PBS reveals summer 2010 arts highlights for network

By April MacIntyre May 6, 2010, 21:52 GMT

Haggard, photo courtesy of Merle Haggard

PBS brings the arts to your living room this summer.

Attend concerts, the ballet, enjoy murder mystery weekends, ballgames and circus shows, all without paying over-the-top ticket prices. The summer season on PBS will give you the best seat in the house.

MASTERPIECE MYSTERY!

Murder mystery weekend at a creepy old mansion?

Try Sundays on PBS with Masterpiece Mystery! beginning May 23 with all new episodes featuring Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and Poirot. The plot thickens in August with five all-new “Inspector Lewis” episodes.

HISTORY DETECTIVES Andrew Jackson’s Mouth, Barton Letter, Spybook Monday, July 12, 2010, 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm ET "Jackson's Mouth": HISTORY DETECTIVES host Elyse Luray reunites the face of an Andrew Jackson statue with its mouth. Credit: Stephanie Berger Producer: Lion Television and Oregon Public Broadcasting

HISTORY DETECTIVES

On Mondays, beginning June 21, award winning series History Detectives starts a new season with a special “space-themed” episode that features a tantalizing story about a piece of Andy Warhol art that may be on the moon.

GREAT PERFORMANCES

Concerts and dance in the convenience of your living room? PBS has Great Performances "La Danse: Le Ballet de l'Opera de Paris" on June 16 and “Renée Fleming and Dmitri Hvorostovsky: Sights and Sounds of St. Petersburg” (w.t.) on August 25.

AMERICANA

The annual A CAPITOL FOURTH (2010) celebration kicks off a month of Americana on PBS. Encore presentations of Ken Burns’s BASEBALL, on Wednesdays, June 30-July 13, and CARRIER, on Tuesdays beginning July 6, take a look at two American institutions: the national pastime and the U.S. military.

AMERICAN MASTERS Merle Haggard: Learning to Live With Myself Wednesday, July 21, 2010, 9:00 pm - 10:30 pm ET AMERICAN MASTERS profiles Merle Haggard, who actually lived the rambling, gambling, love ’em and leave ’em, often brutal life that remains the bedrock of country music lyrics. Credit: ©Travis Huggett Producer: THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG

AMERICAN MASTERS

On July 21, AMERICAN MASTERS profiles a genuine American original: Merle Haggard, a onetime criminal saved from a life behind bars by the lure of country music.

NEED TO KNOW

Arts and culture are always in the news on PBS. Culture is one of the five primary news beats of the recently launched NEED TO KNOW, a cross-media news and public affairs magazine, and Jeffrey Brown’s Art Beat is a regular feature of PBS NEWSHOUR.

For even more arts-themed programming, turn to PBS Online, where the PBS Video Portal (pbs.org/video) showcases everything from Sir Ian McKellen’s performance in “King Lear” to Austin City Limits “Lyle Lovett & Friends: A Songwriters Special.” The Arts on Exhibit Collection also includes a robust compilation of interviews with Band of Skulls, Broken Social Scene and others from this year’s SXSW Festival. Check back frequently — videos will be added throughout the summer. 

Highlights of PBS’ summer 2010 season, beginning Memorial Day weekend, include:

MAY

MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! “Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, Series V” *Miniseries Premiere*
Sundays, May 23 and June 20-27, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
Acclaimed British actress Julia McKenzie (“Cranford”) stars as the beloved spinster sleuth Miss Marple in three new episodes of the popular “Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple” series.

NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT (2010)
Sunday, May 30, 2010, 8:00-9:30 p.m. ET, rpt. 9:30-11:00 p.m. ET
The multi award-winning NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT, featuring Colin Powell, Lionel Richie, Brad Paisley, Dennis Haysbert, Katherine Jenkins, Kelli O’Hara, Yolanda Adams and the National Symphony Orchestra with conductor Jack Everly, honors the service and sacrifice of the men and women in uniform, their families at home and all those who have given their lives for this country. Co-hosted for the fifth year by Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinise (“CSI: New York“) and Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna (“Criminal Minds“).

JUNE 

HISTORY DETECTIVES “Space Exploration”*Season Premiere*
Mondays, June 21-August 8, 2010, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET
“Satelloon”: Could a scrap of Mylar have been a part of an early U.S. satellite? “Moon Museum”: Could some of Andy Warhol’s artwork really be on the moon? “Space Boot”: Could a jury-rigged ski boot be a prototype for a NASA space boot? Wes Cowan, Elyse Luray, Gwendolyn Wright, Tukufu Zuberi and Eduardo Pagán prove that an object found in an attic or backyard might be anything but ordinary.

GREAT PERFORMANCES "La Danse: Le Ballet de l'Opera de Paris"
Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 9:00-12:00 a.m. ET
For his 38th film, master documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman turns his unblinking eye on one of the world’s leading ballet companies, the Paris Opera Ballet.

DIANE WARREN: LOVE SONGS
June 2010, check local listings
Guest artists Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion, Toni Braxton, Eric Benét, LeAnn Rimes and others perform some of songwriter Diane Warren’s biggest hits.

4TROOPS: LIVE FROM THE INTREPID
June 2010, check local listings
4TROOPS is an American pop vocal group made up of Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans. This new concert special, filmed aboard the USS Intrepid, features the group performing standards, pop hits and inspirational compositions.

