Lucy Worsley’s Holmes vs Doyle – Sunday, December 8th at 8 p.m.
Sherlock Holmes is the most famous detective in the world. For more than a century, he’s intrigued and excited his fans with his intellect and powers of deduction. He made his author, Arthur Conan Doyle, rich and famous. But the writer came to hate his fictional character. In this series, historian and lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan, Lucy Worsley investigates this curious relationship between Holmes and Doyle – detective and author.
Violent Femmes: 40th Anniversary with the Milwaukee Symphony – Friday, December 13th at 10 p.m.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of their self-titled debut album, the folk punk group Violent Femmes invited the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra to be their “back-up band” in this electrifying concert which mixes classical and rock. Violent Femmes formed in 1981 playing on the streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their first album “Violent Femmes” amplified teenage angst and alienation with such songs as “Kiss Off,” “Add It Up,” and “Gone Daddy Gone” written by lead vocalist and guitarist Gordon Gano before he’d even gotten his driver’s license. Today, that debut release stands as a pillar of an American underground movement, and this concert pays homage to the band’s lasting influence.
Too Hot to Handel: Gospel Messiah – Tuesday, December 17th at 9:30 p.m.
Handel’s 18th-century masterpiece “The Messiah” is reimagined by Conductor Marin Alsop and colleagues Bob Christianson and Gary Anderson. Handel’s arias, choruses, and orchestration are infused with gospel, jazz, and R&B, creating an uplifting reinterpretation of this seasonal favorite. Too Hot to Handel: The Gospel Messiah has been seen regularly across the United States since its premiere in New York in 1993. This performance in front of nearly 5,000 people at London’s Royal Albert Hall marks its European premiere. Presented by choirmaster and broadcaster Gareth Malone, the program sees The BBC Concert Orchestra joined by The BBC Symphony Chorus and The London Adventist Chorale, along with soloists Vanessa Haynes and Zwakele Tshabalala.
NOVA “Lost Tombs of Notre Dame” – Wednesday, December 18th at 9 p.m.
During restoration work after the devastating 2019 fire at Notre-Dame de Paris, two anonymous sarcophaguses were discovered under the cathedral’s stone floor. Who is buried in them? And what secrets will these lead caskets reveal? Follow a team of archaeologists and historians as they attempt to solve centuries-old mysteries using the latest scientific investigation techniques. What can DNA and chemical analysis of the remains reveal about the history of Notre Dame and those who devoted their lives to it?
Craft in America (Season 16) – Friday, December 27th at 9 p.m.
Craft in America explores America’s creative spirit through the language and traditions of the handmade. Episode 1 “Science” investigates the unexpected intersection between art and the sciences, featuring Erik & Martin Demaine, John Luebtow, Chris Maynard, Karen Nyberg, Joan Takayama-Ogawa, Joseph & Sergio Youngblood Lugo. Episode 2 “Collectors” reveals the essential role that craft appreciators play in the community, featuring Fleur Bresler, Judith Chernoff & Jeffrey Bernstein, Yolanda González, Sonny & Gloria Kamm, Cynthia Lockhart, Cheech Marin, Carolyn Mazloomi, Francisco Palomares, Frank Romero, Norm Sartorius, Peter Shire, Sara Vance Waddell, Jaime “Germs” Zacarias.
POV “Who I Am Not” – Monday, December 30th at 10 p.m.
Sharon-Rose Khumalo, a South African beauty queen, faces an identity crisis after discovering she's intersex. Her path crosses with Dimakatso Sebidi, a masculine presenting intersex activist, as they both navigate a journey marked by society’s stigma and inner struggles. Intertwining raw reality with poetic beauty, “Who I am Not” captures the heart-wrenching fight for acceptance in a binary world.