WXXI TV

POV: Name Me Lawand • WXXI-TV

Lawand, deaf from birth, seeks a fresh start with his family in the UK after a traumatic year in a refugee camp.

POV: Name Me Lawand airs Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

At Derby’s Royal School for the Deaf, he learns sign language and discovers a way to communicate with the world. As he thrives, his family faces deportation, challenging their stability. Name Me Lawand is a love letter to the power of friendship and community.

his program is presented as part of Dialogue on Disability, a partnership between WXXI and Al Sigl Community of Agencies – in conjunction with the Herman and Margaret Schwartz Community Series. Dialogue on Disability is supported by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation with additional support from The Golisano Foundation. The weeklong initiative runs January 13-19, 2025

WXXI and Al Sigl have been hosting Dialogue on Disability since 2005. In 2014, with the support of businessman and philanthropist Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation, Move to Include™ was formed. This initiative enables WXXI to present and develop programming that promotes inclusion year round.

37th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards • WXXI-TV

This year’s Hispanic Heritage Awardees include Designer Carolina Herrera, Beautyblender Creator Rea Ann Silva, and NBA Legend Carmelo Anthony.

37th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards premieres Fridays, September 27 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

The ceremony will be taped for broadcast on Thursday, September 5th, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Opera House. The HHAs, supported by 40 national Hispanic-serving institutions, were established by The White House in 1988 to commemorate the creation of Hispanic Heritage Month in America and broadcast on PBS. The Awards are commonly known as “America’s Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration.”

VOCES American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos • WXXI-TV & WORLD

Inspired by his quest to uncover Latino and Latina heroes and their contributions, this new three-part series brings acclaimed Broadway and film actor John Leguizamo’s passion from the stage to the screen.

VOCES American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos premieres Fridays, September 27 and October 4 and 11 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams on PBS.org and the PBS App. After the premiere, the episodes can be watched on-demand here.

Also airing on WXXI-World

Episode 1: Echoes of Empires airs on World:

WXXI World | Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 05:00 am

WXXI World | Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 11:00 am

Episode 2: Threads in the American Tapestry

WXXI World | Thursday, Oct. 10 at 07:00 pm

WXXI World | Friday, Oct. 11 at 12:00 am

WXXI World | Friday, Oct. 11 at 08:00 am

WXXI World | Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 05:00 am

WXXI World | Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 11:00 am

Episode 3: Solidarity in the New Era

WXXI World | Thursday, Oct. 17 at 07:00 pm

WXXI World | Friday, Oct. 18 at 12:00 am

WXXI World | Friday, Oct. 18 at 08:00 am

In this series, Leguizamo takes viewers on a captivating journey, delving into both well-known and lesser-known stories of Latino history and contributions, spanning thousands of years from the Ancient Empires to the early 1970s. Through this exploration, he aims to shine a light on the rich and often overlooked history of Latinos while showcasing how Latino history is American history.

Filmed on location in Mexico and throughout the U.S., American Historia features Leguizamo in conversation with over a dozen leading historians, anthropologists, authors and experts. The series also features actors, including Benjamin Bratt, Bryan Cranston, Rosario Dawson, Laurence Fishburne, Ethan Hawke, Edward James Olmos, Rosie Perez, Liev Schreiber, reading original source materials.

“If our contributions were written back into history textbooks, can you imagine how America would see us?’ says Leguizamo. “More importantly, can you imagine how we would see ourselves?”

Photo: Creator and host John Leguizamo on the set of AMERICAN HISTORIA./ Credit: NGL Studios

POV “Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?” • WXXI-TV

POV spotlights courage, resilience, and youthful idealism, in this film directed by Joe Piscatella, and produced by Mark Rinehart and Matthew Torne.

POV “Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?” airs Monday, September 23 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and available to stream until November 22, 2024 at pbs.org, and the PBS App.

At 21, Nathan Law was a leader of Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution. By 23, he became Hong Kong’s youngest elected lawmaker. At 26, he was “Most Wanted” under the National Security Law. Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?, a co-presentation with Preserving Democracy, a public media initiative from The WNET Group, offers a close look at the city’s most famous dissident to uncover what happens to freedom when an authoritarian power goes unchecked.

In addition to standard closed captioning for the film, POV, in partnership with audio description service DiCapta, provides real time audio interpretations for audiences with sensory disabilities. Now in its 37th season, POV continues to mark its place as America’s longest running non-fiction series.

In Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law? shy college freshman, Nathan Law, discovers an identity in activism. As one of the organizers of a student strike demanding that Hong Kong be allowed to elect their own leader (something promised to them back in 1998), Nathan leads five days of student boycotts with a message of peaceful civil disobedience. When the strike suddenly becomes the Umbrella Revolution, Nathan is unexpectedly thrust into a leadership role that shuts down Hong Kong for 79 days and captures the attention of the world.

