TCA: PBS Winter 2012 Television Season Premiering Downton Abbey 2
PBS reveals upcoming TV series at Television Critics Association event, starting with Downton Abbey By Gabrielle Pantera
PBS premieres Downton Abbey season 2 on January 8th
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 2012/1/5 – “Building on an exceptional fall season, we’re excited to announce a winter/spring schedule packed with an incredibly diverse line-up of programming,” says PBS President Paula A. Kerger. “This season, we continue our focus on the arts with a fresh slate of dynamic performances from legendary artists. We also are going to take an extraordinary look at America through profiles of influential figures, and fresh perspectives on our infrastructure, industry and nature. And I know I’m not the only one who’s excited about the return of favorites such as Sherlock Holmes and the Emmy Award-winning Downton Abbey. We look forward to featuring many of these shows at PBS’ portion of the TCA press tour.” PBS has almost 360 member stations, and the shows that PBS offers viewers the chance to learn new things and explore new places and enjoy their shows as a family. All the subjects that you would love to learn about are available like cooking, history, politics, science and nature. January 8 Masterpiece Classic’s Presents Downton Abbey Season 2 premiering at 9:00pm and goes for seven weeks. The much anticipated return of Downton Abby opens as World War I is raging across the continent and those left at home and fighting abroad try to deal with their changing lives. The case includes Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith and Brendan Coyle. www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/ January 10 American Experience about the American West 8:00pm Billy the Kid is the first in the America Experience. And on January 18th is Custer’s Last Stand on January 17, airing at 8:00 p.m. January 11 Nature Kangaroo Mob at 8:00 p.m. January 12 Independent Lens at 9:00 p.m. Have You Heard From Johannesburg is a five-part series following the citizens who fought to bring down the system of apartheid in South Africa. January 13 Great Performances 9:00 p.m. 90-minute Anna Deavere Smith’s one-woman show Let Me Down Easy, is a theatrical exploration of matters of the human body January 18 Inside Nature’s Giants 10:00pm As part of science and nature night on Wednesdays, PBS has a team of scientists, a comparative anatomist, an evolutionary biologist and a veterinary scientist the series searches for the secrets and tries to solve the mysteries of some of nature’s largest animals like the sperm whale, large pythons, a great white shark, a lion and a tiger. January 27 Great Performances 9:00 p.m., the 90-minute Tony Bennett: Duets II showcases the legendary singer with a diverse roster of contemporary artists including Lady Gaga, John Mayer, Michael Buble, k.d. lang, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, Queen Latifah, Norah Jones, Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, Faith Hill, Alejandro Sanz, Carrie Underwood and the late Amy Winehouse in her last recording. February 2 Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook, Season 2 9:00 p.m., with three episodes leading viewers across America and through musical history with a variety of surprising guest stars. February 8 Nature at 8:00 p.m. Raccoon Nation, is about how human try to outwit raccoons. But are we actually doing that our are we making the Raccoon’s smarter? February 20 American Experience Clinton, on President’s Day, 9:00 to 11:00p.m., and continues Tuesday night February 21 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. the two-part special, covers Clinton’s presidency using interviews with journalists, friends and foes. Clinton is the latest in the series for the American Experience presidential collection. Past presidents covered are Theodore Roosevelt, LBJ, FDR, and Ronald Reagan. February 24th Great Performances Premiering Memphis, 9:00-11:30 p.m. Viewers get a front row seat to Memphis, starring the original 2010 Tony Award Best New Musical winning cast from the Broadway show. March 25th Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. 8:00 p.m., a 10-part series Gates is a Harvard scholar leads us on the intriguing exploration of genealogy and genetics of famous Americans. History and science are almost always being combined in today’s world what better way then using it to learn the history famous Americans. A few of the celebrities family trees we explore are Kevin Bacon, (How many degrees of separation are there between him and the rest of us.), Robert Downey, Jr., Branford Marsalis, John Legend, Martha Stewart, Barbara Walters and Rick Warren, among many others.