Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty, a new three-part docuseries, explores the extraordinary lives and rivalries of three towering figures of the Italian Renaissance—Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael—whose timeless masterpieces were forged amid brutal political power struggles, warfare, and religious upheaval.

Renaissance: The Blood and The Beauty airs Tuesdays, July 8-22 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Some of the greatest works of art in the Western civilization were created during one of the bloodiest periods in European history. Framed through the eyes of an aging Michelangelo, this series traces the lives of three of the greatest artists in history—Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael—beginning with the Pazzi Conspiracy of 1478 and concluding with the unveiling of The Last Judgement in 1541. Through stunning visuals, compelling storytelling, and historical insight, the series reveals how these artists battled for favor, risked everything in service of their patrons, and reshaped the world’s understanding of art and the artist.

Episode titles + air dates:
7/8 Rise. In Florence, young Michelangelo rises under Medici’s patronage while Leonardo builds his reputation in Milan. Political upheaval and changing attitudes disrupt their careers and sets the stage for an artistic rivalry.
7/15 Rivalry. When Michelangelo is awarded the commission for David, Leonardo seeks to outshine him with technical innovation, but the arrival of the young prodigy Raphael threatens both men. Their careers collide in Rome under Pope Julius II’s patronage.
7/22 Redemption. While Michelangelo paints the Sistine Chapel ceiling, Raphael works on the Pope’s private apartments. However, the Pope dies shortly after, and as Protestant Reformation is on the rise, art becomes a battleground for ideology and power. Michelangelo is commissioned to paint a depiction of The Last Judgement, which will become both a political statement and a very personal expression of Michelangelo’s own spiritual redemption.

Photo: Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty key art.
Credit: PBS PressRoom.

Celebrate the legendary singer, songwriter and performer in a spectacular 2012 concert at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Elton John —The Million Dollar Piano airs Thursday, July 3 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Featuring a state-of-the art Yamaha piano — nearly four years in the making — this unforgettable show features Elton performing his much-loved hits, including “Rocket Man,” “Tiny Dancer,” “I’m Still Standing,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and more.

Celebrate America’s 249th birthday with a star-studded musical celebration, plus a special tribute to our military heroes and their families.

A Capitol Fourth airs Friday, July 4 at 8 p.m. and again at 9:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

On July Fourth, A Capitol Fourth, America’s National Independence Day celebration, honors our country’s birthday with an all-star salute. For over 40 years, this television event, featuring a parade of superstars — including Frankie Valli, Patti LaBelle, John Williams, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Reba McEntire, Carole King, Neil Diamond, Dolly Parton, Steve Martin, Josh Groban, Gloria Estefan, Huey Lewis and the News, Little Richard, Tony Bennett, Faith Hill, Ray Charles, the Bee Gees, Kenny G, Aaron Neville, Kenny Rogers and the Muppets from Sesame Street — has offered the best in American entertainment and helped set the tone for a spectacular American birthday party.

This top-rated extravaganza features coverage from 20 cameras positioned around Washington, D.C., ensuring viewers are front and center for the greatest display of fireworks in the nation.

Historians and royal experts share their in-depth exploration of shocking stories about the residences of the British monarchy.

Secrets of the Royal Palaces airs Mondays, July 7-28 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Filled with tales of scandals and intrigue, the eight-part series uncovers some of the many secrets held by these spectacular royal estates. Specialist historians, royal commentators, and ex-royal staff members guide the viewer through art, architecture and recent events, while sharing behind-the-scenes palace stories that have shaped the modern royal family.

Episode titles + air dates:
7/7: Love and Marriage — Includes the “Squidgygate” phone recording of Princess Diana at Sandringham Palace with James Gilbey in 1992, and the ensuing mystery around who was really behind the phone call leak. Also includes Queen Elizabeth II’s 1988 stay at the Palace of Madrid, Queen Victoria’s scandalous statue of Prince Albert, a look at Queen Victoria’s revolutionary white wedding gown at St. James’ Palace, and a glimpse of Charles and Camila’s secret Welsh getaway estate, Llwynywermod.

7/14: Private Life — Recounts the royal family’s desperate race to Balmoral Castle during Queen Elizabeth’s final hours, William I the Conqueror’s odorous burial in St. Stephen’s Abbey in Caen France, an exploration of Prince Edward’s enviable Bagshot Park estate, and the quest to discern the full extent of the 1943 Greville Bequest—a remarkable collection of jewelry and personal items bequeathed by philanthropist Margaret Greville.