When the movement falters, Nathan is charged for his role in the Umbrella Revolution, and his entire generation in Hong Kong has been awoken. Riding the enthusiasm of the student movement he helped spark, Nathan makes the impossible transition from protest leader to elected official, becoming the youngest lawmaker in Hong Kong’s history where he continues his fight for democracy from inside the government.

Fearful of Nathan’s message gaining traction beyond students, the government disqualifies Nathan on a technicality and sends him to jail. As Hong Kong continues to see the erosion of its freedom, a new movement is launched. Whereas the Umbrella Revolution was driven by hope, this new movement is driven by desperation. Nathan’s message of civil disobedience is overshadowed by a new generation of protestors who no longer feel that peaceful demonstrations can save Hong Kong. As Hong Kong descends into the biggest political crisis in modern Chinese history, Nathan must decide his role and his future.

Photo: Nathan Law/ Credit: Provided

Deadlock • WXXI-TV

Hosted by Aaron Tang of UC Davis School of Law, Deadlock aims to foster constructive dialogue and critical thinking amidst today’s societal challenges.

Deadlock airs Friday, September 20 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams on PBS.org, YouTube and the PBS app.

Over the hour, Tang will skillfully navigate panelists through thought-provoking hypothetical situations designed to challenge their beliefs and prompt deep introspection.

“The current climate of American discourse finds us deeply entrenched and overconfident in our own beliefs,” said moderator Aaron Tang, Professor of Law at UC Davis. “Deadlock aims to illuminate how, for many of the difficult challenges facing our nation, the honest answers are nuanced and complex. Our goal is to spark open-mindedness and help people find the middle ground instead of retreating to our usual corners.”

Deadlock explores fundamental topics about community and responsibility, triggering legal, moral and ethical responses. As the hypothetical scenarios follow intricate twists and turns, panelists and viewers alike will find themselves asking the soul-searching question, “What would I do?”

Photo:

TCA Summer 2024 presentation of Deadlock – Aaron Tang, Andy Lack, and John Bredar/ Credit: Courtesy Rob Latour/Shutterstock for Television Critics Association

America’s Test Kitchen Celebrates 25 Years • WXXI-TV

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the most-watched cooking show on public television, the cast of America’s Test Kitchen is hosting a party!

America’s Test Kitchen Celebrates 25 Years premieres Monday, September 16 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

In America’s Test Kitchen Celebrates 25 Years, hosts Bridget Lancaster and (Rochester native) Julia Collin Davison and the test cooks highlight the food, science, kitchen ingenuity, and fun that have made the show a fan favorite for over 600 episodes and bring viewers behind-the-scenes to see how it all gets made. The special includes cast interviews, archival content, and demonstrations of iconic dishes like homemade pasta, margaritas, and crème brulée.

Photo: Title card/ Credit: Provided

Moonflower Murders on Masterpiece • WXXI-TV

This new six-part drama, based on the bestselling novel written by Anthony Horowitz, CBE, is a sequel to the acclaimed 2022 Masterpiece adaptation of Horowitz’s Magpie Murders.

Moonflower Murders on Masterpiece premieres Sunday, September 15 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Returning in the lead roles they originated in Magpie Murders are Academy Award-nominee Lesley Manville (The Crown, Phantom Thread) as editor turned sleuth Susan Ryeland and Timothy McMullan (Patrick Melrose, The Crown) as famous literary detective Atticus Pünd.
Moonflower Murders is the second novel in Horowitz’s Susan Ryeland series. Published in 2020, it was lauded as “a fiendishly plotted crime novel, with a fabulous twist” by the Guardian and picks up where Magpie Murders left off: Susan has left the cut-throat world of publishing and is living in Crete with her longtime boyfriend, Andreas. She ends up returning to London when she is asked to investigate a mystery relating to Alan Conway, the author of the bestselling Atticus Pünd mysteries, whose death changed her life in Magpie Murders.

Photo: Susan Ryeland (Lesley Manville)/ Credit: Eleventh Hour Films and MASTERPIECE

iHeartRadio Live with New Kids on the Block • WXXI-TV

Celebrate the enduring legacy of the multi-platinum-selling pop icons that continue to capture the hearts of millions in this unforgettable musical experience.

iHeartRadio Live with New Kids on the Block airs Friday, September 6 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV

New Kids on the Block — aka NKOTB — are back with their recently released album Still Kids, the group’s eighth full-length studio album and first album in over a decade. Taped at the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles in May 2024, iHeartRadio Live with New Kids on the Block features band members Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood performing the pop anthems, dance tracks and love songs that are fan favorites of the Blockheads. Relive the magic of their biggest hits with newly recorded performances of “Step By Step,” “Please Don’t Go Girl,” “Hangin Tough,” “Cover Girl,” and “Tonight,” as well as fresh hits from the new album, including their instant smash, new single “Kids.” In addition to an intimate performance, the special features an in-depth interview with band members and a nostalgic reflection on their incredible careers.

Photo: New Kids on the Block/Credit: Austin Hargrave