PBS TCA Press Tour Winter 2023

PBS EXECUTIVE SESSION

Monday, January 16, 2023, 9:00 a.m. PT Press conference panelist: Paula Kerger, President & CEO

INDEPENDENT LENS "Free Chol Soo Lee"

Monday, January 16, 2023, 1:45 p.m. PT Sentenced to death for a 1973 San Francisco murder, Korean immigrant Chol Soo Lee was set free after a pan-Asian solidarity movement of Korean, Japanese, and Chinese Americans helped to overturn his conviction. After 10 years of fighting for his life inside San Quentin, Lee found himself in a new fight to rise to the expectations of the people who believed in him. Press conference panelists: Julie Ha, director | Lois Vossen, series executive producer | Gail Whang, featured activist | Ranko Yamada, film participant and friend of Chol Soo Lee

ICONIC AMERICA: OUR SYMBOLS AND STORIES WITH DAVID RUBENSTEIN

Monday, January 16, 2023, 1:00 p.m. PT In this new eight-episode documentary series, David Rubenstein explores America’s 400-year history through a close examination of iconic national symbols: indelible artifacts, places, and archetypes. Each episode tells the story of an American symbol to reveal its origins, significance and the arc of its resonance. Episode subjects include the Hollywood Sign, Fenway Park, American cowboys, Gadsden Flag (“Don’t Tread On Me”), American Bald Eagle, Stone Mountain, Statue of Liberty, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Rubenstein invites historical experts and community members to examine myriad ways the American public engages with these subjects. Press conference panelists: Michael Boulware Moore, “The Gadsden Flag” (“Don’t Tread on Me”) episode, CEO and founding president, International African American Museum | Sam Pollard, series executive producer | Melissa Rivers, “The Hollywood Sign” episode, television personality and producer | David Rubenstein, series host and executive producer • Nancy Yuen, “The Hollywood Sign” episode, author, sociologist, and expert on bias in Hollywood filmmaking

Lunch

Monday, January 16, 2023, 12:00 p.m. PT 12:00 p.m., Viennese Ballroom and Terrace Join us for a lunch buffet.

THE GREAT AMERICAN RECIPE Season 2

Monday, January 16, 2023, 11:15 a.m. PT Season two returns with host Alejandra Ramos and judges Leah Cohen, Tiffany Derry and Graham Elliot while talented home cooks showcase signature dishes, share heartfelt stories and compete to win the national search for “The Great American Recipe.” Press conference panelists: Leah Cohen, judge, chef and owner, New York’s Pig & Khao Restaurant | Tiffany Derry, judge, chef and founder, Tiffany Derry Concepts | Graham Elliot, judge, award-winning chef and author | Steve Humble, chief content officer, VPM

Program Page

JONI MITCHELL: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GERSHWIN PRIZE FOR POPULAR SONG

Monday, January 16, 2023, 10:30 a.m. PT The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song on PBS celebrates the work of an artist whose career reflects the influence, impact and achievement in promoting song as a vehicle of musical expression and cultural understanding. This year’s recipient is Joni Mitchell. Press conference panelists: Ken Ehrlich, producer | Annie Lennox, guest artist | Herbie Hancock, guest artist

FRONTLINE "Age of Easy Money"

Tuesday, January 17, 2023, 4:45 p.m. PT Around the country and across the world, the threat of a recession is looming and economic uncertainty is rising as markets, businesses and individuals adjust to a new reality: the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates and pulling back on its epic monetary experiment that started with the Great Financial Crisis. In this two-hour film directed by award-winning filmmaker James Jacoby (FRONTLINE’s “Facebook Dilemma” and “The Amazon Empire”), “Age of Easy Money” investigates how the Fed’s experiment has changed the American economy and what it means that the era may be over. Press conference panelists: Raney Aronson-Rath, series executive producer and editor-in-chief | Sheila Bair, senior fellow, The Center for Financial Stability | Nina Chaudry, series senior producer | James Jacoby, director | Ben McKenzie, actor and author

NOVA "Chasing Carbon Zero"

Tuesday, January 17, 2023, 4:00 p.m. ET The U.S. recently set an ambitious climate change goal: to achieve 100% zero carbon emissions pollution by 2050. And to achieve that: slash emissions in half by 2030. But is that even feasible? What exactly would it take? “Chasing Carbon Zero” takes a hard look at the problem and identifies the most likely real-world technologies that could be up to the task. Find out why there is still hope that we can achieve carbon zero in time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Press conference panelists: Donnel Baird, founder and CEO, BlocPower; Chef Christopher A. Galarza, culinary sustainability consultant and founder of Forward Dining Solutions, LLC.; Melissa C. Lott, research director, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University; Miles O’Brien, producer, director and science correspondent; Chris Schmidt, series co-executive producer

HUMAN FOOTPRINT

Tuesday, January 17, 2023, 3:30 p.m. ET A new six-part documentary series, hosted by biologist and Princeton University professor Shane Campbell-Staton, embarks on a journey to understand all the ways humans have transformed the planet. Part science series and part travel show, HUMAN FOOTPRINT takes viewers from farms to restaurants, from a high-tech lab to a sweltering street market, from pristine rain forests to the sewers of New York City. Stories of science, history, and culture reveal the complicated, conflicted, and remarkable species that is Homo sapiens. The series is not a “doom and gloom” tale of human villainy. Instead, it is an honest reckoning with our vast footprint and our species’ singular history of transforming the planet. As our power to reshape the planet grows, will our understanding of the world we inhabit ever catch up? Press conference panelists: Shane Campbell-Staton | Nate Dappen | Adrian Younge | Bill Gardner | Josh Tetrick

Program Page

Coffee Break

Tuesday, January 17, 2023, 3:00 p.m. Join us for a snack break.

