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American Masters “LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story” • WXXI-TV

Take an intimate look into the life of Liza Minnelli, best known for her Oscar-winning role in Cabaret. Following in the footsteps of her mother Judy Garland, Minnelli used her boundless raw talent to build her own legacy in showbiz.

American Masters “LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story” re-airs Sunday, August 10 at 7 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

American Masters dives into the star’s life and career with interviews with interviews with Michael Feinstein, Ben Vereen, Mia Farrow, Darren Criss, and more.

Liza Minnelli was born in the spotlight and has spent her life entertaining audiences with her magnetic charm and formidable talents as an actress, singer and dancer. The daughter of the legendary Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli, Liza made a name for herself as an influential performer and celebrated EGOT winner, having received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and four Tony Awards. Learn how Minnelli became the star she is today, navigating professional and personal challenges with the help of extraordinary mentors in American Masters – LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story.

Featuring archival footage and stills, performance clips and new interviews with Minnelli, LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story is an intimate look into her dynamic life, from her complex relationship with her mother to her skyrocketing stardom after her Academy Award-winning role in Cabaret. The film dives into her relationships with her most trusted mentors, like Kay Thompson, Fred Ebb, Charles Aznavour, Halston and Bob Fosse, and their profound influence on Minnelli throughout her decades-long career.

Coronation Girls • WXXI-TV

Women who witnessed the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953 return to Buckingham Palace

Coronation Girls airs Monday, March 31 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the web, WXXI app (Android & Apple IOS ) and PBS App.

In the summer of 1953, philanthropist Garfield Weston put together a sponsorship to send 50 girls from rural communities across Canada to visit London. They were soon standing in Oxford Street to witness the coronation procession of Queen Elizabeth. Witnessing a princess becoming the queen of England transformed them instantly and forever. The elements of character they saw in her, a young woman so close in age to themselves who took on the weight of the Crown, inspired them and shaped a way of being that has guided their lives. Featuring guest appearances by actor Richard E. Grant and His Majesty King Charles III, Coronation Girls includes interviews with a number of the women who participated in the trip and follows them as they return one last time to Buckingham Palace.

The Black Sox Scandal: American Stories • WXXI-TV

It was the most notorious scandal in pro sports history: eight Chicago White Sox players threw the 1919 World Series for a payout.

The Black Sox Scandal: American Stories airs Sunday, March 23 at 7 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

This film explores how and why these athletes, including “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, worked together to betray their teammates and fans for a risky payout. The film examines how their wild scheme came to light as well as the events that followed. The hour-long documentary also seeks to dispel myths about the team’s then-owner, Charles Comiskey, while exploring the scandal’s lingering impact on the modern-day game.

Kris Kristofferson: Life & Songs • WXXI-TV

A 2016 concert celebrates Kris Kristofferson.

Kris Kristofferson: Life & Songs re-airs Thursday, August 14 at 9:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Celebrate Kristofferson in a 2016 concert featuring a multigenerational “Who’s Who” of country greats, including Dierks Bentley, Rosanne Cash, Eric Church, Emmylou Harris, Jamey Johnson, Alison Krauss, Lady A, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson, Jennifer Nettles, Darius Rucker and Hank Williams Jr. Go backstage for interviews with the artists who explore his enduring influence.

America’s Home Cooking: Sweets • WXXI-TV

Celebrate everyone’s favorite course — dessert!

America’s Home Cooking: Sweets airs Saturday, March 15 at 12 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Host Chris Fennimore walks you through some of his favorite, mouth-watering recipes like Kentucky Derby pie and loaded chocolate biscotti. Learn the tradition around Nana’s Italian love cake and get instructions on how to make the perfect truffle.

Whitney Houston: The Concert for a New South Africa • WXXI-TV

Whitney Houston performs in Durban in 1994, marking the first major Western artist to visit post-apartheid South Africa after Mandela’s election.

Whitney Houston: The Concert for a New South Africa airs Friday, March 14 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Celebrate Houston’s transcendent 1994 performance, which brought joy to a newly liberated country. Houston was the first major Western recording artist to perform in the post-apartheid nation following President Nelson Mandela’s historic election.

Jacqueline du Pré: Genius and Tragedy • WXXI-TV

Celebrate the enigmatic cellist whose career was cruelly curtailed by multiple sclerosis at age 28.

Jacqueline du Pré: Genius and Tragedy airs Friday, March 28 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Those who know, consider Jacqueline du Pré one of the greatest cellists of all time – certainly in the top three – despite a career that was cruelly curtailed by multiple sclerosis at just twenty-eight years old. The force of nature took away her prodigious gift and her joy of performing and she endured fourteen years of unremitting illness. However, during her short time on the international concert platform – about a decade – she had the musical world at her feet, with an expressive style that cast a spell on anyone who saw her perform. Introduced and narrated by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Jacqueline du Pre: Genius and Tragedy, tells the story of who she was and why she was such an extraordinary musician.

It is full of candid moments off stage and in rehearsal, together with powerful concert performances. The Elgar Cello Concerto would become her signature piece and the benchmark against which all other renditions would be measured; its lamenting melody, inescapably resonating with her own tragic demise. In swinging 1960s London, the Beatles were topping the pop charts, but Jacqueline du Pre was the poster child for a new golden generation of artists and friends, who injected a youthful excitement into a staid industry a classical ‘rat pack’ that included Pinchas Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman, Zubin Mehta and her husband, Daniel Barenboim. As a glamourous and musically charged couple, Barenboim and du Pre were like a modern version of Clara and Robert Schumann; together, they devoured the cello and piano repertoire and the recordings they made continue to delight audiences across the globe. Du Pre was a blithe spirit, known to her friends as ‘Smiley’ but on stage with her cello, she could communicate the most profound feelings, found in the depths of great music. Our interviews provide an incomparable insight from those who knew du Pre best, including RuthAnn Cannings, who cared for her throughout her illness. Described as, “beyond words,” du Pre’s innate abilities confounded even her fellow musicians, who struggled to rationalize how music flowed so naturally from her. She studied under the greats – Casals, Tortelier, and Rostropovich – but it is sequences with her teacher William Pleeth, her “cello daddy,” that provide some of our most intimate and engaging footage. The affection for Jacqueline du Pre and the wonder at her playing remains undiminished, nearly forty years after her death in 1987.

This film is presented as part of Move to Include^TM, an award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.

Going Your Way • WXXI-TV

This special focuses on the personal, medical, and spiritual issues surrounding end-of-life care, the options available, and steps that can be taken to put those wishes to practical use.

Going Your Way airs Saturday, April 5 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

The documentary’s title highlights the active role many people are now taking to ensure their death goes according to their own plans and wishes. End-of-life planning doesn’t have to be painful. We’ll learn from the experts and real people who have stories to share about preparing for life and death.

This special WXXI broadcast is made possible with support from Oasis Rochester.