THE GENE: AN INTIMATE HISTORY
Premieres: Tuesday, April 7, 9:00 p.m. ET
Film Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/gene/
Preview: https://www.pbs.org/video/gene-excerpt-gcysul/
Powerful personal stories and stunning breakthroughs reveal the historical search for the human genome and the promise of modern research. Based on Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee’s best-seller on how genes impact heredity, disease and behavior.
NOVA “The Truth About Fat”
Premieres: Wednesday, April 8, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/nova/
Scientists are coming to understand fat as a system akin to an organ—one whose size may have more to do with biological processes than personal choices. Explore the mysteries of fat, and its role in hormone production, hunger, and even pregnancy.
INDEPENDENT LENS “Bedlam”
Premieres: Wednesday, April 13, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/independent-lens/
Hear the poignant stories of people grappling with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other psychiatric conditions. Psychiatrist Kenneth Rosenberg visits ERs, jails and homeless camps to examine the national health crisis of mental illness.
DEFINITION OF INSANITY
Premieres: Tuesday, April 14, 2020, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/definition-insanity/
A team of dedicated Miami-Dade County public servants work to help people with mental illness navigate from lives of tragedy to possibility. The film reveals a humane criminal justice approach to mental illness.
BLOOD SUGAR RISING
Premieres: Wednesday, April 15, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/blood-sugar-rising/
Preview: https://www.pbs.org/video/blood-sugar-rising-preview-qnrloh/
Diabetes is an epidemic that affects 100 million Americans, costing over $350 billion annually. Explore the history and science of this hidden crisis and meet some of the faces behind the statistics whose stories bring insights and hope.
MONDAY, APRIL 20 – SUNDAY, MAY 3
*PLEASE CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS*
UPCOMING PRIMETIME PREMIERES
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: The Man Who Tried to Feed the World
“TAKING CARE OF YOU” PROGRAM
Premieres: Tuesday, April 21, 8:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/american-experience/
Explore the life of 1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug, who tried to solve world hunger. He rescued India from a severe famine and led the “Green Revolution,” estimated to have saved one billion lives. But his work later faced criticism.
FRONTLINE “Coronavirus Pandemic”
“TAKING CARE OF YOU” PROGRAM
Premieres: Tuesday, April 21, 2020, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET
A special report on the government response to the coronavirus and the human toll. The two-part special investigates the federal response versus Washington State, the outbreak’s U.S. epicenter; and in the Midwest, how the outbreak impacts poor children.
CLIMATE CHANGE – THE FACTS
Premieres: Wednesday, April 22, 8:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/climate-change-facts/
Preview Clip #1 – Frozen Methane: https://youtu.be/Cf4d6t_zIDk
Preview Clip #2 – Fossil Fuels: https://youtu.be/Km4bIEWSrxw
Scientists explore the impact of climate change and what could happen if global warming exceeds 1.5 degrees. Discover how the latest innovations and technology are posing potential solutions and what individuals can do to prevent further damage.
H2O: THE MOLECULE THAT MADE US
Premieres: Wednesdays, April 22 – May 6, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/molecule-made-us/
Preview: https://www.pbs.org/video/molecule-made-us-preview-xnwi5v/
Discover how water underpins every aspect of our existence. Find out how our success is intimately connected to our control of the molecule, but that the growth of our civilizations has also created a dangerous dependence on this precious resource.
INDEPENDENT LENS “Jim Allison: Breakthrough”
“TAKING CARE OF YOU” PROGRAM
Premieres: Monday, April 27, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/independent-lens/
Meet a visionary doctor on a quest to find a cure for cancer. Nobel Prize winner Dr. Jim Allison spent decades waging a lonely but ultimately fruitful quest to discover a way the immune system can stop cancer in its tracks.
NEW PROGRAMMING: MAY PREMIERES
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “George W. Bush”
Premieres: Monday, May 4 & Tuesday, May 5, 9:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/collections/presidents/
The newest addition to AMERICAN EXPERIENCE’s award-winning series of presidential biographies, “W” is a two-part look at the life and presidency of George W. Bush. Part One follows Bush’s unorthodox road to the White House. The once wild son of a political dynasty, few expected Bush to ascend to the presidency. Yet 36 days after the November 2000 election, Bush emerged the victor of the most hotly contested election in the nation’s history. Little in the new president’s past could have prepared him for the events that unfolded on September 11, 2001. Bush’s response to the deadly terrorist attack would come to define a new era in American foreign policy. Part Two opens with the ensuing war in Iraq, and continues through Bush’s second term, as the president confronts the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina and the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression.
EXPEDITION WITH STEVE BACKSHALL
MID-SEASON ONE PREMIERE
Premieres (Episode 7: Mexico – Maya Underworld): Wednesday, May 6, 10:00 p.m. ET
Show Page: https://www.pbs.org/show/expedition/
Series Preview: https://www.pbs.org/video/expedition-official-preview/
Episode 7 Clip #1 – Sacrifices to the Gods: https://youtu.be/qunTD30JFL8
Episode 7 Clip #2 – Robbie Prepares a Lifeline: https://youtu.be/Wd9DIfag6ts
Head into the unknown with explorer Steve Backshall as he journeys to the world’s last unexplored places and faces challenges around the globe, encountering extraordinary wildlife and meeting remarkable people along the way. In the mid-season one premiere, Steve Backshall explores a honeycomb of subterranean Mexican caves that the ancient Maya believed were a portal to a terrifying underworld. In a dark and flooded cave, Steve finds incredible never-before-seen artifacts.
For more information on PBS, visit www.pbs.org. Viewers are also encouraged to engage in online conversation about the series by tagging @PBS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PBS STREAMING
PBS summer programming is available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video App, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV and Chromecast. PBS station members can view many series, documentaries and specials via PBS Passport. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.
ABOUT PBS
PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 120 million people through television and 26 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS’ premier children’s media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV – including a 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.
