PBS Archives - Page 6 of 17 - StayTuned Magazine

Wolf Hall: Damian Lewis gives Henry VIII a rebranding

April 1, 2015 Ryan Berenz

It may not be as steamy as The Tudors, but heads will still roll. In the PBS Masterpiece six-hour miniseries Wolf Hall, Damian Lewis (Homeland) assumes the royal garb of infamous 16th-century English monarch Henry VIII for the television adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s acclaimed historical novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. Set during Henry’s reign in the years from 1529-35, the story is told from the perspective of his chief adviser, Thomas Cromwell (Mark Rylance), who finds a political adversary in eventual queen Anne Boleyn (Claire Foy). “Henry really bestrides it as a presence,” Lewis says of Wolf […]

Call the Midwife Season 4 debuts on PBS tonight

March 29, 2015 Jeff Pfeiffer

The popular drama Call the Midwife debuts its fourth season in America on PBS tonight (the BBC has also commissioned a fifth season, which is expected to air in 2016). Continuing to be inspired by the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, Midwife finds its main characters — the nurses, midwives and nuns from Nonnatus House, and the poor community members whom they serve — entering the 1960s. The new season will see the introduction of a couple of new nurses, Barbara Gilbert (Charlotte Ritchie) and Phyllis Crane (Linda Bassett), both of whom don’t make the greatest of first impressions. Jessica Raine, who […]

“Cancer: The Emperor Of All Maladies” a biography of everyone’s worst enemy

March 27, 2015 Ryan Berenz

Ken Burns executive produces Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, a three-part, six-hour documentary based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by cancer researcher Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee. Airing on PBS March 30-April 1 at 9pm ET (check local listings), the ambitious project tells the story of cancer from nearly every angle, looking at the history of its diagnosis, study and treatment, following current patients battling the disease, and uncovering breakthroughs that might someday lead to a cure. The first episode, “Magic Bullets,” focuses on the centuries-long search for a cure. Tuesday’s episode, “The Blind Men and the Elephant,” looks at the rapid advances in […]

Downton Abbey Season 6 will be show’s final season

March 26, 2015 Jeff Pfeiffer

It had been speculated about a bit recently, and today the producers of Downton Abbey confirmed the news that fans have been dreading: that Season 6 of the international hit drama will be the series’ last. Carnival Film’s Managing Director and Executive Producer of Downton Abbey, Gareth Neame said in a release, “Millions of people around the world have followed the journey of the Crawley family and those who serve them for the last five years. Inevitably there comes a time when all shows should end and Downton is no exception. We wanted to close the doors of Downton Abbey when it […]

Fascinating PBS series explores history of “The Italian Americans”

February 17, 2015 Jeff Pfeiffer

Thanks to a society largely dominated by pop culture, the view of Italian-Americans among most of their fellow citizens might fall within the realm of The Sopranos or The Godfather, or even Jersey Shore. While elements from each of these can be found in Italian-American society, there are, as with every other group, things that are perhaps less recognized and celebrated. The new two-night PBS series The Italian Americans, following in the footsteps of the network’s similarly themed Latino Americans and The African Americans, looks to give the full history of Italians in America. Each hourlong episode in the four-part […]

TCA: To Cos or Not to Cos? That was no question.

January 20, 2015 Ryan Berenz

There have been many good questions asked by reporters at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour. There have been many so-so questions that elicited good answers. And there have been questions and answers that can only be described as “Wha?” But today, the story might be the question that no one asked. During the PBS session for American Masters: August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand (Feb. 20), Phylicia Rashad was present to discuss the documentary about “America’s Shakespeare,” August Wilson. Informed and astute questions were asked about the documentary, but simmering underneath was Rashad’s response to the […]

TCA: Annie Lennox brings the house down!

January 19, 2015 Ryan Berenz

The Langham Hotel & Spa in Pasadena, Calif., won’t be able to host the Television Critics Association Press Tour — or anything else, for that matter — because Annie Lennox obliterated the place. The legendary singer and musician of The Eurythmics fame performed for TV critics and PBS guests a scorching four-song set of classic jazz and blues standards — “Summertime,” “I Put a Spell on You,” “God Bless the Child” and “Georgia on My Mind” — from her album Nostalgia. Lennox then took questions from reporters gathered, discussing her approach to covering these longtime favorites, her love of Motown […]

TCA: Damian Lewis says Henry VIII more than “syphilitic, philandering Elvis”

January 19, 2015 Ryan Berenz

During PBS’ Masterpiece: “Wolf Hall” (Sundays beginning April 5) panel at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour actors Claire Foy, Damian Lewis and Mark Rylance, and executive producer Colin Callender, director Peter Kosminsky, and series executive producer Rebecca Eaton, discussed the six-hour miniseries which is a dramatic look at the adversarial relationship between Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell for the favor of King Henry VIII. It’s a story often told, perhaps Showtime’s The Tudors being the most famous onscreen adaptation of late. But this is PBS, so the sex, torture and violence won’t be quite as prominently displayed in […]

“The Great British Baking Show” makes U.S. premiere on PBS tonight

December 28, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

Following its huge success in the U.K. (where it is known as The Great British Bake Off and has become the highest-rated food show ever made in Britain), The Great British Baking Show is crossing the pond for 10 weeks starting tonight on PBS. The competition series features 12 passionate amateur bakers whose goal is to be the U.K.’s best. The series follows the trials and tribulations of the competitors — young and old, from diverse backgrounds across Britain — as they work to prove their baking prowess. Each week, the bakers tackle a different skill, the difficulty of which increases as the competition […]

Set list for “Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek LIVE!” on PBS

October 21, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

This Friday, Oct. 24, PBS’ Great Performances will air a taped performance of Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek LIVE! as part of the PBS Arts Fall Festival. The special airs at 9pm ET (check local listings). Recorded on July 28 at Lincoln Center, the hourlong special, which I’ve had a chance to screen, is impressively entertaining, featuring a variety of jazz standards from the Great American Songbook, each handpicked by the artists. The performance features solo performances and duets, with Lady Gaga, as you might expect, almost continually surprising the live and home audiences with an array […]