Straight No Chaser – Live in New York: Holiday Edition
Tuesday, December 1, 8:00-9:30 p.m.
The 10-man a cappella phenomenon Straight No Chaser presents songs from their new EP Six Pack, holiday favorites from their new album Christmas Cheers and the YouTube sensation that started it all, “The 12 Days of Christmas.”
Liza’s at the Palace
Tuesday, December 1, 9:30-11:00 p.m.
The concert special LIZA'S AT THE PALACE.... captures the powerhouse entertainer Liza Minnelli at the peak of her form, performing her legendary hits at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand hotel.
Our Island Home
Wednesday, December 2, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
Three former denizens of the long-lost settlement of Broadwater recall their unique way of life on a remote barrier island off the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
Moody Blues at the Royal Albert Hall
Wednesday, December 2, 9:00-11:00 p.m.
The music of The Moody Blues has spanned many generations — touching people’s emotions with songs about life experiences. This enduring quality is truly evident in Moody Blues at the Royal Albert Hall, a concert taped live in 2000. The band performs many of their classic hits such as “Nights in White Satin,” “The Story in Your Eyes” and “Tuesday Afternoon.”
Retirement Revolution: The New Reality
Thursday, December 3, 8:00-10:00 p.m.
Experts analyze the financial problems of retirement and demonstrate ways to richer, healthier retirement years. Paula Zahn hosts.
David Garrett: Live in Berlin
Thursday, December 3, 10:00-11:30 p.m.
Virtuoso violinist David Garrett performs selections ranging from Bach to Metallica, Vivaldi to AC/DC, European folk songs to Broadway melodies.
The National Parks: America's Best Idea “The Morning of Creation” (1946-1980)
Friday, December 4, 10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
A stubborn iconoclast fights a lonely battle on behalf of a species nearly everyone hates; America’s “Last Frontier” becomes a testing ground for the future of the park idea; and in unprecedented numbers, American families create unforgettable memories, passing on a love of the parks to the next generation.
Celtic Woman: Songs from the Heart
Saturday, December 5, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Celtic Woman vocalists Lisa Kelly, Chloe Agnew, Lynn Hilary and Alex Sharpe, with violinist Mairead Nesbitt, perform at Ireland’s historic Powerscourt House and Gardens.
Sinatra at Carnegie Hall
Saturday, December 5, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Frank Sinatra performed at Carnegie Hall following the release of 1980s Trilogy, his ambitious triple-album comeback.
Chris Botti: Live in Boston
Saturday, December 5, 8:00-9:30 p.m.
The jazz instrumentalist performs with John Mayer, Josh Groban, Steven Tyler and the Boston Pops.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live
Saturday, December 5, 9:30-11:00 p.m.
This special features rare, one-of-a-kind performances from the induction ceremonies of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, shot during the last 24 years.
Andre Rieu Live in Dresden: Wedding at the
Sunday, December 6, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Andre Rieu and his orchestra preside over a concert-cum-wedding party at Dresden’s Semper Opera House.
Peter Paul and Mary: Carry It On
Sunday, December 6, 8:00-10:00 p.m.
Landmark performances from four-decade music career of Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers. "Blowin' in the Wind," "Puff, the Magic Dragon," more.
Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil and the Presidency
Monday, December 7, 2009, 9:00-11:00 p.m.
A biography of America’s seventh president, ANDREW JACKSON: GOOD, EVIL AND THE PRESIDENCY explores whether Americans should celebrate Jackson or apologize for him.
NOVA “Volcano Above the Clouds”
Tuesday, December 8, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
Could Africa’s fabled Mount Kilimanjaro be heading for a cataclysm?
Frontline “The Madoff Affair”
Tuesday, December 8, 9:00-10:00 p.m.
FRONTLINE unravels the story behind the world’s first truly global Ponzi scheme — a deception that lasted longer, reached wider and cut deeper than any other business scandal in history.
Independent Lens “Between the Folds”
Tuesday, December 8, 10:00-11:00 p.m.
