LPB eNews

A STORY OF SURVIVAL, RESILIENCE, AND HOPE

NATURE - KATAVI: AFRICA'S FALLEN PARADISE
Limited Series
Wednesday 7:00pm

Katavi National Park is a remote wilderness, spanning 3,000 square miles of western Tanzania. Here lions, hippos, and crocodiles live more or less in harmony until an unusual climatic cycle transforms the natural dry season into the toughest drought in almost a century, followed by heavy rains. Desperation pushes all these animals to the edge of their endurance, testing their survival skills.

In the first episode of a 3-part series, meet the hippo, crocodile and lion families who must navigate this change of seasons.

FIERCE PREDATOR: GENTLE MOTHER

When a mother crocodile leaves her nest unattended, a Nile monitor takes the opportunity to steal her eggs. The mother returns to protect most of her eggs but the disturbance sets off a mass hatching. Watch this 2:45 clip from the first episode.

STAGES, SONGS, SUCCESS AND SURVIVAL

LIZA - A TRULY TERRIFIC ABSOLUTELY TRUE STORY
AMERICAN MASTERS
Tuesday 8:00pm

Liza Minnelli was born in the spotlight and has spent her life entertaining audiences with her magnetic charm and formidable talents as an actress, singer and dancer. The daughter of the legendary Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli, Liza made a name for herself as an influential performer and celebrated EGOT winner, having received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and four Tony Awards. Learn how Minnelli became the star she is today, navigating professional and personal challenges with the help of extraordinary mentors.

Featuring archival footage and stills, performance clips and new interviews with Minnelli, LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story is an intimate look into her dynamic life, from her complex relationship with her mother to her skyrocketing stardom after her Academy Award-winning role in Cabaret. The film dives into her relationships with her most trusted mentors, like Kay Thompson, Fred Ebb, Charles Aznavour, Halston and Bob Fosse, and their profound influence on Minnelli throughout her decades-long career.

THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF ONE OF BRITAIN'S MOST PROLIFIC ACTRESSES

DISCOVERING MAGGIE SMITH
Monday 9:00pm

She's probably best known to PBS fans for her scene stealing role as Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey, but actress Dame Maggie Smith was so much more. This thoughtful documentary looks at the entirety of her remarkable on-screen career.

Smith was a prominent figure in British culture for six decades. Her extraordinary film career took off with her role in Nowhere to Go (1958), for which she received her first BAFTA nomination. Two Academy Awards later, including Best Actress for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and Best Supporting Actress for California Suite (1978), Smith had reached the pinnacle of success.

The program explores her early years with her family, her start in show business, and her rise to the top of the industry. Smith started as a comedienne and soon became a multiple BAFTA winner for A Private Function (1984), The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1988), and Tea With Mussolini (1999). She was also Oscar-nominated for Othello (1965), Travels with My Aunt (1972), A Room with a View (1986), and Gosford Park (2001).

Smith continued to act well into her later years, captivating audiences with her performances in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), and The Lady in the Van (2015). She also gained acclaim for her roles as Dowager Countess of Grantham in the popular public television series Downton Abbey and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the blockbuster Harry Potter films.

NEW WIT AND WISDOM FROM THE APTLY NAMED TOWN OF GREAT SLAUGHTER

SISTER BONIFACE MYSTERIES
SEASON 3 PREMIERE
Monday 8:00pm
The crime-solving Vespa-driving Catholic nun is back to solve more crimes in this acclaimed murder-mystery series. Sister Boniface’s faith in The Almighty is matched only by her passion for forensics. Her aptitude for detective work is an invaluable asset to the Great Slaughter Police Department, who face more mysteries. First up, Sister Boniface and team try to discover who planted the deadly scorpion during the filming of a crime drama, which resulted in the death of a cast member.

FROM LOUISIANA HISTORY TO LOUISIANA HISTORY-MAKERS

LA VEILLEE
LPB Special Focus
Thursday 7:45pm
Stream past episodes at www.lpb.org/laveillee.

