A word from the directors 

When we first started thinking about “Mystery League,” we had no idea that we would be working with the best film crew in Arkansas. We also had no idea we would be working with amazing filmmakers from around the country. We also, also had no idea that we would be working with an amazingly talented cast who would perfectly fit our vision for the show.

If you’ve been longing for that European vacation, love history with a sprinkle of drama, obsess over genealogy enjoy all things nature, PBS Passport – our streaming member benefit - has you covered. Then, treat your eyes and ears as we bring you the music genre that is thriving in Black spirituality – gospel.

There are so many new dramas hitting Arkansas PBS Passport this month, along with new episodes of “Finding Your Roots” and Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s all-new series “Gospel.”

A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Corporate Sponsors – And Building New Partnerships in 2024

Aaron Utley, Corporate Relations Officer, Arkansas PBS Foundation

Learning from Children
“Why are we doing this?”

I sometimes heard the question “Why are we doing this?” from students when I taught in the classroom. And it’s a valid question. Sometimes, learning takes place when we don’t even know it.

What does learning look like to you? As a teacher, I tried to engage my students in learning by designing relevant content, creating interactive learning experiences and making real-world connections. It worked most of the time, but my students were most engaged when I listened and learned from them.

Cozy up with PBS dramas this winter. Arkansas PBS passport has your new favorites just waiting to be discovered.

As a reminder, you can watch on pbs.org, or using the PBS App, available on iOS, Apple TV, Roku, Android, Android TV, FireTV, Chromecast, Samsung and Vizio.

Watching the videos on Passport is a benefit of membership at the $60 level or higher. A donation of just $5 per month unlocks the vast streaming library and let’s you start streaming all the dramas you can handle.

The Big Time
Writers’ rooms are places of legend. For shows like “Saturday Night Live,” “Seinfeld” or countless others, writers’ rooms are where colorful and storied careers begin. For TV writers, the chance to work in a writers’ room is “The Big Time.” This is what made the formation of Arkansas PBS’ “Mystery League” writers’ room such a special occurrence.

Summertime in Arkansas means checking out all the fantastic swimming holes The Natural State has to offer.

Throughout my many years of traveling and exploring our great state, I’ve been lucky to visit quite a few of those “swimmin’ hole gems” which I have known and loved and would frequent quite often.

There’s just something euphoric about letting go of a rope swing in mid-air, flying off and splashing down into a cool, refreshing mountain stream.

Purple Mystery Mash. Robot Teachers. Helpful Heroes. Crop Circles. Whew! The “Mystery League” detectives have been busy going places and solving cases, but who I am is no mystery. My name is Prentice Dupins, Jr. I work at Arkansas PBS as an education and instruction coordinator, and let me tell you, being part of “Mystery League” was a blast! Come with me now to learn all about how this amazing Arkansas PBS-original series was created.

Doing My Part

It was important to us that we get this right. Arkansas PBS has one of the largest teams of educators of any PBS station in the US, and we were set to begin planning for a new children’s show that was not only entertaining and enjoyable by the whole family, but also engaging, thought provoking, and most importantly—educational. We didn’t know what we would call the show for some time, but in the fall of 2022, we were in the very early stages of planning for “Mystery League.” And it has been one of the most fulfilling educational initiatives of my career so far.

Larry Foley, University of Arkansas School of Journalism and Strategic Media professor, always wanted to make three films — “The Buffalo Flows”, “The First Boys of Spring” and “Indians, Outlaws, Marshals and the Hangin’ Judge.” The latter will be making its broadcast debut on Arkansas PBS Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m.

“I’ve been thinking about this story for much of my adult life,” Foley said of his film “Indians Outlaws, Marshals and the Hangin’ Judge.”