WXXI TV

Finding Your Roots, Season 11 • WXXI-TV

In the new season of the Emmy® nominated series, nineteen celebrity guests sit down with Dr. Gates, Jr. to dive into their ancestral history and solve mysteries that have plagued their families.

Finding Your Roots airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

Gates and his team use genealogical detective work and cutting-edge DNA analysis to trace the family trees of twenty compelling guests, telling stories that illuminate America’s fundamental diversity. In addition to the all-star line-up, Gates will have his own familial mystery solved when the tables are turned and the celebrated host becomes a guest on an eagerly anticipated episode of the new season.

As the pages turn in each guest’s book of life, emotional revelations give way to complex questions about identity. Through Gates’ discerning touch, his guests learn what every family history shares—love, courage, and sacrifice—and how our histories transcend borders, merging to form an American root system fortified by its diversity. Along the way, viewers are transported from coastal Africa to the Mississippi Delta; from shtetls in the former Russian Empire to the ancestral lands of the Lakota Nation; from villages in the Philippines to a pirate enclave in Puerto Rico—all in search of the stories that will bring our guests’ ancestors to life. What’s more, this new season also includes a special reveal: the solution to a mystery that has haunted Gates’ own family for generations.

Upcoming episodes feature:
1/28: Actor Sharon Stone and model Chrissy Teigen
2/4: Celebrity chefs José Andrés and Sean Sherman
2/11: Musician Rubén Blades and journalist Natalie Morales
2/18: Actors Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard
2/25: Actors Debra Messing and Melanie Lynskey (
4/1: Historian Lonnie Bunch and actor Sheryl Lee Ralph
4/8: Actor Laurence Fishburne and host and executive producer Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Past episodes:
1/7: Actors Lea Salonga and Amanda Seyfried
1/14: Talk show host Joy Behar and actor Michael Imperioli
1/21: Novelist Amy Tan and poet Rita Dove

Photo: Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Credit: PBS

America ReFramed “Fannie Lou Hamer’s America • WXXI-TV

The remarkable life of a fearless Mississippi sharecropper-turned-human-rights-activist.

America ReFramed “Fannie Lou Hamer’s America” airs Saturday, March 29 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Fannie Lou Hamer’s America is a portrait of a civil rights activist and the injustices in America that made her work essential. Through public speeches, personal interviews, and powerful songs of the fearless Mississippi sharecropper-turned-human-rights-activist, Fannie Lou Hamer’s America explores and celebrates the lesser-known life of one of the Civil Rights Movement’s greatest leaders.

Note: On January 4, 2025 Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer became the posthumous recipient of The Presidential Medal of Freedom. President Joe Biden presents the Medal to Doris Hamer Richardson, who accepted on behalf of her aunt, Fannie Lou Hamer. As one of the executive producers who worked on the “Fannie Lou Hamer’s America,” WXXI President & CEO Chris Hastings attended the ceremony.

Photo below from the Presidential Medal of Freedom event: Jed, Harriett and Salam Oppenheim, Selena Lauterer, President Joseph R. Biden, Doris Hamer Richardson, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Angela Hamer Johnson, Chris and Miles Hastings and Hillary Rosenfeld. Photo courtesy of the White House.

Dreams of Hope • WXXI-TV

This concert documentary tells the story of a historic performance at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, more than 50 years after a hate crime there killed four African American girls.

Dreams of Hope airs Sunday, February 2 at 1 p.m. WXXI-TV

An initiative called Violins of Hope contributed painstakingly restored musical instruments to the event, including violins recovered from Holocaust concentration camps, which serve as symbols of resilience in the face of hate, discrimination and racism.

With a captivating storyline written by filmmaker David L. Macon, “Dreams of Hope” blends concert performance footage with behind-the-scenes interviews chronicling the event’s preparation and reflecting on its significance.

