WXXI TV

Art & Science Collide • WXXI-TV

Meet a few of the artists featured in Getty’s 2024–25 Southern California art event, PST ART.

Art & Science Collide airs Friday, October 17 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

The new documentary weaves together compelling stories of artists participating in the Getty’s groundbreaking 2024-2025 Southern California art event Pacific Standard Time – referred to locally as PST ART, where more than 60 deeply-researched exhibitions developed by arts organizations and scientific institutions throughout Southern California featured over 800 artists in mind-expanding explorations of the intersections of art and science, both past and present. Produced by PBS SoCal in association with Actual Films (“Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,” “The White House Effect,” “Athlete A,” “An Inconvenient Sequel,” “The Island President and The Lost Boys of Sudan.”

Photo provided by PBS

American Masters “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” • WXXI-TV

Learn about the life and career of 4-time Emmy nominee Marlee Matlin as she shares her story in her native American Sign Language.

American Masters “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” airs Tuesday, October 14 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI app.

The documentary takes a closer look at Marlee Matlin’s life as a groundbreaking performer, whose meteoric and tumultuous rise to fame started in 1987 when she became the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award for her role in Children of a Lesser God. At the age of twenty-one, Matlin was thrust into the national spotlight, becoming for many Americans the first Deaf person they saw on TV and overnight becoming the de-facto representative of the Deaf community.

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore boasts never-before-seen home video filmed over the course of Matlin’s 37-year career by her longtime interpreter and producing partner Jack Jason—including footage of Matlin behind the scenes on the sets of some of her most iconic roles including Children of a Lesser God, The West Wing and Seinfeld. For the first time in her own language, Matlin will reflect on her relationship with actor William Hurt, her place in the Deaf community, her fight for roles and accessibility in Hollywood and what it means to be “the first.”

This film repeats Friday, October 17 at 4 p.m. and Saturday, October 18 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV. American Masters “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore“ is presented as part of Move to Include^TM an award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.

Photo: Marlee Matlin
Credit: Provided by PBS

Jeffrey’s Journey • WXXI-TV

When you’re faced with an incurable, debilitating and progressive disease, you have a choice to make. How do you live your life?

Jeffrey’s Journey airs Monday, October 13 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

When faced with an incurable, debilitating and progressive disease, you have a choice to make. How do you live your life? When Jeffrey McElfresh was a child, his feet and hands were gradually losing function. At age 41, he finally learned the name of his malady: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a rare peripheral neuropathy that disrupts signals from the brain, causing muscles in the feet and hands to atrophy. Today, Jeffrey’s disability is apparent, yet he has adapted and built a meaningful life that eventually led him to become an adventure cyclist. Jeffrey’s Journey follows his story over 10 days as he cycles along the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati. As he follows the river through old steel towns, beautiful valleys and forgotten burgs, Jeffrey gains insight into the land he’s traveling across and even more about himself.

This program is presented by Move to Include^TM, an award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.

Photo: Jeffrey McElfresh rides through the industrial area along the Ohio River
Credit: Provided by APT

Reflections on the Erie Canal • WXXI-TV

Explore the past, present and future of the Erie Canal on its bicentennial anniversary.

Reflections on the Erie Canal airs Tuesday, October 7 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

In 1825, the state of New York inaugurated a monumental economic engine – the Erie Canal. Born from an audacious ambition to secure financial power and seal New York’s status as the Empire State, the canal was a triumph of engineering and determination. Two hundred years later, the human-made thread crossing the state of New York from West to East has a much broader legacy that deserves definition and exploration.

To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the completion of the Erie Canal, WXXI is proud to bring you additional Erie Canal programs:
America’s Stairway airs Monday, October 20 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV
15 Miles on the Erie Canal airs Friday, October 24 at 5 p.m. on WXXI-TV and on-demand on PBS Passport
Boom and Bust: America’s Journey on the Erie Canal airs Saturday, October 25 at 5:30pm on WXXI-TV
Canal Towns watch on-demand on PBS Passport

Frontline “Born Poor” • WXXI-TV

A look at the realities of growing up poor in America, filmed over 14 years with children from three families.

Frontline “Born Poor” airs Tuesday, October 7 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

An indelible look at the realities of growing up poor in America. Filmed over 14 years with kids from three families, from adolescents to adults with kids of their own, navigating an economy with more obstacles than opportunities.

Caption: An indelible look at the realities of growing up poor in America.
Credit: FRONTLINE (PBS)

Pathways to Invention • WXXI-TV

Inventors and inventions are all around us, proving that we all have the power in our minds and hands to shape the world.

Pathways to Invention airs Monday, October 6 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Inventors and inventions are all around us, proving that we all have the power in our minds and hands to shape the world. However, even the most accomplished makers and creators often hesitate to identify as “inventors.” Pathways to Invention explores the workshops, garages, laboratories and offices of accomplished inventors in the fields of materials, software, hardware, biotech and agriculture to understand the tools and traits of both successful invention and entrepreneurship. The program follows 12 different award-winning early to mid-career inventors to understand what makes them tick and to answer the question: “Are inventors born or are they made?”

Brian and Maggie • WXXI-TV

Two old friends, politician-turned-journalist Brian Walden and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, sit for one of the most famous political exchanges of all time.

Brian and Maggie concludes Sunday, October 12 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

1989. Two old friends, politician-turned-journalist Brian Walden and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, sit for one of the most famous political exchanges of all time, one that would end a political era and a long-term friendship as it reshaped national opinion and triggered the downfall of the Iron Lady.

Cinema Nomad • WXXI-TV

Explores the world through the life and lens of filmmakers in their thirties.

Cinema Nomad airs Saturdays, October 4-November 1 at 11:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Explore nations through the country’s cinematic past, present and future. Cinephile host, Stephanie Gardner, takes viewers on a journey around the world to meet directors in their thirties, delving into their hopes, dreams and desires. Viewers experience the filmmakers’ daily lives, visit their homes, neighborhoods, hangouts, and the locations that inspire their creativity.