A group of theoretical scientists and fine artists has abandoned careers to forge new lives as modern-day paper folders.
L.A. Holiday Celebration
Wednesday, December 9, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
This program is a highlight version of the six-hour Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration that took place in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center on Christmas Eve 2008.
Jerusalem: Center of the World
Wednesday, December 9, 9:00-11:00 p.m.
Hosted by Ray Suarez, this program explores the history of Jerusalem.
Austin City Limits “Aimee Mann/Iron & Wine”
Saturday, December 12, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Singer/songwriter Aimee Mann debuts on the ACL stage, followed by folk rockers Iron & Wine.
Nature “Shark Mountain”
Sunday, December 13, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
In the waters around Cocos Island, a tiny Pacific outpost that was once a favorite haunt of pirates, NATURE’s cameras observe some of the most surprising and baffling shark behavior ever captured on film.
Peter and Paul and the Christian Revolution “The Rock and the River”
Sunday, December 13, 9:00-10:00 p.m.
After the death of Jesus, Paul’s revelation leads him to embrace Peter’s faith and to use his formidable talents to spread his new beliefs around the Roman Empire.
Peter and Paul and the Christian Revolution “The Empire and the Kingdom”
Sunday, December 13, 10:00-11:00 p.m.
Paul establishes congregations of Jesus followers around the Mediterranean and writes letters that will become central to Christian theology.
Antiques Roadshow
Monday, December 14, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
This special edition is designed to test the memory of hardcore fans and kindle the curiosity of newcomers.
Anatomy of a Pandemic
Monday, December 14, 9:00-10:00 p.m.
An examination of the overarching human dimension of a pandemic’s impact on modern society. Ray Suarez, senior correspondent for PBS NEWSHOUR, will report from the front lines of the effort to combat the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak.
Secrets of the Dead “Killer Flu”
Monday, December 14, 10:00-11:00 p.m.
Since the original broadcast of this program, scientist Jeffrey Taubenberger and his team have successfully created a genetic sequencing of the 1918 flu virus, resurrected the virus itself to study its effects on lung tissue and announced a striking similarity between the 1918 virus and, the H5N1 avian flu virus.
NOVA “The Spy Factory”
Tuesday, December 15, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
For the first time on television, NOVA exposes the hidden world of high-tech, 21st-century eavesdropping carried out by the National Security Agency (NSA).
Frontline “From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians”
Tuesday, December 15-22, 9:00-10:00 p.m.
FRONTLINEE presents the epic story of the rise of Christianity.
Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Featuring Brian Stokes Mitchell and Edward Hermann
Wednesday, December 16, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
Tony Award-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell joins the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in a magnificent Christmas celebration featuring some of the season’s most beloved songs.
Great Performances at the Met “Tosca”
Wednesday, December 16, 9:00-11:00 p.m.
Karita Mattila stars in her first Met performance of the title role of Puccini’s opera. James Levine conducts.
Austin City Limits “The Decemberists/Explosions in the Sky”
Saturday, December 19, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Indie rock stars the Decemberists showcase their album The Crane Wife, followed by instrumental quartet Explosions in the Sky, best known for scoring the film Friday Night Lights.
Nature “Christmas at Yellowstone”
Sunday, December 20, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
From the unique crystals of individual snowflakes to the grand sweep of Yellowstone’s Hayden Valley, this is a Christmas like no other.
Masterpiece “Cranford”
Sunday, December 20-27, 9:00-11:00, 9:00-10:00 p.m.
This major three-part miniseries, starring Judi Dench and Emmy-winner Eilieen Atkins, is based on Elizabeth Gaskell’s witty and poignant novels about a village on the cusp of change.
Antiques Roadshow “BIG & Little”
Monday, December 21, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
“BIG & Little” proves good things come in small — and gigantic — packages.
Great Performances “Dance in America: San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker”
Monday, December 21, 9:00-11:00 p.m.
San Francisco Ballet’s production of the beloved Nutcracker, reset during the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exhibition, introduces “Dance in America” viewers to the dazzling Maria Kochetkova and Davit Karapetyan. Olympic champion figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi hosts the broadcast.
