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OCTOBER SCHEDULE NOTES
Rick Steves' Europe moves from Sunday afternoons to Monday nights at 10:30 p.m. on OETA-HD.
Classic Gospel is a new program airing Sundays at 4 p.m. on OETA-HD.
A vice-presidential debate is scheduled for Tuesday, October 4 on OETA-HD. This debate is from Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia and moderated by CBS News correspondent, Elaine Quijano.
Presidential debates are scheduled for Sunday, October 9 and Wednesday, October 19 on OETA-HD. The October 9 debate is at Washington University in St. Louis and co-moderated by ABC News chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz and CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, The October 19 debate is at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas and moderated by Fox News anchor Chris Wallace.
PBS KIDS celebrates Halloween the week of October 23 with The Cat in the Hat Knows Alot About Halloween (October 28, October 29, October 30, October 31), Dinosaur Train: Spooky Tree (October 25, October 28, October 31), Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest (October 24, October 28, October 31), and Nature Cat: Runaway Pumpkin (October 24, October 27, October 28, October 31).
American Experience: Nikola Tesla
Tuesday, October 18, 8 p.m., OETA-HD
Meet Nikola Tesla, the genius engineer and tireless inventor whose technology revolutionized the electrical age of the 20th century. Although eclipsed in fame by Edison and Marconi, it was Tesla's vision that paved the way for today's wireless world.
American Masters: Norman Lear
Tuesday, October 25, 8 p.m., OETA-HD
Largely responsible for the explosion of bold American television in the 1970s, writer/producer Norman Lear’s name is synonymous with the sitcom. With unprecedented access to Lear, his work and his massive personal archives, the program combines stories from his turbulent childhood and early career with his groundbreaking TV success (“All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons,” “Good Times,” “Maude”) and social activism. The documentary also features colorful stories from Lear’s family, friends and collaborators, including John Amos, Mel Brooks, George Clooney, Alan Horn, Bill Moyers, Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner and Russell Simmons. Lear proved that social change was possible through an unlikely prism – laughter – and created some of the greatest moments in television history.
Antiques Roadshow: Mansion Masterpieces
Monday, October 31, 7 p.m., OETA-HD
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW cameras capture tales of family heirlooms, yard sale bargains and long-lost items salvaged from attics and basements, while experts reveal the fascinating truths about these finds.
Austin City Limits
Wednesdays, 10 p.m., OETA-HD
October 5: Paul Simon
October 12: James Bay/Rhiannon Giddens
October 19: Robert Plant/Sensational Space Shifters
October 26: Florence and the Machine/Andra Day
Back in Time: Staking Our Claim
Thursday, October 13, 7 p.m., OETA-HD
The Durrells in Corfu
Sundays, October 16-November 19, 7 p.m., OETA-HD
Keeley Hawes stars as a widow who transplants her four unruly children from Britain to sun-drenched Corfu in 1935. Based on Gerald Durrell’s autobiographical trilogy, the series was lauded as “completely satisfying” when it aired in the UK.
Frontline: Confronting Isis
Tuesday, October 11, 8 p.m., OETA-HD
Investigate the U.S.-led efforts to degrade and destroy ISIS. Reporting from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan and Turkey, the film examines the successes, failures and challenges of the fight as ISIS loses ground in the region but strikes out abroad.
Frontline: Terror in Europe
Tuesday, October 18, 9 p.m., OETA-HD
Go inside Europe’s fight against the rise of Islamist terrorism. As Europe reels from a terror onslaught, top counter-terror officials describe their struggle to contain the unprecedented threat revealed by attacks in France and Belgium.
Getting Ahead
Friday, October 7, 8 p.m., OETA-HD
This program examines the hotly-debated nationwide movement to increase the minimum wage. The documentary follows Tavis Smiley as he travels to Northern California, where the increases have been in place for at least a year, and offers a look at the real impact of higher wages on communities, businesses and employees.
Great Performances: Grammy Salute to Music Legends
Friday, October 14, 8 p.m., OETA-HD
All-star concert salutes The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement, Trustee and Music Educator award winners. Honorees include Ruth Brown, Celia Cruz, Earth, Wind & Fire, Herbie Hancock, Jefferson Airplane, Linda Ronstadt, John Cage and more.
Hamilton's America
Friday, October 21, 8 p.m., OETA-HD
The feature film documentary Hamilton’s America brings history to vivid life through the contemporary perspective of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s revolutionary hip-hop musical, Hamilton. The story of Alexander Hamilton is most remembered for its dramatic conclusion, in which Hamilton was killed in a duel by Vice President Aaron Burr, but his immeasurable contributions to modern society have largely been forgotten by today’s general public. Just in time for election year, Hamilton’s America will provide a primetime audience with intimate access to Miranda and his colleagues during the two years leading up to the Broadway opening of the Tony Award-winning smash hit musical. This “hip-hop-historical” documentary features a young, dynamic cast of actors as our guides, along with commentary from some of today’s most notable thinkers and artists, brushing the dust off America’s fascinating early history. The most buzzed-about show in years and the hottest ticket in decades, Hamilton is redefining how audiences learn about history, but also how they engage with these timeless issues. Produced by Academy Award® and Emmy®-Winning producers RadicalMedia.
Independent Lens: Best of Enemies
Monday, October 3, 8 p.m., OETA-HD
In 1968, Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr. changed TV news forever with their explosive political debates. Live and unscripted, conservative Buckley and leftist Vidal riveted viewers as a new era in contentious public discourse was born.
