welcome to bring a guest. No need to RSVP.
9:00 pm – 2:00 am PBS closed-circuit previews – 75 & 76. See separate schedule.
Monday, July 31
6:00 – 8:55 am PBS closed-circuit previews – 75 & 76. See separate schedule.
8:30 Buffet breakfast (Beverly Hills Ballroom)
9:00 MASTERPIECE “Victoria” Season 2 (Beverly Hills Ballroom)
The dazzling series that gives Queen Victoria a whole new image returns for a second season. Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who) is the feisty rookie monarch, asserting her rule over the most powerful nation on the planet, and Tom Hughes (Dancing on the Edge) is her smoldering consort Prince Albert. Dame Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones) joins the acting ensemble and Nell Hudson (Outlander) is back as the queen’s personal dresser, Mrs. Skerrett-- along with a palace full of schemers and luminaries. The drama all takes place against the backdrop of the early years of the Industrial Revolution, when society was changing as fast as the queen’s growing family.
• Jenna Coleman, actor, “Victoria” (via satellite) • Tom Hughes, actor, “Prince Albert” (via satellite) • Daisy Goodwin, creator, writer and executive producer • Rebecca Eaton, series executive producer
Premieres January 2018. PR contacts: Ellen Dockser, 617-300-5338; [email protected]; Laura Garvey, 617-300-5342; [email protected]
pbs.org • pbs.org/pressroom • facebook.com/pbs • youtube.com/pbs • twitter.com/pbspressroom
10:00 INDEPENDENT LENS “Chasing Trane” (International Ballroom)
This film explores the life and work of this singular artist. From his childhood in the Jim Crow South to his hallowed tenure with Miles Davis — which pushed Coltrane to conquer his heroin addiction — to his triumphant run as leader of one of jazz's most fiery and revered quartets, Chasing Trane digs deep, chronicling a story of harrowing lows and interstellar highs.
• Michelle Coltrane, daughter of John Coltrane • Kamasi Washington, saxophonist • John Scheinfeld, director and producer • Lois Vossen, series executive producer
Premieres Monday, November 6, 10:00 pm ET. PR contact: Donna Hardwick, [email protected]; 415-356-8383 ext. 241
INDEPENDENT LENS “I Am Not Your Negro” (International Ballroom)
Filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the unfinished James Baldwin book, Remember This House, as “I Am Not Your Negro” -- a journey into black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. It questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond by confronting the lives and assassinations of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
• Aisha Karefa-Smart, James Baldwin's niece • Hébert Peck, producer • Lois Vossen, series executive producer
Premieres Monday, January 15, 10:00 pm ET. PR contact: Donna Hardwick, [email protected]; 415-356-8383 ext. 241
11:00 FINDING YOUR ROOTS, Season 4 (International Ballroom)
Join Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., as he delves into the genealogy of a myriad of new guests. Each story illuminates the vast patchwork of ethnicity, race and experience that makes up the fabric of America.
• Ted Danson, Emmy-winning actor and featured participant • Henry Louis Gates, Jr., series host and executive producer • Janet Mock, author, activist and featured participant • Ana Navarro, political commentator and featured participant
Premieres Tuesdays, October 3 – December 26, 2017, 8:00-9:00 pm. ET. PR contact: Kate Kelly, [email protected]; 703-998-2072
pbs.org • pbs.org/pressroom • facebook.com/pbs • youtube.com/pbs • twitter.com/pbspressroom
11:45 WASHINGTON WEEK (International Ballroom)
Currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, WASHINGTON WEEK features a roundtable of award- winning journalists led by moderator Robert Costa, a national political reporter for The Washington Post. The program’s reporters-only format for civil, relevant analysis distinguishes the program from 24/7 cable networks and other daily news sites. The journalists are able to explain complex issues and provide context on what breaking news and pending legislation actually means — how it affects people’s lives.
• Robert Costa, series moderator • Jeff Bieber, series executive producer
Fridays, 8:00 pm ET. PR contact: Kate Kelly, [email protected]; 703-998-2072
12:30 Buffet lunch in the Beverly Hills Ballroom
1:00 THE FARTHEST – VOYAGER IN SPACE (Beverly Hills Ballroom)
Learn how NASA’s epic Voyager missions, launched in 1977, revolutionized our understanding of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and their dazzling moons and rings. In 2012, Voyager 1 left our solar system and ushered humanity into the interstellar age.
• Carolyn Porco, Ph.D., planetary scientist • Timothy Ferris, producer of the Voyager’s “Golden Record” • Ed Stone, project scientist of NASA's Voyager mission since 1972, and former director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory • John Murray, producer
Premieres Wednesday, August 23, 9:00 pm ET. PR contact: Missy Greenberg, 212-981-5121; [email protected]
2:15 BEYOND A YEAR IN SPACE (International Ballroom)
BEYOND A YEAR IN SPACE picks up where the first film, A YEAR IN SPACE, left off: Scott Kelly’s last day in space and return to Earth. The final installment also introduces viewers to the next generation of astronauts training to leave Earth’s orbit and travel into deep space.
