WXXI TV

Geraldine Ferraro made herstory when she became the first female nominee for national office by a major party.

Geraldine Ferraro: Paving the Way airs Thursday, August 29 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

This feature-length documentary looks at the life of this trailblazer, who served as role model for women and men across the nation and around the world. It features never-before-seen archival footage and stills, intimate interviews with Ferraro and commentary by many of the leading political figures of our day, including President Bill Clinton and Secretary Hillary Clinton, President and Mrs. George H. W. Bush, Vice President Walter Mondale, Secretary Madeleine Albright, Senators Barbara Mikulski and Olympia Snowe, Congresswomen Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Kennelly and Jane Harman, Congressmen Vic Fazio and Tony Coelho and many others. Filmmaker Donna Zaccaro creates a moving, powerful and oftentimes surprising portrait of her mother, who changed the face of American politics forever.

An amateur historian, Makis Metaxas, claims he found the bones of Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey. But the discovery is soon embroiled in controversy, and Makis embarks on his own odyssey to convince the world he is right.

Odysseus Returns airs Wednesday, August 28 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Is King Odysseus, the Trojan-horse-building genius in Homer’s epic poem The Iliad, merely a figure of ancient fiction? Or was he flesh-and-blood man? In 1991, Makis Metaxas, a local politician on the Greek island of Kefalonia, discovers a 3000-year-old Mycenaean tomb. Soon, Greece’s leading archeologist, Lazaros Kolonas, begins two years of excavation. The dig culminates with the unearthing of an object that bears an uncanny resemblance to one described by Homer as a prized possession of King Odysseus. But these incredible findings only trigger a storm of controversy.

Now, after three decades of suppression, the story can at last be shared with the world, and the evidence found in the tomb is ready to be scientifically analyzed. Makis and his wife, Hettie Metaxas-Putman Cramer, reveal how they uncovered ancient clues in Homer’s text that lead them to search the area where they later found the tomb. And archeologist Lazaros Kolonas finally returns to the site to go on the record about whether this tomb really belonged to the legendary king, Odysseus.

While known for cinema classics such as “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “Days of Wine and Roses” and the “Pink Panther” series, the iconic director, screenwriter, and producer Blake Edwards was also a sculptor and painter, loving husband, and devoted father.

American Masters “Blake Edwards A Love Story in 24 Frames” airs Tuesday, August 27 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV

Featuring never-before-seen archival video and stills, this documentary offers an exploration into the filmmaker’s complex life and genre-spanning career, as shared by filmmakers and family. Edwards’ story is further illuminated through interviews with devoted family members, fans and those who have worked with him, including wife Julie Andrews, children Jennifer and Geoffrey Edwards, Lesley Ann Warren (“Victor/Victoria”), Bo Derek , Rob Marshall, Rian Johnson and more.

Born in 1922, an artistically minded young Blake Edwards began his Hollywood career as an actor, but quickly pivoted to writing and directing. While Edwards redefined slapstick comedy through a lens that still resonates with today’s directors and actors, he was influential across many genres, including dramas, detective films, musicals and even Broadway theater productions. See how his life changed when he met Andrews and how their creative partnership informed films such as “10,” “S.O.B.” and “That’s Life!” Edwards is remembered fondly by those who knew him. Or as Andrews herself puts it, “I don’t think I ever met a man as charismatic, as wicked, as funny, as vulnerable, as angry at times, as adorable and sweet as Blake.”

Dive into the 1976 presidential race between Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. 

 Feeling Good About America: The 1976 Presidential Election airs Saturday, August 24 at 4 p.m. on WXXI-TV

The documentary explores Ford’s pardon of Richard Nixon, the anti-establishment sentiment surging through the country, Carter’s primary strategy in a crowded field, and the challenge to Ford by Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination. 

Using a combination of archival clips and interviews, the film examines this close race and discusses how the 1976 Presidential election was the last time in which the country wasn’t polarized in the manner it is today. The documentary features: historian and author Douglas Brinkley; political analyst Larry J. Sabato; journalist and political commentator Fred Barnes; Carter’s National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski; and President Ford’s son, Jack Ford; among many others.

Follow the live, special coverage of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, co-anchored by News Hour’s Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett.

PBS News Democratic National Convention airs Monday, August 19 through Thursday, August 22 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on WXXI-TV. Special NPR coverage airs Monday through Thursday starting at 9 p.m. on WXXI News.

Follow the Democratic Convention to get coverage of the rally around Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, as the new Democratic nominees for President and Vice President of the United States.

At the convention, Democrats will come together to lay out the current values and goals of the Democratic Party with speeches from key members of the party including Harris and Waltz.

Frontline: Biden’s Decision provides the inside story behind President Joe Biden’s shocking decision to drop out of the 2024 Presidential Election.

Frontline: Biden’s Decision airs Tuesday, August 6 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV

Behind President Joe Biden’s fateful decision are decades of challenges, controversies, triumphs, and tragedies within his long-run political career. FRONTLINE tells the inside story of Biden’s rise to the presidency, and the personal and political forces that shaped him and led to his dramatic decision to step aside.