MASTERPIECE "Tom Jones"

Tuesday, January 17, 2023, 2:00 p.m. ET One of the greatest novels in the English language comes to MASTERPIECE in a four-part adaptation of Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones, giving a new twist to the tale of a young man’s love for a wealthy heiress. Solly McLeod stars as Tom, with Sophie Wilde as Sophia, the heroine and Hannah Waddingham as the iconic temptress Lady Bellaston. The stellar cast also includes James Fleet, Shirley Henderson, Alun Armstrong, Pearl Mackie, and a torrent of other talent, bringing mid-18th-century England to life in all its passion and prejudice, luxury and loose morals. Press conference panelists: James Gandhi, executive producer | Gwyneth Hughes, screenwriter | Solly McLeod, actor, “Tom Jones” | Susanne Simpson, series executive producer | Sophie Wilde "Actor, Sophia Western"

Program Page

MASTERPIECE TBA

Tuesday, January 17, 2023, 2:00 p.m. ET Talent TBA

WORK IT OUT WOMBATS!

Tuesday, January 17, 2023, 1:15 p.m. ET This new animated series from PBS KIDS is for kids ages 3-6 and stars a playful trio of marsupial siblings—Malik, Zadie and Zeke—who live with their grandmother, Super, in their treehouse apartment complex. Produced by GBH Kids and Pipeline Studios, WORK IT OUT WOMBATS! will introduce computational thinking concepts that will help young viewers solve meaningful problems, learn flexible thinking and how to express themselves—all while using the practices and processes at the core of computer science. Press conference panelists: Marcy Gunther, executive producer | Rain Janjua, voice of “Zeke” | Kareem Edouard, Ph.D., creative producer

PBS NEWSHOUR

Monday, January 16, 2023, 9:45 a.m. PT PBS NEWSHOUR is the primary daily, breaking and special news producer for PBS. It produces PBS NEWSHOUR, PBS NEWS WEEKEND and WASHINGTON WEEK, as well as has a robust footprint across digital and social platforms. Beginning January 2, 2023, PBS NEWSHOUR will be co-anchored by Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett. It features the latest news, analysis, field reports from around the world as well as live studio interviews and discussions. For nearly 50 years, millions have turned to it as public broadcasting’s marquee nightly news program for the solid, reliable reporting that has made it the most objective news program on television. Press conference panelists: Geoff Bennett, co-anchor | Amna Nawaz, co-anchor | Sara Just, senior executive producer

Breakfast

Friday, February 1, 2019 8:30 a.m., Viennese Ballroom. Join us for a buffet breakfast.

NATURE "Dogs in the Wild"

Tuesday, January 17, 2023, 11:30 a.m. ET An ambitious miniseries that travels the globe with an eye toward revealing the secrets of the most successful carnivore on the planet: the canids. From the recognizable and familiar like foxes, wolves, African wild dogs and coyotes to the lesser-known ones like the Japanese raccoon dog, New Guinea singing dog, dholes and dingoes, canids have conquered every continent except Antarctica. Press conference panelists: Fred Kaufman, series executive producer | Jo Shinner, executive producer, BBC Natural History Unit | Jackie Navarro, fennec fox handler on panel with "Fig"| Anna Kretschmar, fennec fox handler with second fox "Phoenix"

Program Page

GREAT PERFORMANCES "Richard III"

Tuesday, January 17, 2023, 10:30 a.m. PT From the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park, this bold new production stars Danai Gurira (“The Walking Dead,” Black Panther) in the title role with direction by Tony Award nominee Robert O’Hara (Slave Play). One of Shakespeare’s most indelible villains, Richard is determined to be king, using his brilliant words and dark charm to conceal his dismantling of government and justice to satisfy his lust for power as he manipulates, kidnaps or kills all who stand in his way. This electrifying drama from Central Park’s Delacorte Theater explores the muddy middle between political genius and a violent quest for power. Press conference panelists: Danai Gurira, actress, “Richard III” | David Horn, series executive producer | Robert O’Hara, director

SOUTHERN STORYTELLERS

Tuesday, January 17, 2023, 9:30 a.m. PT A new three-episode miniseries from award-winning filmmaker Craig Renaud, it follows some of the region’s most compelling and influential contemporary creators to the places they call home — the communities that fertilize the stories they tell in books, songs, poems, plays, and on screens large and small. Press conference panelists: Jericho Brown, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and featured subject | Courtney Pledger, executive producer | Craig Renaud, director | Adia Victoria, featured recording artist, performing with her husband and musical partner Mason Hickman

Breakfast

Friday, February 1, 2019 8:30 a.m., Viennese Ballroom. Join us for a buffet breakfast.