NOVA “The Last Great Ape”
Tuesday, December 22, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
The program tells the intimate, emotional story of the amazing bonobos, detailing their survival and the experiences of the scientists who have followed them so closely for so long.
Christmas at Belmont (2009)
Wednesday, December 23, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
Three-time Grammy Award winner and Belmont University alumna Trisha Yearwood hosts a holiday program of traditional carols, classical masterworks, world music and light-hearted seasonal favorites.
Great Performances “La Boheme”
Wednesday, December 23, 9:00-11:00 p.m.
Sensational Russian soprano Anna Netrebko and dashing Mexican tenor Rolando Villazón sing the doomed lovers Mimi and Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini’s enduring 1896 blockbuster.
Faith Hill, Joy to the World: A Soundstage Special Event
Thursday, December 24, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
Faith Hill presents favorites from her holiday album, Joy to the World.
Christmas at St. Olaf: Where Peace and Love and Hope Abide
Thursday, December 24, 10:00-11:00 p.m.
This Christmas special features the renowned choirs and orchestra of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.
Christmas Day
Friday, December 25, 7:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Arthur’s Perfect Christmas
Friday, December 25, 7:00-8:00 a.m.
Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas
Friday, December 25, 8:00-9:00 a.m.
Super Why! “The Nutcracker”
Friday, December 25, 9:00-9:30 a.m.
Dinosaur Train “Dinosaurs in the Snow”
Friday, December 25, 9:30-10:00 a.m.
Great Performances “Dance in America: San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker”
Friday, December 25, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
L.A. Holiday Celebration
Friday, December 25, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Featuring Brian Stokes Mitchell and Edward Hermann
Friday, December 25, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Christmas at Belmont (2009)
Friday, December 25, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Austin City Limits “Kings of Leon/Roky Erickson”
Saturday, December 26, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Nashville band of brothers Kings of Leon rocks the ACL studio. Psychedelic innovator Roky Erickson demonstrates why he’s a Texas rock ‘n’ roll legend.
Nature “Drakensberg: Barrier of Spears”
Sunday, December 27, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
Beneath the beauty of southern Africa’s Drakensberg Mountains lies a hostile environment for the surprising number of creatures that manage to live there.
Augustus Saint-Gaudens: Master of American Sculpture
Monday, December 27, 10:00-11:00 p.m.
Feature documentary traces the life and work of American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), considered America’s premier sculptor of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Actor Victor Garber narrates.
Antiques Roadshow “Jackpot!”
Monday, December 28, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
It’s every collector’s dream: turning a modest outlay into a staggeringly high return on investment.’
American Masters “Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women”
Monday, December 28, 9:00-10:30 p.m.
Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women, was a free thinker with democratic ideals and progressive ideas about women — and the pseudonymous author of 19th-century potboilers.
NOVA “What Darwin Never Knew”
Tuesday, December 29, 8:00-10:00 p.m.
Stunning breakthroughs in a new science — nicknamed “evo devo” — are revealing answers to the riddles that Darwin couldn’t explain.
Independent Lens “Scenes from a Parish”
Tuesday, December 29, 10:00-11:30 p.m.
Follows the wildly diverse personal stories of a young priest and his unruly flock in a changing working-class community.
A Girl’s Life
Wednesday, December 30, 8:00-9:00 p.m.
Best-selling author Rachel Simmons uncovers the issues facing teenage girls today.
P.O.V. “Patti Smith: Dream of Life”
Wednesday, December 30, 9:00-11:00 p.m.
A remarkable plunge into the life, art, memories and philosophical reflections of the legendary rocker, poet and artist.
Live from Lincoln Center Live from Lincoln Center “New York Philharmonic New Year’s Eve: Hampson, Gershwin, Copland & Broadway”
Thursday, December 31, 2009, 11:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.
The New York Philharmonic’s New Year’s Eve gala, with new music director Alan Gilbert and baritone Thomas Hampson.