An insider's view of public television programming and the issues that help determine what and how you watch http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/rss/ http://will.illinois.edu/themes/site_themes/images/IPM_i.png http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/rss/ http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/post/new-shows-coming-to-pbs-beginning-this-fall In May, public broadcasters gathered in Miami Beach for the PBS Annual Meeting, a four-day work conference and preview of the new programs we’ll see on WILL-TV in fall 2013 and beyond. Highlights included a new drama, Last Tango in Halifax, premiering this September. Read on for more about what's coming to PBS in the months ahead! The BAFTA award winner for best drama series, Last Tango in Halifax stars Derek Jacobi (I Claudius, The King’s Speech) and Anne Reid (the Upstairs Downstairs remake) as reunited childhood sweethearts.* The six-part first season begins September 8 at 7:00 pm CT, as part of PBS’ reinvigorated Sunday drama nights. Besides the return of Downton Abbey on January 5, there will be a third season of Call the Midwife in 2014. Also mentioned was the possibility of a return appearance of mystery solvers The Bletchley Circle, though that has not yet been officially confirmed. It’s not all drama; our popular “smartest night of television” on Wednesdays continues with new episodes of Nature and Nova. The latter will take us to The Edge of Space, and use modern forensics to reexamine the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Cold Case JFK. Nature will bring us stories of an orphaned sea otter and a blind snow monkey. The human star of My Life as a Turkey will return with a herd of mule deer in Touching the Wild. In October, Frontline and ESPN will team up to tackle the controversy over concussion-related health problems facing professional football players. Frontline will also look at immigration, superbugs, and Mexican drug cartels. Histories include the latest in American Experience’s presidential series, this time on JFK. In time for the 75th anniversary of Orson Welles’ infamous radio broadcast will be a look back at War of the Worlds. Meanwhile, American Masters will profile Billie Jean King, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Marvin Hamlisch, and—for their 200th episode—J.D. Salinger. Great Performances will celebrate its 40th year with a star-studded special, and a presentation of The Hollow Crown, a four-part miniseries that weaves Shakespeare’s royal plays into a single narrative. They’ll also bring us the San Francisco Opera’s production of Moby-Dick, Christopher Plummer as John Barrymore, a new Barbra Streisand concert, and a performance of Stephen Sondeim's Company with Neil Patrick Harris and Stephen Colbert. The next season of Antiques Roadshow will offer more new episodes than ever before, with visits to eight cities (up from six) and compilations of highlights from the past 16 years of collectibles. New miniseries include Genealogy Roadshow, Superheroes, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, Latino Americans, Story of the Jews, Super Skyscrapers, Big Ideas with Steven Johnson, How Sherlock Changed the World, and the intriguingly-titled Your Inner Fish. That's only a taste of what you'll find on WILL-TV this fall and in 2014! *The Doctor Who fan in me has to point out that both actors played villains in the third season of the modern series. Anne Reid was a bloodsucking Plasmavore, and Derek Jacobi was the ruthless Time Lord known as the Master. Presumably they’ll be much less evil in Halifax. http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/post/new-shows-coming-to-pbs-beginning-this-fall Wed, 29 May 2013 17:04:20 -0500 last tango in halifax, downton abbey, call the midwife, great performances, frontline, nature, nova, american experience, american masters, antiques roadshow, your inner fish WILL Media and journalism http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/post/other-fish-in-the-sea Look, I try not to be one of those people with holier-than-thou attitudes about television. People watch TV for all sorts of reasons: information, enlightenment, entertainment...or background noise. it's not like I go home at the end of the day and plop down on the couch for a ten-part history of the Merovingian dynasty. My DVR is set to record every new episode of E's pop-culture snark-fest The Soup. But, but...every once in a while, a show comes along that makes me ruefully recall those days when this or that pundit or lawmaker would declaim that PBS was no longer necessary, as cable would serve our needs for news, arts, and science. This week, Animal Planet debuted its highest-rated special ever...Mermaids: The New Evidence. I know that it was just a bit of fun, and even though the disclaimer labelling it as fiction was buried in the credits, I presume that very few people who tuned in did so because they truly believed that Animal Planet was about to offer legitimate scientific evidence of the existence of fish people. It was the televised equivalent of P.T. Barnum's Fiji Mermaid.  And again, I can't get up on my high horse for very long before someone reminds me of programs we've aired that might not fit public TV's educational remit. I'm not unaware of the decades of underwear-related humor we've offered courtesy of Are You Being Served? There should always be room for fun.  But can we agree that the cable channels that once threatened to supplant PBS have pretty much ceded the field? Animal Planet will soon air its fourth season of Finding Bigfoot, a series about a team of researchers not finding Bigfoot. The former Arts & Entertainment channel ditched that name in 1995; they're just A&E now and their biggest show is Duck Dynasty. Bravo is another channel once devoted to the arts; it's now the home of The Real Housewives of Wherever. And Discovery's schedule is loaded up with Deadliest Catch, Backyard Oil, and Pot Cops. That's not a knock on those shows or the people who enjoy them.  