Browse - Most popular shows on PBS

America ReFramed films present personal viewpoints and a range of voices on the nation's social issues - giving audiences the opportunity to learn from the past, understand the present, and explore new frameworks for America's future. With weekly 60- to 90-minute independent films, followed by provocative conversations led by host/moderator Natasha Del Toro, this weekly series offers an unfiltered look at people rarely given a voice on national television.

Kingdoms of the Sky reveals the extraordinary animals and remarkable people who make a home on the iconic mountain ranges of the Rockies, Himalaya, and Andes.

In A CRAFTSMAN'S LEGACY, host Eric Gorges goes on a quest to discover the true craftsmen in today's world. Traveling across the country, Gorges interviews the men and women responsible for carrying the tools, trades and traditions of fine craftsmanship into the 21st century. From a glass blower to a guitar maker, a weaver to a potter, every episode explains the history of a traditional craft and the importance of that craft in the United States today. Gorges, a welder by trade, meets and interviews master craftsmen, and learns why they chose their craft, where they learned their skills, how they live using their talents, and the challenges and importance of keeping that tradition alive in a modern-day world. He then takes on the role of apprentice on a project under the guidance of the master craftsman.

"The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements" is an exciting PBS series about one of the great adventures in the history of science: the long (and continuing) quest to understand what the world is made of-to identify, understand and organize the basic building blocks of matter. Three hour-long episodes introduce viewers to some of history's most extraordinary scientists: Joseph Priestley and Antoine Lavoisier, whose discovery of oxygen-and radical interpretation of it-led to the modern science of chemistry; Humphry Davy, who made electricity a powerful new tool in the search for elements; Dmitri Mendeleev, whose Periodic Table brought order to the growing gaggle of elements; Marie Curie, whose groundbreaking research on radioactivity cracked open a window into the atom; Harry Moseley, whose discovery of atomic number redefined the Periodic Table; and Glenn Seaborg, whose discovery of plutonium opened up a whole new realm of elements, still being explored today.

Travel with renowned photographer Joel Sartore as he photographs at-risk and rare species in the wild, in zoos, in nature preserves and explores his Photo Ark initiative.

Get a front-row seat to some of the best musical performances at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. "In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl" takes you front and center to enjoy musical performances that cross generations and genres - from Broadway to jazz, to Latin American hits. Hosted by LA Phil Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, experience world-class artistry.

An intimate four-hour series from Henry Louis Gates, Jr., The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song will explore the 400-year-old story of the black church in America, the changing nature of worship spaces, and the men and women who shepherded them from the pulpit, the choir loft, and church pews.

Journey to three of the most exotic, mysterious and remote islands on the planet: Madagascar, Borneo and Hawaii. Isolated from the rest of the world, they harbor remarkable wildlife and pioneering human communities found nowhere else on Earth.

In Field Trip with Curtis Stone, chef Curtis Stone embarks on a global culinary journey to explore the spirit and passion of the destinations which inform the menu at Maude, his Michelin-starred restaurant in Beverly Hills. Curtis and friends travel to Australia, Italy, Spain and California, hunting pheasants, herding cattle and diving for pearls as they track the delicacies Curtis serves in his restaurant to their source.

It is a journey of exploration for Egyptian co-hosts Yasmin El Shazly and Mahmoud Rashad into the mysteries and unanswered questions about the boy king's life, his infamous father's religious revolution, and those advising him as he takes the throne in one of the most tumultuous periods of Egyptian history.

A three-part documentary series about wildlife at Yellowstone as winter morphs into spring and summer begins.

Celebrate Southern identity through the eyes of contemporary creators of literature, music, film and TV.

The conflict in the Middle East between Israel and its neighbors is given comprehensive treatment in six 50 min episodes produced by PBS. Using archival footage and extensive interviews with participants, the production begins by explaining conditions in Palestine at the end of World War II and the crisis created by the exodus of European Jews who went to the Middle East after the Holocaust. The withdrawal of the British, who had controlled Palestine for decades, is detailed, as is the creation of the state of Israel. Much of the region's history is complex, with the local struggles being conducted at times as a part of the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union, but these videos do an admirable job of explaining the complexities of the situation. The segment on the Six Day War, for example, is masterful, with the scenes shifting from Israel to Egypt to Washington to Moscow.

On Washington Week (formerly Washington Week with Gwen Ifill) guest journalists weigh in on issues of the week in this venerable roundtable, the first program ever fed by PBS (previously it had aired on WETA-TV in Washington, D.C., and other East Coast public stations). Though its format is panel discussion, there have been occasional one-on-one interviews, a notable example being host Paul Duke's 1994 White House visit with President Bill Clinton. The series won a DuPont-Columbia University Award in 1974.

It's non-stop drama when 60 of America's top high school musical theater performers arrive in New York City this summer for an intensive week of "theatrical boot camp" as they vie for a shot at stage stardom in the ultimate national theater competition.

What made America? What makes us? These two questions are at the heart of the new PBS series Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. The Harvard scholar turns to the latest tools of genealogy and genetics to explore the family histories of 12 renowned Americans - professor and poet Elizabeth Alexander, chef Mario Batali, comedian Stephen Colbert, novelist Louise Erdrich, journalist Malcolm Gladwell, actress Eva Longoria, musician Yo-Yo Ma, director Mike Nichols, Her Majesty Queen Noor, television host/heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, actress Meryl Streep, and figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi.

Experience the rich culture and history of Italian Americans, from their immigration to America to their contributions to society. Through interviews and rare archival footage, discover the unique qualities of this immigrant group.

Democracy Now! is a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. Pioneering the largest public media collaboration in the U.S. Democracy Now!'s War and Peace Report provides our audience with access to people and perspectives rarely heard in the U.S.corporate-sponsored media, including independent and international journalists, ordinary people from around the world who are directly affected by U.S. foreign policy, grassroots leaders and peace activists, artists, academics and independent analysts. In addition, Democracy Now! hosts real debates-debates between people who substantially disagree, such as between the White House or the Pentagon spokespeople on the one hand, and grassroots activists on the other.

Treasures of New York is a documentary series exploring New York City's premier cultural establishments, from The New York Botanical Gardens, to the Park Avenue Armory, and beyond.

Imagine living without central heating, a telephone, or a fridge. Imagine living in darkened rooms, or being woken up and forced to spend the rest of the night in a damp, underground shelter. Imagine not being able to pop to the shops for a little of what you fancy...

Every weeknight, reporter Katty Kay presents in-depth reports on the major events of the day from the United States and around the world covering a variety of topics including politics and economic while placing them in a global context.

A made-for-public-television series produced by Susie Films and SCETV, follows Carrie Morey, the successful Southern food entrepreneur of Callie's Hot Little Biscuit, as she navigates family, business and life in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina.

This mini-series examines the dawn of the comic book genre and its powerful legacy, as well as the evolution of the characters who leapt from the pages over the last 75 years and their ongoing worldwide cultural impact.

Downing of a Flag is a two-hour documentary film that uses firsthand interviews featuring various perspectives and a wealth of historical footage to examine the impact of the Confederate Battle flag on the people, politics and perceptions of South Carolina and beyond.

Scott Yoo, seasoned conductor and virtuoso violinist, travels the world chasing the secret histories of our greatest musical works and their composers in a Bourdain "No Reservations" style show, while discovering connections to today's music, art, and culture.