David Suchet on the Orient Express

SUNDAY, JUNE 16 @ 9:00PM

Celebrated actor David Suchet sets aside his alter ego Hercule Poirot to step aboard one of the world’s most iconic trains in the documentary David Suchet on the Orient Express: A Masterpiece Special. From London, Suchet travels to Calais in northern France to board the Venice Simplon Orient Express, and begins his 2,000-mile journey through six countries, with a breathtaking stop in Venice on the way to Prague. The delightful Suchet revels in the artistry and beauty of the train, and explores its attraction for Agatha Christie, who used it as the setting for one of her most recognized novels. With the incisive inquisitiveness of Poirot, Suchet also traces the history of the Orient Express from its elegant beginnings to its tumultuous final days, and how its legacy has lived on. Come aboard for a charming and insightful view of the timeless Orient Express.

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Missing in MiG Alley

TUESDAY, JULY 6 @ 6:00PM & 9:00PM

In the early 1950s, epic battles unfolded in the skies over North Korea as American and Russian fighters faced off in history’s first jet war. This program explores the Korean War’s aerial tactics, technology, and grim aftermath for downed pilots, many of whom disappeared without a trace.

The Korean War pitted the two most advanced fighters of their day, the American F-86 Sabre and the Soviet MiG-15, in furious air battles in North Korea’s notorious “MiG Alley.” With the help of dramatic reconstructions, rare archival footage, and interviews with veteran American and Soviet pilots, NOVA puts viewers in the cockpit to experience the lethal split-second duels that erupted in MiG Alley.
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HISTORY DETECTIVES

JULY 10 @ 10:00PM

America’s top gumshoes are back for a seventh season to prove once again that an object found in an attic or backyard might be anything but ordinary. Exploring historical objects and the stories behind them, History Detectives crisscrosses the country delving into legends, folklore and personal histories to discover potentially extraordinary objects in everyday American homes.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 13 @ 10:00PM

Long before giant theme parks and computer-controlled thrill rides, this country had lots of charming and beautiful amusement parks where families gathered for a cool escape on hot summer days. GREAT OLD AMUSEMENT PARKS celebrates some of the pre-Disney parks that are still thriving as well as a few of the classic parks that are gone.

The one-hour special, produced by WQED Pittsburgh, takes you on old wooden roller coasters, vintage bumper cars and many other cool classic rides. We look at some amusing history and discover what’s special about these amazing parks that bring people together and keep them coming back.

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TROUBLED WATER

TUESDAY, JUNE 29 @ 7:00PM & 10:00PM

FRONTLINE/World investigates one of its own stories, “The Play Pump,” which promised to use a merry-go-round and the power of children to help meet the dire need for fresh water in southern Africa. After the story aired in 2005, major donors, including the U.S. government, launched a multimillion-dollar campaign to install the device in thousands of African schools and villages. Now, correspondent Amy Costello investigates what happened to those communities, as the promise of the PlayPump fell short.

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A WORLD DIVIDED

MONDAY, AUGUST 8 @ 8:00PM & 11:00PM

While it’s hot and steamy this summer, why not explore the Cold War with PBS? THE WALL – A WORLD DIVIDED, premiering Monday, June 28 at 10 p.m., chronicles the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall and the Wall’s effects on the lives of ordinary Germans. From the secret plans to erect the wall in the middle of the night to the chaotic human events that tore it down, THE WALL is a fascinating history of the increasingly extreme attempts of a government to exercise power over the people.

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Miss Marple – The Blue Geranium

SUNDAY, JUNE 27 @ 7:00PM & 11:00PM

Mary Pritchard, disliked even by the village reverend, is panicked that she is about to die, and a visit by a veiled fortune teller only fuels more paranoia about her fate. But when the wealthy Pritchard is actually found dead, reportedly from the shock of seeing the pink geranium in her wallpaper turn blue, the tension and accusations in Pritchard’s small village blossom wildly.

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