WXXI TV

Jazz vocalist Samara Joy makes her debut at London’s Royal Albert Hall, offering unique twists on classic songs ranging from bossa nova to the Great American Songbook.

Great Performances “Samara Joy at Royal Albert Hall” airs Friday, February 27 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Following a win at the 2026 Grammy Awards for Best Jazz vocal album and double wins at the Grammys in 2023 and 2025, Bronx native Samara Joy makes her much-anticipated debut at the BBC Proms at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

On Thursday, March 12th, WXXI President & CEO Chris Hastings hosted a Community Town Hall, where he shared his vision for the future and talked with key members of our team about our commitment to serving this region. The Town Hall concluded with a moderated Q&A.

The Town Hall will repeat on Saturday, March 21 at 3 p.m. and Sunday, March 22 at 11:30 a.m. on WXXI-TV. It is also available on-demand. See below for the YouTube version.

Chris was joined by:

• Julio Sáenz, Chief Content Officer
• Cara Rager, MS. Ed., Director of Early Learning
• Evan Dawson, host of “Connections”
  

Watch now:

For those who don’t enjoy watching the big game, WXXI-TV offers a dramatic alternative – a marathon of Magpie Murders on Masterpiece, followed by the regular PBS Sunday night lineup.

Super Drama Sunday kicks off Sunday, February 8 at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

Binge all six episode of Magpie Murders, a beguiling mystery-within-a-mystery adapted from Anthony Horowitz’s bestselling book by the author himself. With a solution that will both astonish and shock viewers, the plot of Magpie Murders revolves around the character Susan Ryeland, an editor who is given an unfinished manuscript of author Alan Conway’s latest novel, with little idea of how it will change her life. Magpie Murders stars Lesley Manville (World on Fire, Phantom Thread, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris) as editor turned amateur sleuth Susan Ryeland and Tim McMullan (Patrick Melrose, Foyle’s War) as world-famous fictional detective Atticus Pünd.

Our Magpie Murders Marathon will be followed by new episodes of RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor Service (7p.m.), Miss Scarlet on Masterpiece “The Night Shift” (8 p.m.) All Creatures Great & Small on Masterpiece “Fixes” (9 p.m.), and Bookish “Such Devoted Sisters, Pt. 1.”

Photo: Lesley Manville as Susan Ryeland in Magpie Murders.

Celebrates America’s rich and varied musical traditions and their modern offshoots through engaging performances and conversations. 

My Music with Rhiannon Giddens airs Saturdays, February 7 – March 21 at 11:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI app.

Grammy winner and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Rhiannon Giddens hosts a new half-hour series of musical performance and conversation with outstanding guest artists—innovative and accomplished musicians and storytellers who have forged unconventional paths to find their voices.

Episode one “Old Friends” 2/7: Rhiannon Giddens visits with three lifelong friends — Justin Robinson, co-founder of Carolina Chocolate Drops, her sister Lalenja Harrington and singer-songwriter Laurelyn Dossett.

Episode two “Allison Russell” 2/14: Canadian singer-songwriter and activist Allison Russell.

Episode three “Rissi Palmer” 2/21: Songs and stories from country music artist Rissi Palmer.

Episode four “Charly Lowry” 2/28: A visit with singer-songwriter Charly Lowry at her tribal homeland of Robeson County, North Carolina, where she explains how her Native American roots and experiences inform her music.

Episode five “Adia Victoria” 3/7: Indie artist Adia Victoria talks about her strict religious upbringing and self-discovery through the blues.

Episode six “Joy Clark” 3/14: Lyrical guitarist Joy Clark, a rising singer-songwriter on the Americana music scene.

Episode seven “My Music Lately” 3/21: Rhiannon Giddens talks with her partner and musical collaborator, Italian multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, about their musical affinities and vision of musical heritage that crosses borders.

Do speech buttons really allow dogs to talk to us? Scientists investigate.

NOVA “Can Dogs Talk?” airs Tuesday, February 4 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Imagine a world where your furry best friend could tell you exactly what they’re thinking. A growing number of dog owners claim this is already happening, thanks to innovative word buttons that seem to unlock a new realm of canine communication. But are these dogs truly understanding what we’re saying — and talking back? Are they really thinking creatively, applying words in new contexts? Or is this just clever conditioning? To find out, scientists are conducting the largest animal communication study in history, analyzing millions of button presses from thousands of dogs worldwide. Witness astonishing moments that challenge our assumptions about animal intelligence, from dogs that seemingly engage in conversations to those who learn new words with incredible speed. Prepare to question everything you thought you knew about the minds of dogs and discover just how far their linguistic abilities might stretch.