Get ready for an August of premieres and finales as the month is jam-packed with great offerings.
“Grantchester”
Get ready for not one, but two heart-pounding episodes of “Grantchester” on Sunday, Aug. 6 to conclude season 8. First up, in episode 5 (premiering at 8 p.m.), Geordie is placed on desk duty as Elliot contrives to force Geordie to resign. The next murder case is handed to Larry, who struggles but wisely enlists the help of Miss Scott.
In the season finale, airing immediately after episode 5 at 9 p.m., Will has disappeared, but with Bonnie about to give birth, Geordie must find him and bring him to his senses before its too late.
“Ridley”
Ridley discovers a shocking connection between the murder case and the arson attack which killed his own family. Ridley finds himself closing in on the truth of what happened that fateful night in “The Numbered Days, Part 2.” The “Ridley” season 1 finale airs Sunday, Aug. 6, at 10 p.m.
“The Great American Recipe”
Gather one last time, Monday, Aug. 7, at 8 p.m., with the three remaining home cooks as they get ready for the grand finale feast. In the final round, their challenge is to prepare an entire meal that represents their Great American Recipe. Who will be named the winner?
“Celebrating Arkansas: Holiday Traditions”
“Celebrating Arkansas: Holiday Traditions,” an Arkansas PBS original series showcasing The Natural State’s culture and heritage, is set to premiere with its Fall episode Monday, Aug. 14, at 7 p.m., with an encore airing Thursday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m.
The series will take audiences on a journey across the seasons and across the state as Arkansans share the memories, family rituals, food and time-honored traditions that bring their loved ones together.
Join professional DJ and “Celebrating Arkansas: Holiday Traditions” host, Mario Luna, as he scours the state for the most interesting, time-tested Arkansas celebrations. In the Fall episode of this new series, Luna will get the inside information on the Hindu festival of Diwali, as well as the spooky details on Halloween and Día de Los Muertos in different communities across the state. Finally, Luna will compete in a Turkey Crawl as he celebrates Thanksgiving a handful of different ways, while sharing the lesson – no matter the celebration, it’s better together.
“Johnny Cash: The Man in Black – Live in Denmark 1971”
Arkansas’ own “Man in Black,” Johnny Cash, backed by the Tennessee Three, June Carter Cash, the First Family of Country Music’s matriarch Maybelle Carter and the Statler Brothers, gather on a Denmark stage in 1971 for an evening of country, rockabilly, American roots music and spirituals. Cash plays crowd favorites “A Boy Named Sue,” “I Walk the Line” and “Folsom Prison Blues among many others during this PBS special. “Johnny Cash: The Man in Black – Live in Denmark 1971” airs Tuesday, Aug. 15, at 7 p.m., and again Sunday, Aug. 20, at 5:30 p.m.
“Lynyrd Skynyrd: Celebrating 50 Years”
Join legendary Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd for a 2022 concert of their greatest hits from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, in what would be the final performance by the last original founding member Gary Rossington. Few bands have had the impact on creating a lifestyle that Skynyrd has infused with their fusion of blues rock and Southern hard rock swagger. “Lynyrd Skynyrd: Celebrating 50 Years” airs Tuesday, Aug. 15, at 8:30 p.m.
“Great Performances: Leonard Bernstein’s Kaddish Symphony”
Performed from Highland Park’s Ravinia Festival, “Great Performances” presents legendary composer Leonard Bernstein’s Kaddish symphony featuring the talent of Uniting Voices (formerly Chicago Children’s Choir), Chicago Symphony Chorus and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Led by famed conductor and Bernstein protégé Marin Alsop, the work includes music and spoken narrative segments voiced by narrator Jaye Ladymore (“Chicago Med”) and sung by soprano soloist Janai Brugger (“Great Performances at the Med: Medea”). Recorded July 2022, the symphony examines questions of humanity and faith, exploring the complicated nature of a higher power who governs mortality. “Great Performances: Leonard Bernstein’s Kaddish Symphony” premieres Monday, Aug. 21, at 8 p.m.
“Great Performances: Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2023”
A beloved summer tradition, “Great Performances” presents the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s summer night concert from Vienna’s Schönbrun Palace Gardens. Focusing on musical works from French Romanticism to Impressionism, the orchestra is led for the first time by Metropolitan Opera music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and features Elīna Garanča as a soloist performing three arias from “Carmen,” “Sapho” and “Samson et Dalila.” Also performed for the first time is a composition by Lili Boulanger, the first female winner of the prestigious Prix de Rome for her work in 1913. “Great Performances: Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2023” premieres Friday, Aug. 25, at 8 p.m.
“Mr. Bean - The Story of Bean”
A documentary which chronicles the story behind the TV series “Mr. Bean” (1989) and the film “Bean” (1997). It tells the story of Rowan Atkinson and shows clips of him as a child, as well as clips of skits from “Not the Nine O’Clock News” (1979) and “Black Adder, The” (1983) and, of course, sketches from the “Mr. Bean” series and clips from the film. “Mr. Bean: The Story of Bean” airs Saturday, Aug. 26, at 6 p.m.
“Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland”
A powerful five-part series from the makers of the Bafta and Emmy-winning “Once Upon a Time in Iraq.” This is the story of the Troubles in Northern Ireland told by the ordinary people whose lives it changed forever. “Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland” airs Monday, Aug. 28, at 8 p.m.
“Doc Martin”
Martin Clunes (“Manhunt”) stars as the abrasive and tactless Dr. Martin Ellingham, a successful London surgeon who begins working as a General Practitioner in the seaside Cornish village of Portwenn after developing a problematic phobia of blood. Doc Martin soon finds he needs all the allies he can get as he tries to negotiate his way around village life with hilarious consequences.
TUNE IN:
See our most recently updated schedule anytime at myarkansaspbs.org/schedule.
WAYS TO WATCH:
Watch broadcasts on ARPBS-1
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