Cajun and Zydeco music are an integral part of Louisiana’s musical culture, particularly in the Southwest region of Acadiana. In the early years of French music in Louisiana, however, few women were on the main stage—that is, until Cajun Queen and star accordionist Sheryl Cormier. In this episode of La Veillée, we had the honor of talking with the Queen herself, along with fellow musician Jane Vidrine, about Sheryl’s legacy and her impact on the new generation of Cajun female musicians.

Each episode is in Louisiana French with English subtitles, so everyone can watch.

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BEHIND THE GLORY: TOM BURNETT
LPB Special Focus
Thursday 8:45pm
Stream this and past episodes at www.lpb.org/behind-the-glory

LPB profiles Louisiana sports legends and inductees into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, sharing the stories that transcend the sport.

Tom Burnett began sharing the story of Louisiana sports while attending college at Louisiana Tech and he never looked back! From his role as a student sports information assistant for the Bulldogs, to almost 20 years at the top post for the Southland Conference, to his tenure as chairman of the NCAA Men's Basketball Committee his love of sports is Bayou Born.

Hosted by veteran journalist Lyn Rollins.

UPDATING LOUISIANA'S INFRASTRUCTURE

LOUISIANA: THE STATE WE'RE IN
LPB Special Focus
Friday 7:00pm
Stream episodes at www.lpb.org/lswi

In Louisiana, we’re no stranger to outdated infrastructure, and a new report highlights the need for major upgrades. Karen LeBlanc sits down with a civil engineer to dig into the details and look at what’s needed to make our roads and bridge safer.

And meet our first of the 2025 Louisiana Young Heroes. Dorothea Wilson’s first report highlights Jessica Anderson of Youngsville. Be sure to watch Louisiana: The State We’re In for her inspiring story. Read more below about all of the 2025 Louisiana Young Heroes.

DRIVING INTO DEBT - Stream the entire 3-part series here!

WHAT TO WATCH AND WHEN: THIS WEEK ON LPB

You will be forgiven for thinking it’s Saturday night (Pro Tip: It airs on Friday)! This trailblazing music series has aired on LPB Saturday nights for decades, making the day and time a destination for generations of music lovers in Louisiana. Now, as the program celebrates 50-years of stellar concerts, the ACL team brings us a lineup of one-of-a-kind music performances featuring ACL luminaries such as Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr., Billy Strings, Shawn Colvin, Lyle Lovett, The Avett Brothers, Angela Aguilar, The Mavericks, and more! This two-hour broadcast offers salutes to ACL icons including Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and features behind-the-scenes interviews along with rarely seen vintage clips from the ACL archives.
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS CELEBRATES 50 YEARS | FRIDAY 8:00 PM

MONDAY
7pm - Antiques Roadshow NEW Hour two at Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms with amazing finds including Paul Revere Jr. silver tablespoons and a 1942 DC Comics promotional Superman figurine.
8pm - Sister Boniface Mysteries NEW Sister Boniface and team try to discover who planted the deadly scorpion during the filming of a crime drama which leaves one of the cast dead.
9pm - Discovering Maggie Smith NEW A look at the remarkable on-screen career of Dame Maggie Smith.
10pm - Kate Humble's Coastal Britain NEW In Yorkshire, Kate heads to the village of Staithes, once home to one of Yorkshire's largest fishing fleets and the explorer Captain Cook.
10:45pm - Kate Humble's Coastal Britain NEW Kate walks 12 miles of Suffolk's shingle coast, starting at Minsmere Nature Reserve, before heading along the pebble beach past Sizewell B power station.

TUESDAY
7pm - Finding Your Roots The long-lost roots of actor Sheryl Lee Ralph and historian Lonnie Bunch.
8pm - AMERICAN MASTERS Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story NEW After the tragic death of her mother, a young Liza Minnelli - in the midst of personal and professional challenges - seeks out mentors to help polish her boundless raw talent.
10pm - Going Your Way NEW Explore the personal, medical, and spiritual aspects of end-of-life care. Gain insights from experts and hear powerful, courageous stories from real people sharing their end-of-life planning and how it can be less painful.

