Native Americans

Happiness airs Sunday, December 14 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps

After 20 years away, Broadway director Charlie Summers finds himself back in his childhood room, helping his mother at the local theater. The eclectic cast and crew there may lack professional skills, but certainly don’t lack passion.

Happiness, a new six-episode series from PBS, is a feel-good musical comedy-drama that is fun for the entire family—just in time for the holiday season. Centered on the highs and lows of an amateur theater group in New Zealand, the story follows Charlie Summers after he reluctantly returns home from a Broadway stint, helping his mother run the local community theater group Pizazz. Warm, funny and heartfelt, the opening scene features an airport flash mob, choreographed to the tune of Backstreet Boys’ “Everybody,” featuring original lyrics and choreography and continues to dazzle with original musical numbers from the fictional Pizazz production of “The Trojan Horse,”including “Troy Boy” and “Greeks Bearing Gifts.”

American Masters “Starring Dick Van Dyke” airs Friday, December 12 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps

Ahead of his 100th birthday, celebrate the life and career of legendary actor Dick Van Dyke. Known for iconic roles in Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and his classic CBS sitcom, he has delighted audiences on screen and stage for eight decades.

Over the course of his life, Dick Van Dyke has dazzled audiences in many iconic works, from his Broadway debut in Bye Bye Birdie to his sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show and his silver screen performances in such beloved films as Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Along the way, he has influenced many of today’s entertainers and his performances have stood the test of time. Discover the career of the Emmy, Tony and Grammy-winning star and hear how he continues to inspire the biggest acts in show business in American Masters – Starring Dick Van Dyke.

Starring Dick Van Dyke chronicles the star’s career over eight decades, beginning with his stint as a radio DJ and slapstick nightclub act and through his breakthrough television gigs and movie roles. In addition to his memorable work, the documentary features rare and never-before-seen footage and performance clips, as well as new, exclusive interviews with Julie Andrews, Carol Burnett, Jim Carrey, Ted Danson, Steve Martin, Conan O’Brien, Martin Short and more. Also featured are archival interviews with Van Dyke’s former costars and colleagues, including Walter Cronkite, Sheldon Leonard, Rose Marie, Mary Tyler Moore and Carl Reiner. 

American Masters “Starring Dick Van Dyke” repeats Saturday, December 13 at 3 p.m. and Sunday, December 14 at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Recorded in 1997, this concert marks the return of the band’s most successful line-up of Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Stevie Nicks, who had not released an album together since 1987’s Tango in the Night.

Fleetwood Mac: The Dance airs Wednesday, December 3 at 9:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the PBS app and the WXXI app.

The group performs “Go Your Own Way,” “The Chain,” “Landslide,” “Gold Dust Woman,” and “Gypsy.” The USC Marching Band joins in on “Tusk” and “Don’t Stop.”

Repeats December 7 at 4:30 p.m.

The Great Escaper tells the true story of Bernard Jordan, who made global headlines in the summer of 2014. He had staged a “great escape” from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a beach in Normandy, commemorating their fallen comrades at the D-Day Landings 70th anniversary.

The Great Escaper airs Sunday, November 23 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Michael Caine and the late, two-time Oscar® winner Glenda Jackson star as Bernard Jordan and his wife, Rene. Bernie’s adventure, spanning a mere 48 hours, marked the culmination of his 60-year marriage to Rene. While Bernie is on his trip to Normandy, Rene recalls their younger days and falling in love during World War II.

Bernie’s story captured the imagination of the world as he embodied the defiant, “can-do” spirit of a generation that was fast disappearing. But of course, it wasn’t the whole story. It was an inspirational but sanitized retelling of one man’s need to come to terms with the lasting trauma of war. The Great Escaper celebrates Bernie and Rene’s enduring love but always with an eye to the lessons we might learn from the Greatest Generation.

In honor of Veterans Day, WXXI-TV brings you this electrifying live theatrical event that brings America’s WWI story to life.

American Heart in WWI: A Carnegie Hall Tribute airs Tuesday Saturday, November 11 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

This electrifying live theatrical event, created and narrated by historian John Monsky, brings America’s World War I story to life through the Lens of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and a dynamic fusion of breathtaking music, powerful storytelling and unforgettable characters.ely.

Photo credit: Nina Westervelt

Extraction, water displacement, and climate change have impacted food sustainability in Indigenous communities, and the combination of these challenges has also affected cultural sustainability. A Diné woman travels from the Navajo Nation to a Quechuan community in Peru to see how they address these issues in their region. 

Indigenize The Plate airs Saturday, November 15 at 3p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

Indigenize The Plate tells the stories of Indigenous people across the world and shows viewers how their communities are working together to address some of the many challenges that the world faces collectively.

Photo: Two members of Oliver Alvarez’s family preparing cuy, a traditional dish of the region.