• Capt. Scott Kelly, astronaut • Jessica Meir, Ph.D., astronaut • Bill Gardner, vice president, PBS Programming & Development
Premieres Wednesday, November 15, 9:00 pm ET. PR contact: Cara White, 843-881-1480; 843-224-1442 (c); [email protected]
pbs.org • pbs.org/pressroom • facebook.com/pbs • youtube.com/pbs • twitter.com/pbspressroom
3:00 NOVA “Black Hole Apocalypse” (International Ballroom)
Join astrophysicist Janna Levin on a mind-bending journey to the frontiers of black hole research. Discover how scientists may soon be able to “see” a black hole and are revealing new clues to the strangest and most extreme objects in the universe.
• Janna Levin, theoretical cosmologist, author and Tow Professor of Physics & Astronomy, Barnard College of Columbia University • Andrea Ghez, expert in observational astrophysics and Professor of Physics & Astronomy, UCLA • Priyamvada Natarajan, theoretical astrophysicist and professor in the Departments of Astronomy & Physics, Yale University • Rushmore DeNooyer, producer, director and writer • Paula S. Apsell, series senior executive producer
Premieres January 2018. PR contacts: Jennifer Welsh, 978-985-9835, 617-300-4382, [email protected]; Eileen Campion, 646-325-6455, 212-966-4600, [email protected]
Also of note: NOVA “Eclipse Over America” premieres Monday, August 21, 9:00 pm ET NOVA “Death Dive to Saturn” premieres Wednesday, September 13, 9:00 pm ET
3:45 READY JET GO! snack break (International Ballroom Foyer)
PR Contact: Maria Vera Whelan, [email protected]; 703-739-3225; 703-541-9693
4:00 FRONTLINE “ABACUS: Small Enough to Jail” (International Ballroom)
From acclaimed director Steve James (The Interrupters), Abacus: Small Enough to Jail tells the saga of the Chinese immigrant Sung family, owners of Abacus Federal Savings of Chinatown, New York. Accused of mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., Abacus becomes the only bank prosecuted after the 2008 financial crisis. The indictment and subsequent trial forces the Sung family to defend themselves – and their bank’s legacy in the Chinatown community – over the course of a five-year legal battle.
• Steve James, director • Mark Mitten, producer • Jill Sung, CEO of Abacus Federal Savings, featured participant • Chanterelle Sung, featured participant • Raney Aronson-Rath, series executive producer
Premieres Tuesday, September 13, 10:00 pm ET. PR contacts: Anne Husted, 617-300-5312; 857-498-0492, [email protected]; Pam Johnston, 617-300-5327, [email protected]
pbs.org • pbs.org/pressroom • facebook.com/pbs • youtube.com/pbs • twitter.com/pbspressroom
4:45 ANNE OF GREEN GABLES – THE GOOD STARS (International Ballroom)
Our beloved Anne Shirley turns thirteen and faces a host of new milestones: first sleepovers, culinary misadventures, and shifting relationships with her friend Diana and academic rival Gilbert Blythe. Through all this, Anne strives to strike a balance between becoming an upstanding, sensible young woman, and embracing her inquisitive and free–spirited nature.
• Martin Sheen, actor, “Matthew Cuthbert • Ella Ballentine, actor, “Anne Shirley” • Sara Botsford, actor, “Marilla Cuthbert” • Bill Gardner, vice president, PBS Programming & Development
Premieres Thanksgiving night, Thursday, November 23, 8:00 pm ET. PR contact: Stephanie Hirlemann, 212-981-5164, [email protected]; 5:45 Drinks and buffet dinner in the Beverly Hills Ballroom
6:45 LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER featuring Tony-nominee Jonathan Groff Performance and press conference (Beverly Hills Ballroom) EMBARGOED UNTIL 7/31
Jonathan Groff (Hamilton, Spring Awakening) will appear in an upcoming LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER special with two-time Tony-winner Sutton Foster, part of a group of four shows featuring some of Broadway’s biggest stars. (Airdate TBD.)
• Andrew C. Wilk, series executive producer • Jonathan Groff, featured performer
TCA members and PBS-credentialed press are welcome to bring a guest. No need to RSVP.
PR contact: Amanda Angel, 212-875-5863; [email protected]
***No pictures or videotaping allowed in the ballrooms at any time***
pbs.org • pbs.org/pressroom • facebook.com/pbs • youtube.com/pbs • twitter.com/pbspressroom