WEDNESDAY
7pm - NATURE Katavi: Africa's Fallen Paradise - Sanctuary NEW A rare climatic upheaval in Katavi National Park forces lions, hippos, and crocodiles into a fierce struggle for survival. The first in a 3-part series.
8pm - NOVA When Whales Could Walk A spectacular fossil graveyard reveals a 43-million-year-old whale that had four legs and could walk. STREAM NOW
9pm - The Future of Nature LIMITED SERIES Glimpse into Earth's grasslands, where the biggest animal numbers are found, and see how animal life helps to drawdown carbon. The latest science reveals their importance to our future, and what we can do to restore them to health and abundance. STREAM THE FIRST EPISODE IN THE SERIES.
10pm - Midsomer Murders Trouble amongst a survivalist group leads to death by life boat.

THURSDAY
7pm - Father Brown Brenda faces ghosts from her past and becomes embroiled in a local dispute that ends in murder.
7:45pm - La Veillée LPB SPECIAL FOCUS Star accordionist and "Cajun Queen" Sheryl Cormier on her music and impact on the new generation of female Cajun musicians.
8pm - Queen's of Mystery NEW The stage adaptation of Jane's book endures numerous snafus before opening night; Mattie searches for new clues in the case of her missing mother.
8:45pm - Behind the Glory LPB SPECIAL FOCUS Meet Tom Burnett, whose love of Louisiana sports led him to top posts with the Southland Conference and the NCAA.
9pm - The Brokenwood Mysteries NEW Golfers find more than lost balls in a bunker near the first green!

FRIDAY
7pm - Louisiana: The State We're In LPB SPECIAL FOCUS
7:30pm - Washington Week with The Atlantic Roundtable discussion about the week's major news.
8pm - Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years NEW Your favorite music series comes to Friday night with a celebration of its five-decade history!
10pm - Next at the Kennedy Center: Joshua Redman - Where Are We A look at the life and legacy of a woman that many consider the greatest cellists of all time.

SATURDAY
7pm - Last of the Summer Wine Compo and Clegg hatch a plan to try and free hen-pecked Wally and Howard from the domestic chores set for them by their wives.
7:30pm - Upstart Crow Will can't understand why the ladies in his life don't like his new play, "The Taming of the Shrew."
8pm - Up the Women Your chance to catch this series about the women's suffrage movement from the beginning.
8:30pm - The Office It's Comic Relief for charity day at the office. What could go wrong?
9pm - Hope Street NEW When a new landowner threatens to cut down Port Devine's much-loved 'Raggedy Tree', her plans are met with vandalism, burglary, and a protest - in the form of Niamh and Ash chaining themselves to the tree.
9:43pm - Hope Street NEW When Siobhan's car is stolen, Marlene spearheads the investigation - despite the fact she's got the day off to get married.
10:30pm - Austin City Limits Country Music Hall of Fame icon Wynonna delivers an epic, career-spanning performance filled with solo hits, Judds classics and new gems.

SUNDAY
7pm - Call The Midwife NEW Trixie cares for a single mother recently discharged from a psychiatric hospital. An outbreak of gonorrhea sees Shelagh and Miss Higgins using the Council's new tracing system to identify contacts for testing and treatment. Early release opportunity with LPB PASSPORT.
8pm -Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light on MASTERPIECE NEW Rebels in the North demand Cromwell's head and a return to the old Catholic ways. With King Henry VIII beginning to contemplate his chief adviser's failings, Cromwell withdraws from court and receives unexpected news from across the sea. Binge the entire season and seasons past with LPB PASSPORT.
9pm - Marie Antoinette NEW When Marie Antoinette takes steps to protect herself and her unborn child, she unwittingly fuels the perception of her as an extravagant tart while Paris starves. For the first time, the people openly protest against her. Binge the entire season and seasons past with LPB PASSPORT.