Broadway’s Brightest Lights • WXXI-TV

Grab a front-row seat at a concert featuring new arrangements and timeless renditions of some of the greatest show tunes of musical theatre.

Broadway’s Brightest Lights • WXXI-TV airs Friday, January 24 at 9:30 p.m. WXXI-TV

Broadway’s Brightest Lights shines the spotlight on some of today’s best and brightest talents. Curated and conducted by Luke Frazier, the concert features Tony Award-winning Broadway star Megan Hilty alongside Michael Maliakel, Nikki Renée Daniels, and Tommy Sutter with The American Pops Orchestra. Highlighting some of the greatest show tunes, from Golden Age classics to modern musicals, each song features brand-new arrangements and timeless renditions to be enjoyed by Broadway fans of all ages.

Performances in Broadway’s Brightest Lights include “Popular” (Megan Hilty), “The Trolley Song” (Tommy Sutter), “Being Alive” (Michael Maliakel), “I Dreamed A Dream” (Nikki Renée Daniels), “Suddenly Seymour” (Michael Maliakel and Megan Hilty) and many more.

Photo: Michael Maliakel, Megan Hilty, and Luke Hawkins.Credit: Elman Studio.

Special Coverage of the Inauguration of Donald J. Trump • WXXI-TV and WXXI News

WXXI brings you live coverage of Inauguration Day 2025.

On Monday, January 20th PBS News coverage begins at 10:30 a.m. on WXXI-TV and NPR coverage begins at 11 a.m. on WXXI News.

PBS News coverage will be co-anchored by Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett, with reporting from PBS News Hour White House correspondent Laura Barrón-López at the White House, Capitol Hill correspondent Lisa Desjardins at the Capitol, and senior correspondent Judy Woodruff. Analysis will be provided by editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report Amy Walter, Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart and New York Times op-ed columnist David Brooks.

NPR will provide live, anchored Special Coverage of the ceremonies on WXXI News (FM 105.9 and WXXINews.org).

Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan “Judy Woodruff” • WXXI-TV

Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff reflects on her perspectives on the changing American political landscape and raising a child with spina bifida.

Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan “Judy Woodruff” airs Friday, January 17 at 8:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI app.

For five decades, Judy Woodruff has delivered exceptional coverage of politics to the American public. In this episode, she reflects on her career highlights, her perspectives on the changing American political landscape, and raising a child with spina bifida.

This program is presented as part of Dialogue on Disability, a partnership between WXXI and Al Sigl Community of Agencies – in conjunction with the Herman and Margaret Schwartz Community Series. Dialogue on Disability is supported by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation with additional support from The Golisano Foundation. The weeklong initiative runs January 13-19, 2025

WXXI and Al Sigl have been hosting Dialogue on Disability since 2005. In 2014, with the support of businessman and philanthropist Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation, Move to Include™ was formed. This initiative enables WXXI to present and develop programming that promotes inclusion year round.

Remembering President Jimmy Carter – A PBS News Special • WXXI-TV & WXXI-WORLD

PBS will provide live coverage around the National Funeral Service for former President Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States.

Remembering President Jimmy Carter – A PBS News Special airs Thursday, January 9 beginning at 9 a.m. on WXXI-TV and WXXI-WORLD.

Thursday, January 9 is a national day of mourning in the United States to honor the late President Jimmy Carter, who was the longest-living president in US history. He became the 39th president of the United States in the 1976 election and served one term. PBS News coverage of his funeral on January will be approximately 3 1/2 hours in length.

Great Performances at the Met “Madame Butterfly” • WXXI-TV

Kristine Opolais brings her heartbreaking interpretation of the title role to the series for the first time.

Great Performances at the Met “Madame Butterfly” airs Sunday, January 12 at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Roberto Alagna sings Lieutenant Pinkerton, the callous officer who crushes Butterfly’s dreams of love. Debuting conductor Karel Mark Chichon leads a cast that includes Maria Zifchak as Suzuki and Dwayne Croft as Sharpless.