CAROLE KING - JAMES TAYLOR: LIVE AT THE TROUBADOUR
June 2010, check local listings
This concert special stars Carole King and James Taylor, filmed at their 2007 performances celebrating the 50th anniversary of Los Angeles’ famed Troubadour nightclub. At that club some 40 years ago, Taylor urged King to emerge as an artist from behind her piano, a seminal moment in the history of these pop singer-songwriter icons.

BASEBALL: A KEN BURNS FILM (Encore)
Wednesdays, June 30, 9:00-11:30 p.m.; July 7, 9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.; and July 14, 2010, 9:00-11:30 p.m. ET
In advance of the September 2010 premiere of THE TENTH INNING, PBS presents encores of BASEBALL “Inning 5,” “Inning 6” and “Inning 7” in July.

BASEBALL The Capital of Baseball Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 9:00 pm - 11:30 pm ET Jackie Robinson slides home Producer: Florentine Films and WETA Washington, DC

JULY

SOUNDSTAGE “Norah Jones”
Thursday, July 1, 2010, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET
Sultry vocalist and pianist Norah Jones, known for a unique blend of jazz and traditional vocal pop with hints of bluesy country and contemporary folk, performs a blend of covers by the likes of Tom Waits and Wilco, hits such as “Don’t Know Why” and “Come Away With Me,” and tracks from her fourth album, The Fall.

A Capitol Fourth, courtesy of PBS

A CAPITOL FOURTH (2010)
Sunday, July 4, 2010, 8:00-9:30 p.m. ET; rpt. 9:30-11:00 p.m. ET
America’s biggest birthday party airs live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The bash features musical performances by some of the country’s best-known and award-winning musicians in performance with the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jack Everly, and the most spectacular fireworks display anywhere in the nation.

CARRIER (Encore Broadcast)
Tuesdays, July 6-September 7, 2010, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET
CARRIER is a character-driven, edge-of-your-seat, nonfiction drama and a once-in-a-lifetime total immersion in the high-stakes world of a nuclear aircraft carrier. The encore presentation follows a core group aboard the USS Nimitz as they navigate personal conflicts around their jobs, families, faith, patriotism, love, the rites of passage and the war on terror.

DAVID SUCHET ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS: A MASTERPIECE SPECIAL
Wednesday, July 7, 2010, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET
With glamour, insight, charm, beautiful photography and fascinating stories, David Suchet leads viewers on a homicide-free excursion aboard the modern-day Orient Express.

MASTERPIECE MYSTERY!  “Poirot” *Miniseries Premiere*
Sundays, July 11-25, 2010, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
All aboard for the most famous crime ever to be committed and solved on a train — “Murder on the Orient Express,” headlining a trio of Agatha Christie’s Poirot mysteries starring David Suchet. The long-awaited adaptation is preceded by DAVID SUCHET ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, a one-hour special aboard the iconic train. In “Third Girl,” Poirot teams with Ariadne Oliver (Zoë Wanamaker), a crime novelist said to be modeled on Christie herself. In “Appointment with Death,” the Belgian sleuth focuses his detective genius on an archaeological site in Syria, where a fabulous ancient artifact has come to light — in addition to a modern corpse.

AMERICAN MASTERS  “Merle Haggard: Learning to Live With Myself”
Wednesday, July 21, 2010, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
This revealing documentary follows musician Merle Haggard for two years, on tour and at home on his ranch. Known for his distinctive voice, finger-picking and interpretations, the former prison inmate recently survived major lung surgery; he’s now in top physical shape, full of creative juices and hitting new artistic and commercial highs. The program includes interviews with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Ray Price, Dwight Yoakam, Lucinda Williams and Allison Krauss.

PBS PREVIEWS: CIRCUS
Sunday, July 18, 2010, 10:30-11:00 p.m. ET
Ever dream of running away with the circus? Go beyond the big top with the traveling Big Apple Circus, where the stories are true and the magic is real. Listen and watch as producers Maro Chermayeff and Jeff Dupre relive the journey with crew members, acrobats, clowns and other amazing characters under the tent.

GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET "Hamlet"
July 2010, check local listings
Simon Keenlyside and Marlis Petersen headline the Ambroise Thomas opera, based on Shakespeare’s play, in a new production directed by Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser. With Jennifer Larmore, Toby Spence and James Morris. Louis Langrée conducts. 

AUGUST

GREAT PERFORMANCES  “Renée Fleming and Dmitri Hvorostovsky: Sights and Sounds of St. Petersburg” (w.t.)
Wednesday, August 25, 2009, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
Reigning American soprano Renée Fleming travels to Russia for a special visit to St. Petersburg with her friend and frequent co-star, Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovky. There, in the “Venice of the North,” they explore and perform in some of the most spectacular locations of the city.

MASTERPIECE MYSTERY!  “Inspector Lewis” *Miniseries Premiere*
Sundays, August 29-September 26, 2010, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
Kevin Whately returns for a third season as Inspector Lewis in five new episodes. Lewis and his young partner, DS Hathaway (Laurence Fox, A Room with a View), continue solving cases in the seemingly perfect academic haven of Oxford.

GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET  “Armida”
August 2010, check local listings
Renée Fleming plays Rossini’s vengeful sorceress in this opera’s Met premiere, directed by Mary Zimmerman. The cast of multiple tenors includes Lawrence Brownlee, John Osborn, José Manuel Zapata, Barry Banks and Kobie van Rensburg. Riccardo Frizza conducts.