ROBERT EARL KEEN/HAYES CARLL

SATURDAY, MARCH 9 @ 9:00PM

Texas has more than its fair share of music of every stripe, but one of its most (in)famous strains is the Lone Star singer/songwriter. This week we have two of the best: Robert Earl Keen and Hayes Carll.

The Houston-born Keen is an old ACL pal – this episode is his fifth appearance on our stage. Supporting his album Rose Hotel, Keen runs through a set of his humorous and poignant slices of life, from the statement of purpose “Throwin’ Rocks” to the spoken-word fantasia “The Great Hank” to the Levon Helm tribute “Man Behind the Drums.” Backed by his longtime band, plus guests Lloyd Maines, Danny Barnes and Bukka Allen, Keen reminds us why he’s considered the premier Texas songwriter of our age.

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THE BEATLES’ MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

FRIDAY, MARCH 8 @ 11:00PM

By the end of that year, The Beatles had achieved a creativity unprecedented in popular music. Their triumphant summer release Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Bandwas both avant-garde and an instant hit. It went straight to No.1 in June and remained there for the rest of the year. They immersed themselves in the fiercely radical art of the new counter culture and decided to make a film on their own terms, not as pop stars but as artists. However, was their adoring public ready for the move?

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SPERM WHALE

SATURDAY, MARCH 9 @ 9:00PM

The team exposes the organs of a sperm whale that became stranded and died on Pegwell Bay in Kent, England to reveal the secrets of the 45-foot deep-sea giant. Despite its enormous size, very little is known about the sperm whale because it normally lives hidden deep beneath the waves. The program examines how the whales can survive diving down thousands of feet for more than an hour on one gulp of air in conditions that would freeze our blood and crush our bones. Evans and Reidenberg also discover how sperm whales use the largest nose in creation to hunt giant squid in the dark.

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BRAVING IRAQ

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6 @ 6:00PM & 11:00PM

Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, news about the fate and future of this Middle Eastern country has been at the forefront of our national consciousness, making an impact on our daily lives, appearing in every newspaper and news program, the subject of endless numbers of personal and political discussions. But if you think you’ve heard every imaginable story about life within Iraqi borders, think again. There is at least one major element in this geopolitical drama that the American media has mostly overlooked, and it lies at the cross section of regional politics and the natural environment. NATURE’s Braving Iraq unravels this tale about what was once one of the richest and most important wetlands in the world – from its virtual destruction by a ruthless dictator to its exciting, new prospects for a miraculous recovery.

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SATURDAY, JUNE 15 @ 11:00PM

Battle for the Elephants explores the brutal slaughter of African elephants for their tusks, fueled largely by China’s demand for ivory.

The film tells the ultimate wildlife story — how the Earth’s most charismatic and majestic land animal today faces market forces driving the value of its tusks to levels once reserved for precious metals. Journalists Bryan Christy and Aidan Hartley take viewers undercover as they investigate the criminal network behind ivory’s supply and demand. In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, one of the world’s main ports for smuggled ivory, Hartley attempts to buy large quantities of tusks from poachers. In China, Christy explores the thriving industry of luxury goods made from ivory and the ancient cultural tradition of ivory carving.

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WOMEN WHO MAKE AMERICA

SUNDAY, MARCH 3 @ 6:00PM  & 11:00PM

MAKERS: Women Who Make America tells the remarkable story of the most sweeping social revolution in American history, as women have asserted their rights to a full and fair share of political power, economic opportunity, and personal autonomy. It’s a revolution that has unfolded in public and private, in courts and Congress, in the boardroom and the bedroom, changing not only what the world expects from women, but what women expect from themselves. MAKERS brings this story to life with priceless archival treasures and poignant, often funny interviews with those who led the fight, those who opposed it, and those first generations to benefit from its success. (3 HOURS)

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WOMEN WHO MAKE AMERICA

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26 @ 6:00PM & 12:00AM

MAKERS: Women Who Make America tells the remarkable story of the most sweeping social revolution in American history, as women have asserted their rights to a full and fair share of political power, economic opportunity, and personal autonomy. It’s a revolution that has unfolded in public and private, in courts and Congress, in the boardroom and the bedroom, changing not only what the world expects from women, but what women expect from themselves. MAKERS brings this story to life with priceless archival treasures and poignant, often funny interviews with those who led the fight, those who opposed it, and those first generations to benefit from its success. (3 HOURS)

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AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25 @ 11:00PM

China’s most internationally well-known artist is also its most famous dissident. Ai Weiwei uses his conceptual art to challenge the government. Chinese authorities have responded by beating him up, bulldozing his newly built studio, holding him in secret detention for 81 days, and trying to mute his enormous presence in social media.

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