MEET THE 2025 LOUISIANA YOUNG HEROES

LPB celebrates the good things that Louisiana youth are doing with our annual Louisiana Young Heroes program. Each year we ask Louisianans across the state to nominate the exceptional young people they know and each year they respond! This year's honorees come to us from Bossier City to Baton Rouge and points in between!

Congratulations to the 2025 Louisiana Young Heroes:

• Jessica Anderson of Youngsville (Junior at Southside High School)
• Gabrielle “Gabby” Essex of Natchitoches (Senior at Natchitoches Central High School)
• Mateo Guerrero of Bossier City (Senior at Bossier High School)
• Jared Lane of St. Francisville (Junior at West Feliciana High School)
• William Matthews of Baton Rouge (Senior at Belaire Magnet High School)
• Ja’Nika Stanley of Baton Rouge (Senior at Liberty Magnet High School)

Watch for their stories starting this Friday on Louisiana: The State We're In.

LPB’s Louisiana Young Heroes Program is presented this year with the generous support of presenting sponsors: the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, the Gayle & Tom Benson Charitable Foundation, Fishman Haygood; title sponsors: Community Coffee and Origin Hotel Baton Rouge; with additional support from the U.S. Army Baton Rouge Recruiting Battalion, DEMCO and McDonald’s.

EDUCATION SPOTLIGHT: NEW LPB RESOURCES ON PBS LEARNINGMEDIA

PBS LEARNINGMEDIA
LPB COLLECTION: ZIGGY'S ARTS ADVENTURE

LPB learning resources developed in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Education for their Family Engagement Coordinators for use in a program working with underserved families across the state are now available for everyone to access and use through PBS LearningMedia.

The Ziggy’s Arts Adventure Family & Community Learning (FCL) is a set of four hands-on and creative learning experiences inspired by Louisiana Public Broadcasting’s digital series Ziggy’s Arts Adventure. Designed for families with children ages 7-12 (with younger/older siblings welcome), these experiences and the accompanying facilitator guide explore core arts concepts through storytelling, music, and movement.

Each session fosters learning through:

• Active video viewing and discussions
• Collaborative, hands-on activities
• Creative expression through art, music, and performance
• Exploring key concepts like observation, creativity, and artistic problem-solving
• The workshops also support executive function skills such as persistence, creative thinking, and communication.

The Ziggy’s Arts Adventure Family & Community Learning (FCL) unit is designed to engage families in hands-on activities that build creative and critical thinking skills through the arts.

Like all assets on PBS LearningMedia, these resources are free, so visit PBS LearningMedia and begin exploring!

JOIN US FOR CREATURE ADVENTURES THIS SUMMER

Camp LPB 2025: Creature Adventures
June 23-27, 2025
REGISTER HERE

Creature Adventures is a fun summer camp program for children ages 6 through 9! Camp LPB will engage kids in science, technology, engineering, math, and literacy with fun hands-on activities, digital media, and technology featuring the Wild Kratts! Camp is at LPB's Telecommunications Center located at 7733 Perkins Road in Baton Rouge, LA, from 9 AM - 12 NOON Monday-Friday. Cost is $175 per camper plus a non-refundable registration fee of $25.

SUPPORT LPB - DREAMS OF ITALY

DREAM GETAWAY RAFFLE
Details & Tickets Here
Deadline April 9
Imagine yourself strolling through the historic streets of Rome, admiring the art of Florence, and gliding through the canals of Venice—all while indulging in world-class cuisine and wine. The Friends of LPB Dream Getaway Raffle is your chance to make this dream getaway a reality, and support the work of LPB at the same time.

One lucky winner will receive an incredible vacation package for two that includes:

• Stays in Rome, Florence, and Venice
• Private tours of iconic landmarks
• Exclusive food and wine experiences
• $2,000 in Visa gift cards for airfare and other expenses

Tickets are $50 each. Buy two or more and become a member of Friends of LPB.

LPB NOW STREAMING

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