7/21: Royal Scandals — Details the art scandal of the forged masterpieces in King Charles’ Dumfries House, and the 1986 Charles and Diana vacation to Marivent Palace in Spain — an effort to not only improve relations between the two countries but also the frosty marriage. The episode also recounts a failed 2023 assassination attempt on Elizabeth II in Windsor Castle, and a 2021 theft of valuable items from Buckingham Palace by a member of staff.

7/28: Royal Duffy — Includes the controversy around Russian spy Anthony Blunt’s long stay at the Palace in the 80s, and the revelation that Blunt had performed a secret mission retrieving incriminating evidence linking Queen Elizabeth’s family with the Nazis. Also recounts the tumultuous history of the Scottish Crown Jewels, Diana’s ascent to fashion icon status with her “Black Sheep” jumper, and Princess Kate’s first international speech and hibiscus Alexander McQueen gown at Istana Negara in Malaysia.

Photo: Architectural Historian Dr. Jonathan Foyle in front of the Osborne House in East Cowes, UK.
Credit: American Public Television.

Kept in the vaults for nearly three decades, the Rolling Stones’ Rock and Roll Circus was one of the most elusive of rock artifacts. This spectacular TV special includes songs like “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” and “Yer Blues.”

Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus premieres Thursday, July 10, 2025 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

In 1968, the Stones headlined “Rock and Roll Circus,” a planned TV special that mated aerialists, fire-eaters, and acrobats with the day’s top rock talent. Serving as both the show’s hosts and featured attraction, the Stones performed a six-song set which climaxed with singer Mick Jagger writhing like a man possessed through “Sympathy For the Devil.” The program also includes performances by The Who, Jethro Tull, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, Yoko Ono, and The Dirty Mac, a supergroup featuring John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Mitch Mitchell of The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Photo: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones.
Credit: American Public Television.

Biologist and Princeton University professor Shane Campbell-Staton explores the global impact of Earth’s most ingenious, destructive, and adaptive species: Humans.

Human Footprint airs Wednesdays, June 25-July 30 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Follow Shane as he meets farmers, scientists, journalists and business owners across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas to give audiences a firsthand look at how humans have transformed the planet and the millions of species around us. This season of Human Footprint explores the origins of our complex and controversial global food chain, the alliances humans have formed with species to control other species, and what exactly is happening with bees. The series also examines how fashion has impacted the planet, the human quest to control water, and the species on the brink of extinction.

Episode titles + air dates:
6/25 Shelf Life. Shane travels from New York City to rural Thailand to explore a 20th-century innovation, the Supermarket, that transformed our relationship with food.
7/2 The Enemy of My Enemy. In our conquest of planet Earth, we rely on improbable allies from nature to help defeat our adversaries. But in this new world of “biocontrol,” is the enemy of an enemy always a friend?
7/9 Dressed to Kill. From biotech labs to beaver ponds, and New York Fashion Week to Chile’s textile graveyards, Shane unravels how the trends we chase leave a lasting mark on our planet.
7/16 The Honey Trap. Humans have depended on bees—both wild and managed—for millennia. But as bee populations collapse around the world, can we save them before it’s too late?
7/23 Dammed If You Do. Shane travels from ancient aqueducts to modern mega-dams to discover how humanity’s thirst for control has reshaped rivers, ecosystems, and civilization itself.
7/30 Vanishing Act. Shane traces the arc of extinction on an epic global journey, as he meets species at the brink of oblivion and the people who won’t give up on them.

Photo: Host Shane Campbell-Staton at Southern Nevada Water Authority in Las Vegas.
Credit: PBS Publicity.

Created with executive producer Bradley Cooper, this film highlights the challenges and triumphs of caregiving in America.

Caregiving re-airs Saturday, June 28 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Narrated by Award-winning actress Uzo Aduba, who share her own experience as a caregiver for her mother, this documentary interweaves the broader context of the cultural and economic conditions in the U.S., centered on the personal experiences of caregivers providing for loved ones, and the challenges and triumphs they face each day. Caregiving examines the historical and contemporary efforts to address this often unrecognized and rapidly increasing need, leading to a care system tipping into crisis.

Photo: Caregiver Malcoma Brown-Ekeogu and her husband, Kenneth, dance on their wedding anniversary. Both are featured in Caregiving.
Credit: Ark Media