RMPBS Passport
June 2025 Watch Lists
Juneteenth Picks
Becoming Frederick Douglass
Discover how a man born into slavery became one of the nation’s most influential leaders.
Ken Burns The Civil War | 1861: "The Cause"
Beginning with a searing indictment of slavery, this first episode dramatically evokes the causes of the war, from the Cotton Kingdom of the South to the northern abolitionists who opposed it. Here are the burning questions of Union and states' rights, John Brown at Harpers Ferry, the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, the firing on Fort Sumter, and the jubilant rush to arms on both sides.
GOSPEL
From the blues to hip hop, African Americans have been the driving force of sonic innovation for over a century. Musical styles come and go, but there's one sound that has been a constant source of strength, courage and wisdom on any given Sunday. GOSPEL, the latest history series from Henry Louis Gates, Jr., digs deep into the origin story of Black spirituality through sermon and song.
GOSPEL Live!
GOSPEL Live! Presented by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is a one-of-a-kind musical celebration that honors the legacy and influence of Gospel music in America. Contemporary artists join celebrated gospel singers to perform their favorite gospel classics.
NOVA | Lee and Liza's Family Tree
With the help of scientists and genealogists, filmmaker Byron Hurt and his family members search for their ancestors. Follow their journey as they hunt for new details of a history long obscured by the enduring legacy of slavery.
Pride Month Picks
American Masters | James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket
The life, works and beliefs of the late writer and civil rights activist are recounted: what it is to be born black, impoverished, gifted, and gay in a world that has yet to understand that “all men are brothers.” James Baldwin tells his own story in this emotional portrait.
American Experience | Stonewall Uprising
In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City. That night the street erupted into violent protests and street demonstrations that lasted for the next three days. The Stonewall riots marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world.
POV | Who I Am Not
Sharon-Rose Khumalo, a South African beauty queen, faces an identity crisis after discovering she's intersex. Her path crosses with Dimakatso Sebidi, a masculine-presenting intersex activist, as they both navigate a journey marked by society’s stigma and inner struggles. Intertwining raw reality with poetic beauty, Who I am Not captures the heart-wrenching fight for acceptance in a binary world.
Independent Lens | No Straight Lines
When Alison Bechdel received a coveted MacArthur Award for her best-selling graphic memoir Fun Home, it heralded the acceptance of LGBTQ+ comics in American culture. From DIY underground comix scene to mainstream acceptance, meet five smart and funny queer comics artists whose uncensored commentary left no topic untouched and explored art as a tool for social change.
Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution
Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution is a new three-part series that tells the surprising and overlooked history of disco: its origins, its triumphs, its fall and its legacy. Told by the original musicians, promoters and innovators – as well as modern day musical icons – the series charts disco from its inception in the early 70s to global domination in the latter part of the decade up to its violent end in the summer of 1979. Episode 2, Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now, covers how disco conquering mainstream music turned Black women and gay men into icons.
RMPBS Passport
May 2025 Watch Lists
May 2025 Watch Lists
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Picks
Journey of the Bonesetter's Daughter
Follow the creation of the San Francisco Opera’s celebrated production of Amy Tan’s bestselling book of the same name. An ambitious, cross-cultural tour de force that brings together artists from China and the U.S, the opera tells a deeply moving story about the difficult but unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters—inspired by Tan’s own family history.
PBS Arts Talk | Ann Curry with Min Jin Lee
Award-winning journalist Ann Curry conducts a deep, frank interview with author and New York State Writers Hall of Fame inductee Min Jin Lee about her book “Pachinko” and beyond. Lee shares her personal connection to the material of her bestselling novel, and also discusses her close relationship with religion and her tenacity in the fight against Asian hate.
Finding Your Roots | Stranger than Fiction
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals inspiring ancestors of novelist Amy Tan & poet Rita Dove.
Memorial Day Picks
After Action
Hosted by Air Force combat veteran Stacy Pearsall, "After Action" reveals the experiences of 21 diverse veterans from across the country. Conversations about life before, during and after action provide a deeper appreciation for those who’ve served.
Elvis and the USS Arizona
The story of how one of music's biggest icons helped to establish a USS Arizona memorial.
USS Indianapolis: The Final Chapter
In July 1945, the USS Indianapolis has just delivered “Little Boy” – the atomic bomb destined for Hiroshima – when she is sunk by a Japanese sub. 300 sailors go down with her, and the 900 survivors drift for four and a half days, battling the sun, thirst, sharks, and their own fear. Ultimately, only 316 of them are pulled from the sea alive.
RMPBS Passport
April 2025 Watch Lists
April 2025 Watch Lists
Earth Month Picks
Hope in the Water
From Emmy Award winning producer Andrew Zimmern, in collaboration with multi-award-winner and storytelling visionary David E. Kelley, Hope in the Water explores the groundbreaking work of dedicated fishers, aqua farmers, and scientists who are attempting what was once thought impossible: harvesting aquatic species to feed our growing planet while saving our oceans.
American Experience | The Fatal Flood
In 1927, the Mississippi River flooded from New Orleans to Illinois, leaving a million people homeless and leading to a major black migration to the North.
Nature | Soul of the Ocean
Explore humanity’s relationship with nature and wildlife, as scientists and conservationists from all over the world examine ways we can restore our planet.
Holocaust Remembrance Picks
After Action
Hosted by Air Force combat veteran Stacy Pearsall, "After Action" reveals the experiences of 21 diverse veterans from across the country. Conversations about life before, during and after action provide a deeper appreciation for those who’ve served.
Escape from a Nazi Death Camp
October 14, 2013, was the 70th anniversary of an event that shook the Nazi party to its core. In east Poland, at Sobibor, the remote Nazi death camp, 300 Jewish prisoners staged a bloody break out. This film travels back to Sobibor with the last remaining survivors to reveal their extraordinary story of courage, desperation and determination.
The Jewish Journey: America
Trace Jewish immigration to the US through the centuries. Interviews with top scholars in Jewish history, notable Jewish-American writers, and many immigrants themselves detail the varied stories of migration through the last five centuries, with a rarely explored look at the actual journeys to get here.