WXXI
Go Public
Join the stellar cast for a staged concert of the beloved musical that became a worldwide phenomenon seen by over 120 million people.
Les Misérables: The Staged Concert airs Sunday, March 2 at 7 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.
Coinciding with its 35th triumphant year in London’s West End and featuring a cast and orchestra of over 65, the show’s magnificent score includes the songs “I Dreamed A Dream,” “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More” and “On My Own”.
WXXI provides special coverage of the debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
PBS News Special: ABC Presidential Debate Simulcast airs Tuesday, September 10 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and on WXXI News, and streaming at WXXINews.org.
PBS will provide live coverage and analysis of the debate between Governor Tim Walz and Senator JD Vance. The broadcast will begin with a simulcast of the debate, followed immediately by PBS News special coverage co-anchored by Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett, with reporting from White House correspondent Laura Barrón-López and Capitol Hill correspondent Lisa Desjardins, and expert analysis from additional guests.
NPR will provide Live Special Coverage of the ABC News Presidential Debate hosted by Mary Louise Kelly. Also joining the coverage: NPR Senior Political Editor and Correspondent Domenico Montanaro, NPR Political Correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben and White House Correspondent Deepa Shivaram.
Five-time Grammy® winners Snarky Puppy play host to four of the most important singers in the Spanish-speaking world.
NEXT on Kennedy Center “Snarky Puppy: The Family We Make” airs Friday, October 11 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV.
Fuensanta (Mexico), Gaby Moreno (Guatemala), Silvana Estrada (Mexico), and Silvia Pérez Cruz (Spain) represent different generations, continents, and musical traditions, but are bound together by their ability to communicate the deepest of emotions through song.
This one-night-only performance will feature music by all four women arranged by and performed with Snarky Puppy.
Snarky Puppy is a collective of sorts with as many as 20 members in regular rotation. At its core, the band represents the convergence of both black and white American music culture with various accents from around the world. The defining characteristic of Snarky Puppy’s music is the joy of performing together in the perpetual push to grow creatively.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the deep Mexican roots of talk show host Mario Lopez and comedian Melissa Villaseñor, uncovering ancestors stretching back to the 1500s.
Finding Your Roots “Mexican Roots” airs Tuesday, September 24 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV.
Weaving together stories of migratory farmers, Spanish Conquistadors and Native Americans, Gates conjures up personal histories of diverse, sometimes conflicting, elements.
“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?”
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.
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.”
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 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
Keep informed about what’s happening in your community and WXXI by signing up for our newsletters.