It's not without reason that Duck Dynasty, Real Housewives or Deadliest Catch are popular. They're well-produced television about likable (or hateable) people doing unusual things. I just think that it's good that there's still a place for Frontline, Nova, Great Performances, and Ken Burns. And it won't cost you sixty bucks a month to get it. All you need is a TV and a wire loop. http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/post/other-fish-in-the-sea Wed, 29 May 2013 09:56:55 -0500 -- Media and journalism http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/post/downton-delayed-til-2014 U.S. fans of Downton Abbey already feeling the absence of new episodes will have to wait a bit longer, I’m afraid. Yesterday PBS announced their fall lineup, and Downton was noticeably absent. While there’s absolutely no doubt that Series Four will be coming to WILL-TV, it’s now looking likely to be in January 2014. (UPDATED: The premiere has been announced as January 5, 2014.) This isn’t too much of a surprise. PBS has delayed each previous series of Downton to January, several months after its UK debut. They’ve done this so as to avoid the crush of the fall network TV season. As a system, we can’t match the promotional muscle of the media conglomerates, so better to wait until things are a bit quieter to make our own push. And it’s hard to argue with the success of that strategy. Series Three of Downton was the highest-rated PBS drama of all time, averaging 11.5 million viewers across its run. Admittedly, it can be frustrating for US viewers. We live in a world of instant spoilers, so any delay means avoiding online discussions. And the temptation to watch episodes by extra-legal means is an ever-present issue for the distributors of international TV hits. While I don’t have any firm information yet, my presumption is that there will be a repeat of Series Three this December, with Series Four arriving in January. I hope that you’ll join us then! (Patience is still a virtue, right? Right?) http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/post/downton-delayed-til-2014 Fri, 10 May 2013 11:47:10 -0500 downton abbey WILL Media and journalism http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/post/market-warriors-cancelled Market Warriors seemed to have the makings of a hit TV show. From the producers of the American version of Antiques Roadshow--for many years, PBS' most popular series--Warriors had a telegenic cast, a solid premise and a plum, post-Roadshow timeslot. Unfortunately, it never caught on the way that any of us hoped. I've known about this since last week, but an article published Saturday in the public broadcasting industry newspaper Current made it official: Market Warriors will not see a second season. PBS has declined to produce any more episodes past the initial order of twenty. I know that I'm disappointed. I was really looking forward to this one. Even after original narrator Fred Willard was shown the door when he reminded us all that X-rated theaters still exist, I felt confident that success was inevitable. Perhaps I was blinded by the blondeness of picker Miller Gaffney; I could've watched her rifle through antiques all day. Even so, I did begin to wonder why--at least in the episodes I watched--none of the expert pickers seemed to make much of a profit. The final installment will air on WILL-TV Monday, April 22 at 8:00 pm CT. http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/post/market-warriors-cancelled Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:10:54 -0500 market warriors, cancellation WILL Media and journalism http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/post/britcom-icon-dies While Frank Thornton spent many years gamboling in and around Holmfirth as Truly in Last of the Summer Wine, he is perhaps best known to most WILL-TV viewers as stuffy Captain Peacock in Are You Being Served? and its sequel Grace & Favour (aka Are You Being Served? Again!).  According to a BBC News report, Thornton died peacefully in his sleep at his London home. He isis survived by Beryl, his wife of 67 years, their daughter Jane and three grandchildren. Thornton's passing means that the sole remaining main cast member from Are You Being Served? is actor Nicholas Smith, who portrayed Mr. Rumbold. Smith, who turned 79 earlier this month, visited WILL-TV in September 2009. http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/post/britcom-icon-dies Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:26:48 -0500 WILL Media and journalism http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/post/beautiful-days I’m reminded that it was ten years ago today that Fred Rogers left us. Here’s the tribute that I wrote that morning, which was subsequently picked up by the public broadcasting news outlet Current as well as several PBS station program guides. Mister Rogers was one of the first programs that I can remember watching. I was, of course, part of the show’s target demographic back then. I can’t recall much from my preschool years, but I do know that I loved the trolley, I loved the neighborhood and I loved Fred Rogers. Like many early loves, it faded with age and distance. I moved on to programs intended for older kids: flashier, action-oriented, violent in the ways that caregivers and watchdogs lament and children adore. For the most part, I forgot about Fred and his neighborhood, reminded only on occasion by the parodies that proliferated in the ’80s as yesterday’s innocents grew into sarcasm and despair. Let’s face it, it was easy to mock Fred Rogers. He had a simple style and a cadence that invited imitation. He stubbornly retained old-fashioned production values in an era of hydraulic-powered Muppets and computer-generated dinosaurs. Further-more, one could assign all sorts of hidden motivations to his soft-spoken manner and his devotion to children. Comedians, fools and cynics wondered aloud whether a beast lurked within such a seemingly humble man of God. Mister Rogers re-entered my life once I began my career in public television. I worked as a master control operator for WYIN in Merrillville, Ind., in the late ’80s. One day, working the afternoon shift, all