Mark Twain Prize: Bill Murray
Friday, October 28, 8 p.m., OETA-HD
Celebrate beloved actor and comedian Bill Murray, the latest recipient of The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. From the stage of The John F. Kennedy Center, a star-studded lineup salutes the achievements of the comedic trailblazer.
Nature: Giraffes - Africa's Gentle Giants
Wednesday, October 26, 7 p.m., OETA-HD
What does it take to relocate a herd of wild giraffes in Africa? One man, his family and a band of enthusiastic helpers are about to find out. Their journey will take them across the wild heart of Uganda, crossing the mighty Nile River. The size of this operation cannot be underestimated, particularly when the cargo is so precious. That’s because these are no ordinary giraffes; they are, in fact, the world’s rarest. Any mistake could be costly, not only for the giraffes being moved but also for an entire species.
Nature: My Congo
Wednesday, October 19, 7 p.m., OETA-HD
Vianet Djenguet has lived half his life in Europe, yet his heart still lies in his homeland, his Congo. As a successful wildlife cameraman, Vianet is returning to his roots to reveal the beauty and majesty of his country and the people within. His journey will be one of self-discovery as he travels up the Congo River toward his ancestral home, meeting an abundance of weird and wonderful characters along the way, both animal and human. Finally, Vianet is able to give his beloved homeland the glorious spotlight it deserves and discovers an even deeper connection with this place than he could have ever imagined. “You haven’t really travelled until you experience a place like the Congo,” says Vianet.
Nature: Super Hummingbirds
Wednesday, October 12, 7 p.m., OETA-HD
Though high-speed camerawork and breakthrough new science, enter the fast-paced world of hummingbirds as never before. Speed is their middle name. They possess natural super powers that enable them to fly backwards and upside-down and float in mid-air. And for the first time, see them mate, lay eggs, fight and raise families in intimate detail. They are great athletes, tender mothers and brave combatants, up for any challenge. They are the smallest, most brilliant birds on earth.
Newton Minow: An American Story
Tuesday, October 4, 10 p.m., OETA-HD
The 60-minute documentary tells the inspiring story, as told to award-winning journalist and documentarian Mike Leonard, of a man whose principled engagement in public life elevates the common good and advances the American ideals of liberty and justice for all.
NOVA: Great Human Odyssey
Wednesday, October 5, 8 p.m., OETA-HD
Walk in the footsteps of our ancient ancestors as scientists trace the paths that led us out of Africa and around the world. From snowy Siberia to remote Pacific islands, discover how humans survived and thrived in every corner of the planet.
NOVA: Supper Tunnel
Wednesday, October 12, 8 p.m., OETA-HD
Follow an army of engineers and designers as they tackle the complex challenge of building Crossrail, a massive new subterranean railway deep beneath the streets of London.
OETA Movie Club
Saturdays, 9 p.m., OETA-HD; Encore: Fridays, 11 p.m., OETA-HD
October 1/7: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
October 8/14: Judgement at Nuremburg
October 15/21: The Magnifcent Seven
October 22/28: Unforgiven
October 29/November 4: The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers
Peg + Cat Mystery Hour
Monday, October 3, 9 a.m., OETA-HD
Poldark Revealed
Sunday, October 2, 7 p.m., OETA-HD
Follow the cast and crew of POLDARK on location in beautiful Cornwall. See how the writer, directors and actors are working to re-create the magic of the original TV series.
POV: From This Day Forward
Monday, October 10, 9 p.m., OETA-HD
When Sharon Shattuck’s father came out as transgender and began living as Trisha, Sharon was middle school. Her father’s transition to female was difficult for her mother, Marcia, to accept, but her parents stayed together. As the Shattucks reunite to plan Sharon’s wedding, she seeks a deeper understanding of how their family survived intact. Shown with the short film Pink Boy, about a gender-nonconforming boy growing up in conservative rural Florida.
POV: Hooligan Sparrow
Monday, October 17, 9 p.m., OETA-HD
The danger is palpable as intrepid young filmmaker Nanfu Wang follows activist “Hooligan Sparrow” and her band of colleagues to southern China to seek justice for six elementary school girls allegedly sexually abused by their principal. Named enemies of the state, the activists face interrogation, harassment and imprisonment. As Sparrow champions girls’ and women’s rights, the filmmaker becomes a target, too.
POV: Thank You For Playing
Monday, October 24, 9 p.m., OETA-HD
When Ryan Green, a video game programmer, learns that his young son Joel has cancer, he and his wife begin documenting their emotional journey with a poetic video game, “That Dragon, Cancer,” which evolves from a cathartic exercise into a critically acclaimed work of art. The film is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the unique ways that art and technology can help us share profound experiences.
POV: What Tomorrow Brings
Monday, October 31, 9 p.m., OETA-HD
Step inside the very first girls’ school in a small Afghan village. Never before have fathers here allowed their daughters to be educated; now the Taliban threatens. The film traces the interconnected stories of students, teachers, village elders and parents. While the girls learn to read and write, they discover the differences between the lives they were born into and the lives they dream of leading.
Secrets of the Dead
Wednesday, October 26, 9 p.m., OETA-HD
Explore the remains of a 3,000-year-old English settlement that's shedding new light on the ancient history of the western world. Working in secret inside a quarry, the experts have less than a year to save the site before the quarry drains.
WWII Mega Weapons: Tunnels of Okinawa
Wednesday, October 12, 9 p.m., OETA-HD
Willie Valesquez: Your Voice is Your Vote
Monday, October 3, 9:30 p.m., OETA-HD
With his rallying cry of “Su Voto es su Voz” (“Your Vote Is Your Voice”), Willie Velasquez started a grassroots movement that would change the nation’s political landscape and pave the way for the growing power of the Latino vote.
