PBS Has the Best Programming

reactions to must-read articles and pop culture fare

pbs is daddy!

I’m in my PBS era, y’all. I’m a proud donor (so I can access all their shows on demand). The top heavy hitters are: NOVA, Finding Your Roots, and Antiques Roadshow. Other than the joy of learning some cool shit, it’s refreshing to watch REAL faces (no Hollywood or AI amount of fillers/botox) and hear smart people talk without a PR agenda (Hi, NOVA!). Get on the PBS wave with me.

• NOVA: The long-running science program that covers all sorts of earthly sad climate stuff. The “Saving Venice” episode had me asking everyone if they’d heard of the MOSE - very basically, it’s three giant, door hinge type things (aka flood gates) on the sea floor which a team manually flips on and off, depending on the tides. Without them, the city would be underwater but it’s not a permanent fix. They might have to start pumping dirt into the ocean floor to essentially raise the entire city of Venice up a few centimeters. NUTS!!! Another good, though immensely upsetting, episode is “Saving the Right Whale.” You can guess how that’s going. I promise not all the episodes are about “Saving” something on Earth but clearly this planet be dyin’, dude.

• Finding Your Roots: Every episode features host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. in one-on-one interviews with two celebrities. Glenn Close and John Waters were on the same episode (say less, right?). Sometimes they’re exciting, other times (Billy Crudup) it’s a can’t-look-away scenario as our boy Henry (who’s black) asks them, with his sweet, cartoon expressions, how it feels to know their ancestors owned a bunch of slaves! And then proceeds to list their ages (which obviously includes children). The tension can get so heavy and most of the time they’re truly speechless and tripping over words.

HLG, Jr’s best recent moment was after he told Carol Burnett she’s a descendent of someone who signed the Declaration of Independence and qualifies for becoming a Daughter of the American Revolution: “It’s D.A.R. time, sister!” He was so stoked for her. I love him so much.

Recommended episodes: Pharrell Williams (who is so shaken up by the experience that PBS had to come back another day to finish filming), Carol Burnett, Jim Acosta, Questlove, and Claire Danes. Plus, Julianne Moore, Kehinde Wiley, and Bill Hader in one strong episode lineup.

• Antiques Roadshow: Oh, the Roadshow! There’s so many ways to watch/not watch this. It’s good if you wanna feel outraged that an ugly teapot goes for $12,000, and great when you wanna enjoy being annoyed by the poster guy and his quirky ‘stache and neverending collection of printed ties (sometimes with matching vests). Whatever you’re watching it for, you’ll get what you need out of it because it’s the purest form of viewing entertainment. I love how different the people and the antiques are, depending on what part of the country they’re in. Also, proud of myself for being able to discern that the structure of that chair is wicked Massachusetts, honey!

• BONUS: The Articulate Hour - This brand new program covers various aspects of existence, like memory or loneliness, with perspective, insights, and thoughts from scholars and artists. I’ve only watched one episode called “Together Alone” which was fantastic. It focused on creatives needing the balance of being in solitude and interacting with community.

Let me know if you’re already a PBS head, or if I’ve convinced you to check one of these out. I’d love to get more PBS recommendations if there are any diehards out there!

“You have to have a sense of outrage about something and it fuels you. You can’t have it stay negative because that’s destructive. But there’s something that fuels that engine of creativity. And I think many of us have gone through things that have planted a sense of outrage. And you want to change things, you know.” - GC on Finding Your Roots (PBS)