PBS DIGITAL STUDIOS

Monday, January 16, 2023, 4:30 p.m. PT Meet the diverse talent powering new STEM, history and humanities content for PBS Digital Studios. With more than four billion views during its decade long run on YouTube, PBS Digital Studios has launched more than 70 original series, and averages more than 50 million views a month. Truly expanding the reach of PBS content across multiple platforms, PBS Digital Studios draws in a younger and increasingly diverse audience. The talent behind these web series are subject matter experts who bring fresh perspectives to their respective fields. Press conference panelists: Arthur Buckner, co-host, “Sound Field" | Robeson “Taj” Frazier, host, “Hip-Hop in The Metaverse” | Dr. Tina Lasisi, writer and host, “Why Am I Like This?” | Maribel Lopez, head of PBS Digital Studios | Maiya May, host, “Weathered”

BLACK BROADWAY: A PROUD HISTORY, A LIMITLESS FUTURE

Monday, January 16, 2023, 4:30 p.m. PT This concert celebrates iconic performances by Black actors, highlights iconic roles made famous by Black artists, and lifts up the next generation of Black Broadway stars. Performing Broadway classics from musicals like The Wiz, The Color Purple, Company, Porgy & Bess, Ain’t Misbehavin’ and more, the cast is joined by multiple guest conductors, a choir of students from HBCU’s Howard University and Morgan State University, and is accompanied by the American Pops Orchestra. Monday evening Viennese Ballroom performance: Corbin Bleu (“High School Musical” and Broadway star of In the Heights and Kiss Me, Kate) and Nova Y. Payton, currently starring as The Witch in Into the Woods, and recently as Celie in The Color Purple, both Signature Theater. Conducted by Maestro Luke Frazier and accompanied by members of the American Pops Orchestra. Press conference panelists: Corbin Bleu, featured performer | Nova Y. Payton, featured performer | Brittany Chanell Johnson, featured conductor, Howard University | Luke Frazier, founder and music director, American Pops Orchestra

Program Page

Dinner

Monday, January 16, 2023, 5:15 p.m. PT Viennese Ballroom Join us for cocktails and dinner.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE "The Sun Queen"

Monday, January 16, 2023, 3:45 p.m. PT For nearly 50 years, biophysicist and inventor Mária Telkes applied her prodigious intellect to harnessing the sun’s power. She designed and built the first successfully solar-powered house in 1949 but was perplexed by the knotty scientific challenge of developing a reliable and economical way to store captured solar energy. She was also beset by rampant sexism and fought pitched battles with her boss and colleagues — all men — at MIT’s Solar Energy Fund. Despite these obstacles, Telkes persevered, helping to build another experimental solar-powered house in 1971. Upon her death in 1995, she held more than 20 patents. Press conference panelists: Cameo George, series executive producer; Olivia Meikle, host of the women’s history podcast What’sHerName and co-author, The Book of Sisters; Amanda Pollak, filmmaker

Coffee Break

Monday, January 16, 2023, 3:15 p.m. PT Viennese Ballroom. Please enjoy an afternoon pick-me-up.

INDEPENDENT LENS "Sam Now"

Monday, January 16, 2023, 1:45 p.m. PT What happens when a boy and his brother go in search of his missing mother? Sam Now is a coming-of-age documentary that follows Sam Harkness from age 11 to 36 as his once-average, middle class Seattle family is heartbroken and unsure of what to do after his mother suddenly leaves them. Through Sam’s 25 year quest for answers, the film explores intergenerational trauma and the relationships of mother to son, mother to family, brother to brother and the turning points of family dysfunction and healing. Woven together with home movies lovingly crafted by Sam’s half brother, director Reed Harkness, we witness a boy grow up grappling with the ripple effects of a singular traumatic event within a modern American family. Press conference panelists: Reed Harkness, director and producer | Sam Harkness, film subject | Lois Vossen, series executive producer

MARIE ANTOINETTE

Monday, January 16, 2023, 2:30 p.m. PT Marie Antoinette (Emilia Schüle, Berlin Dance School) is just a teenager when she leaves Austria to marry the Dauphin of France (Louis Cunningham, Bridgerton). When she arrives at Versailles, she must obey the numerous and complex rules of the French court. The princess quickly suffers from not being able to live her life the way she wants, while her mother, the Empress of Austria, (Tony nominee Marthe Keller) keeps pushing her to continue the Bourbon line and thus secure the alliance between the two countries. However, faced with Louis’ avoidant and solitary character, the mission turns out to be more complicated than expected. Press conference panelists: Emilia Schüle, actor, “Marie Antoinette” | Louis Cunningham, actor, “Louis XVI”