Cooking legends Lidia Bastianich and Jacques Pépin pair up for a lively program that showcases each chef’s remarkable ability to teach from their lifetimes of experience on air and in the kitchen.

Cooking with Legends: Lidia Bastianich & Jacques Pépin premieres Friday, July 18, 2025 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Lidia Bastianich and Jacques Pépin double the fun when the two “good-natured bosses” and longtime friends come together to share personal family stories and lifetimes of experience on air, alongside mouth-watering recipes that made their careers. Lidia hailing from Pola on the Istrian Peninsula, and Jacques from Bourg-en-Bresse, France, express their passion for the foods that embody the cuisines of their native cultures as they personify what it means to live the American dream.

Photo: Lidia Bastianich & Jacques Pépin
Credit: PBS PressRoom

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 re-airs Sunday, August 10 at 4:30 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.