AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 7 @ 6:00PM & 11:00PM

The Poisoner’s Handbook premieres on MCPTV tonight. In the early 20th century, the average American medicine cabinet was a would-be poisoner’s treasure chest, with radioactive radium, thallium, and morphine in everyday products. The pace of industrial innovation increased, but the scientific knowledge to detect and prevent crimes committed with these materials lagged behind until 1918. New York City’s first scientifically trained medical examiner, Charles Norris, and his chief toxicologist, Alexander Gettler, turned forensic chemistry into a formidable science and set the standards for the rest of the country.

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DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 4

SUNDAY, JANUARY 5 @ 7:00PM & 11:00PM

Six months after Matthew’s death, Mary is mired in grief, and the family and servants try to help her face a future without Matthew. Meanwhile, both Tom Branson and Carson face figures from their pasts, and Edith experiments with modernism.

The much-loved cast of Downton Abbey Season 4 includes Dame Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter, Joanne Froggatt, Penelope Wilton, and a host of others, with guest stars Shirley MacLaine and Paul Giamatti. Written and created by Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey, Season 4 marks the return of one of television’s most beloved and anticipated drama series to MASTERPIECE on PBS.

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WITH GWEN IFILL

FRIDAY, JANUARY 3 @ 9:00PM

THIS WEEK: WHAT WILL 2014 BRING IN WASHINGTON?

Economic indicators suggest a number of positive signs going into the New Year. Job creation picked up in the last quarter of 2013 and unemployment hit a new low. The stock market started 2014 at record highs while the housing market is expected to continue its slow and steady recovery. But for more than a million long-term unemployed, there is little to celebrate after lawmakers failed to agree on an extension of benefits.

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DOOMSDAY VOLCANOES

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1 @ 10:30PM

In April, 2010 the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano turned much of Europe into an ash-strewn no-fly zone, stranding millions of travelers. But was Eyjafjallajökull just the start? Now, an even more threatening Icelandic volcano, Katla, has begun to swell and grumble. Two more giants, Hekla and Laki, could erupt without warning. Iceland is a ticking time bomb: When it blows, the consequences could be global. As CGI takes us inside these geological monsters, we meet atmospheric scientists who are working to understand just how devastating an eruption could be—not just for air travel but for the global food supply and for Earth’s climate. Could we be plunged into years of cold and famine? What can we do to prepare for the disaster to come?

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FROM VIENNA: THE NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION 2014

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1 @ 7:00PM & 11:00PM

Stage and screen legend Julie Andrews returns for the fifth time to host the festive annual New Year’s celebration with the Vienna Philharmonic, under the direction of Daniel Barenboim from Vienna’s Musikverein.

From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2014, featuring the melodies of the Strauss family composers and their contemporaries, will air live on Great Performances. This year marks the 150th anniversary of Richard Strauss’ birth.

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31 @ 12:30AM

Return to Downton Abbey savors fond memories from the past three seasons and offers a taste of season four of Downton Abbey. Hosted by actress Susan Sarandon — a devoted fan of the series who especially admires the writing of Julian Fellowes — the program includes a mix of behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with creators and cast members, and video clips of favorite moments.

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NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC GALA WITH YO-YO MA

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31 @ 6:00PM & 11:00PM

Join us for a New Year’s Eve tradition on PBS, as this year cellist Yo-Yo Ma joins maestro Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic in an evening of Latin dance-inspired orchestral music. Highlights include a ravishing performance of the cello concerto Azul, written by Osvaldo Golijov, one of the world’s most celebrated living composers, expressly for Yo-Yo Ma; and a thrilling new version of Maurice Ravel’s Boléro.

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HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30 @ 7:30PM

In the dark days of 1987, America was six years into the AIDS epidemic, a crisis that was still largely being ignored both by government officials and health organizations — until the sudden emergence of the activist group ACT UP in Greenwich Village, New York, largely made up of HIV-positive participants who refused to die without a fight. Along with TAG (Treatment Action Group), and emboldened by the power of rebellion, they took on the challenges that public officials had ignored, raising awareness of the disease through a series of dramatic protests. More remarkably, they became recognized experts in virology, biology, and pharmaceutical chemistry.

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HOLIDAY SPECIAL

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25 @ 6:00PM & 11:00PM

In Poplar, Christmas 1958 is not just about the opening of presents, but also about the closing of deep wounds. Wartime trials are relived – and a new enemy confronted – before peace and love are restored to center stage.

Fairy lights festoon the streets as Jenny’s relationship with Alec continues to blossom and Shelagh prepares for her quiet wedding to Dr Turner.
Suddenly, Nonnatus House are awoken by a hammering on the door. But this time, it’s not a panicking father, it’s the police. Just around the corner, an unexploded bomb has been uncovered and the district has to be evacuated.

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DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 3 FINALE

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29 @ 7:00PM @ 11:20PM

Episode 7

The Crawleys head to a Scottish hunting lodge, while the downstairs staff stays behind at Downton Abbey. New romances flare up, and a fresh crisis unfolds.

The much-loved cast of Downton Abbey Season 3 includes Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Dan Stevens, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter, Penelope Wilton, and a host of others. Written and created by Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey, Season 3 marks the return of one of television’s most beloved and anticipated drama series to MASTERPIECE on 26.1

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