Tina Kakadelis
In celebration of Black History Month, PBS has announced their curated lineup of films, series, and online content. All of the selections focus on the intersection of history, music, culture, and the Black experience. Fan favorites like Finding Your Roots and The Block Party are returning for their tenth and third seasons respectively. February also marks the premiere of Lyla in the Loop, a new PBS Kids show.
Below is the complete schedule for all of PBS’ Black History Month programming on PBS, PBS.org, and the PBS app (available on iPhone, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and VIZIO). Be sure to check your local listings for the correct time:
Finding Your Roots (Season 10)
Premieres: Tuesdays Jan. 2 – Feb. 20, 8 p.m. ET
Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. guides 21 compelling guests – including three of his loyal viewers – deep into their family trees, revealing surprising stories that transcend borders, illuminating an American root system fortified by its diversity.
Premieres: Monday, Jan. 22, 10 p.m. ET
Were trees intentionally planted to exclude and segregate a Black neighborhood? In this documentary, racial tensions ignite in Palm Springs, California, over a fight to remove a wall of trees that form a barrier believed to exclude a community.
Premieres: Monday, Jan. 29, 10 p.m. ET
Liberty City, Miami, was home to one of the oldest segregated public housing projects in the United States. Now, with rising sea levels, the neighborhood’s higher ground has become something else: real estate gold.
Premieres: Thursday, Feb. 1 (check local listings)
Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth was raised in the crucible of segregated Birmingham, but he was forged by its attempt to kill him. When the KKK planted a bomb underneath his bed and he emerged unharmed, he was sure he was saved by God to lead a Movement. His work not only ended legal segregation but led directly to the Civil and Voting Rights Acts — and inspired freedom movements around the world.
Great Performances at the MET – X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X
Premieres: Sunday, February 4 (check local listings)
Theater luminary and Tony-nominated director of “Slave Play” Robert O’Hara oversees a potent new staging that imagines Malcolm as an Everyman whose story transcends time and space. An exceptional cast of breakout artists and young Met stars enliven the operatic retelling of the civil rights leader’s life.
Premieres: Monday, February 5
PBS KIDS’ newest funny and engaging animated series for kids ages 4-8 follows Lyla, a dynamic 7-year-old Black girl, who lives in a big city with her close-knit family, fantastical blue sidekick Stu, and a host of relatable and quirky characters in her community, who use creative and strategic problem-solving and critical thinking skills to address a range of everyday problems together. Produced by Mighty Picnic and Pipeline Studios, the new series will debut in both English and Spanish.
Gospel Live! Presented by Henry Louis Gates, Jr
Premieres: Friday, Feb. 9, 9 p.m. ET
GOSPEL LIVE! PRESENTED BY HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. is a concert celebration honoring the legacy of Gospel music in America. As a companion to GOSPEL, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., secular and gospel artists sing their favorite gospel classics.
Premieres: Monday, Feb. 12, 9 p.m. ET
Musical styles come and go, but there’s one sound that has been a constant source of strength, courage, and wisdom from the pulpit to the choir lofts on any given Sunday. GOSPEL, the latest history series from Henry Louis Gates, Jr., digs deep into the origin story of Black spirituality through sermon and song.
Premieres: Premieres: Monday, Feb. 12, 9 p.m. ET
Frustrated by a broken news media system, a group of women and LGBTQ+ journalists launch The 19th*, an unprecedented digital news startup dedicated to combatting misinformation. Challenging the status quo, the 19th* aims to elevate voices often left out of mainstream news. “Breaking the News” captures honest discussions at The 19th* around race and gender equity, revealing change doesn’t come easy.
The Cost of Inheritance: An America Reframed Special
Now streaming on PBS.org and the PBS App
Explore the issue of reparations in the U.S. with a focus on historical injustices, systemic inequities, and critical dialogue. Through narratives, inquiries, and insights, the film aims to inspire understanding of the scope and rationale of the reparations debate.
Now streaming on PBS.org and the PBS App
At the elite MIT, a Ghanaian alum follows four African students striving to become change agents for home. Now, living in America, each must refine their ideas about the world, themselves, and how to transform youthful ideals into action as adults.