heck broke loose: The transmitter was down, the chief engineer and the program director were shouting and frantically hitting buttons. I was still very new, and very nervous about keeping my first broadcasting job. As my anxiety mounted, I focused on the eye of the storm, the oasis of calm, the 17-inch screen in front of me: the one on which Fred Rogers offered words of quiet reassurance. It was a moment I hope I’ll never forget. Over the years, I became fascinated with the program, deconstructing its messages and marveling at the bizarre flights of fantasy that often emerged from the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Mister Rogers had a way of tying together everything, making connections that defied adult logic. A segment on silverware inspired an opera about a trip to Spoon Mountain. In Fred’s world, your friend might be a Purple Panda from Planet Purple, and your king might sing “Row, Row Your Boat” in the most complicated manner possible. Several years ago, Mister Rogers made the keynote address at the PBS Annual Meeting in Miami. As always, he spoke of simple, but important ideas: acts of caring, the need to love and the need to be loved. When the speech and the conference concluded, many ran to catch their planes and to return to their worlds of adult responsibilities. But a great many lined up for the opportunity to spend a few moments with the kind old man who had greeted them each morning so many years ago. Grown men and women were moved to tears as they hugged their childhood friend. For his part, Fred waited patiently, shaking hands, posing for photos, signing conference program books and giving each person all the time they needed to express their feelings. He stayed for at least an hour, long enough for me to get through the line, then to run to my hotel room and fetch my wife so that she could hug and cry as well. People have subsequently asked me, “Is he really the way he acts on TV?” My response has always been, “He’s exactly what you see on TV.” That’s what I remember most about Fred Rogers. He was a man who could temporarily wipe away years of bitterness with a few words reminding us that We Are Special, each in our own way. Fred would probably reject this notion, but I feel that he was perhaps the most special of all of us. The world needs more people like Mister Rogers. There can never be enough love, acceptance and affirmation. http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/post/beautiful-days Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:05:01 -0600 mister rogers, fred rogers WILL Media and journalism http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/post/sunday-nights-will-be-british-drama-nights There's something exciting happening on Sunday nights. Buoyed by the massive success of Downton Abbey, PBS is investing heavily in fresh British drama.  A second series of Call the Midwife will air on WILL-TV Sundays at 7:00 pm CT starting March 31. In eight new episodes, Jenny, Trixie, Cynthia and Chummy continue their challenging work in London's East End of the 1950s. Babies and bicycling ensue. And will romance come to Nonnatus House?  There's more good news for Midwife fans! Another Christmas special and a third series--the latter to air in 2014--have been commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corporation.  Also beginning March 31, Masterpiece Classic will present the U.S. premiere of Mr. Selfridge, based on the true-life story of colorful retail magnate Harry Gordon Selfridge. Jeremy Piven (Entourage) stars as the American founder of Selfridges, a high-end London department store that opened in 1909. It's been such a hit in England that just last week--only a few episodes into its run--producer ITV announced that a second series already has been commissioned for 2014. Eight episodes of Mr. Selfridge will air Sundays at 8:00 pm on WILL-TV. Looking further ahead, a new three-part mystery will add a third hour of drama on Sundays. The Bletchley Circle will begin April 21 at 9:00 pm CT. Four women who worked as top codebreakers for the U.K.'s Bletchley Park decryption unit during World War II reunite in the 1950s to investigate a series of ghastly murders. If you've been enjoying Downton Abbey, I hope that you'll stick around for more great British drama to come! http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/post/sunday-nights-will-be-british-drama-nights Wed, 13 Feb 2013 23:02:37 -0600 drama, call the midwife, mr. selfridge, the bletchley circle, jeremy piven, will-tv, masterpiece classic WILL EntertainmentMedia and journalism http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/post/its-a-beautiful-day-in-daniel-tigers-neighborhood In September, preschoolers across America welcomed Daniel Tiger to the PBS Kids’ neighborhood. According to the Nielsen ratings service, the top six TV shows watched by kids aged 2-5 were all part of PBS’ lineup. More after the jump! For the ninth consecutive month, Curious George was the show most watched by preschoolers, followed by Thomas & Friends, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, Super Why!, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Dinosaur Train. (The top four shows among “moms aged 18-49 with children under the age of 3”—which is an actual demographic group—were also part of PBS Kids.) It’s great to see Daniel Tiger being so immediately embraced by both kids and parents. (We love him here too!) The values of Fred Rogers—one of the pioneers of educational public media—are alive and well. PBSKids.org was one of Time Magazine’s 50 Best Websites of 2012, and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood was the show most often watched by those visiting. If you haven’t taken the time to get acquainted with Daniel Tiger and his friends, you can watch him seven days a week on WILL-TV, and anytime you like on PBSKids.org. http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/post/its-a-beautiful-day-in-daniel-tigers-neighborhood Tue, 30 Oct 2012 20:15:26 -0500 fred rogers, daniel tiger's neighborhood, pbs kids WILL Children and ParentingEducationMedia and journalism