Ken Burns' Country Music returns to Rocky Mountain PBS for an encore presentation starting January 3 to February 21. A new episode will return each week with three broadcast airings: Fridays at 8pm and midnight, and Saturdays at 10pm. See the full broadcast and streaming schedules below.
Watch now with RMPBS Passport
All eight episodes are available to RMPBS Passport members for streaming until May 21, 2020. Learn how to become a member or activate your RMPBS Passport account at rmpbs.org/passport to watch Country Music now!
Watch online and on the PBS Video App
Each episode will become available for streaming on the PBS Video App and pbs.org the day of the encore presentation, and remain available for a two-week window before becoming available exclusively to Passport members.
Country Music Rebroadcast Streaming Schedule
Air Date | Show | Episode | General Streaming Start Date | General Streaming End Date | Passport End Date |
1/3/2020 | Country Music | The Rub (Beginnings – 1933) | 1/3/2020 | 1/17/2020 | 5/31/2020 |
1/10/2020 | Country Music | Hard Times (1933 – 1945) | 1/10/2020 | 1/24/2020 | 5/31/2020 |
1/17/2020 | Country Music | The Hillbilly Shakespeare (1945 – 1953) | 1/17/2020 | 1/31/2020 | 5/31/2020 |
1/24/2020 | Country Music | I Can’t Stop Loving You (1954 – 1964) | 1/24/2020 | 2/7/2020 | 5/31/2020 |
1/31/2020 | Country Music | The Sons and Daughters of America (1964 – 1968) | 1/31/2020 | 2/14/2020 | 5/31/2020 |
2/7/2020 | Country Music | Will the Circle be Unbroken (1968 – 1972) | 2/7/2020 | 2/21/2020 | 5/31/2020 |
2/14/2020 | Country Music | Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way (1973 – 1983) | 2/14/2020 | 2/28/2020 | 5/31/2020 |
2/21/2020 | Country Music | Don’t Get Above Your Raisin’ (1984 – 1996) | 2/21/2020 | 3/6/2020 | 5/31/2020 |
Encore Broadcast Schedule
Ep.1: "The Rub (Beginnings -1933)"
Friday, January 3 at 8pm and midnight
Saturday, January 4 at 10pm
See how what was first called "hillbilly music" reaches new audiences through phonographs and radio, and launches the careers of country music's first big stars, the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers.
Ep. 2: "Hard Times (1933 -1945)"
Friday, January 10 at 8pm and midnight
Saturday, January 11 at 10pm
Watch as Nashville becomes the heart of the country music industry. The genre grows in popularity during the Great Depression and World War II as America falls in love with singing cowboys, Texas Swing and the Grand Ole Opry's Roy Acuff.
Ep. 3: "The Hillbilly Shakespeare (1945 -1953)"
Friday, January 17 at 8pm and midnight
Saturday, January 18 at 10pm
See how the bluegrass sound spreads in post-war America, and meet honky-tonk star Hank Williams, whose songs of surprisingly emotional depth are derived from his troubled and tragically short life.
Ep. 4: "I Can't Stop Loving You (1953 -1963)"
Friday, January 24 at 8pm and midnight
Saturday, January 25 at 10pm
Travel to Memphis, where Sun Studios artists Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley usher in the era of rockabilly. Ray Charles crosses America's racial divide by recording a country album.
Ep. 5: "The Sons and Daughters of America (1964 -1968)"
Friday, January 31 at 8pm and midnight
Saturday, February 1 at 10pm
See how country music reflects a changing America, with Loretta Lynn speaking to women everywhere, Merle Haggard becoming "The Poet of the Common Man" and audiences looking beyond race to embrace Charley Pride.
Ep. 6: "Will The Circle Be Unbroken? (1968 -1972)"
Friday, February 7 at 8pm and midnight
Saturday, February 8 at 10pm
Learn how country music responds to a nation divided by the Vietnam War, as Army captain turned songwriter Kris Kristofferson sets a new lyrical standard, and artists like Bob Dylan and the Byrds find a recording home in Nashville.
Ep. 7: "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way? (1973 -1983)"
Friday, February 14 at 8pm and midnight
Saturday, February 15 at 10pm
Witness a vibrant era in country music, with Dolly Parton finding mainstream success; Hank Williams, Jr. and Rosanne Cash emerging from their famous fathers' shadows; and Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings launching the "Outlaw" movement.
Ep. 8: "Don't Get Above Your Raisin (1984 -1996)"
Friday, February 21 at 8pm and midnight
Saturday, February 22 at 10pm
Learn how "New Traditionalists" like George Strait, Randy Travis and the Judds help country music stay true to its roots. Witness both the rise of superstar Garth Brooks and the return of an aging Johnny Cash to the industry he helped create.
