MANY RIVERS TO CROSS

THE BLACK ATLANTIC (1500-1800)

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22 @ 9:00PM

Noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. recounts the full trajectory of African-American history in his groundbreaking new six-part series The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. premiering tonight.

Written and presented by Professor Gates, the six-hour series explores the evolution of the African-American people, as well as the multiplicity of cultural institutions, political strategies, and religious and social perspectives they developed — forging their own history, culture and society against unimaginable odds. Commencing with the origins of slavery in Africa, the series moves through five centuries of remarkable historic events right up to the present — when America is led by a black president, yet remains a nation deeply divided by race.

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HUNTING THE NIGHTMARE BACTERIA

TUESDAY, MARCH 22 @ 11:00PM

In Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria, Hoffman examines the alarming rise of superbugs that our modern antibiotics can’t stop—from Addie Rerecich’s case to that of David Ricci, who brings a nasty infection home from India, and to a rare look inside an uncontrollable outbreak at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center—the NIH—one of the nation’s most prestigious research hospitals, where 19 patients were sickened and seven died.

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THE WAITING ROOM/LET ME DOWN EASY

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21 @ 8:00PM

The Waiting Room intimately follows several people who pass through the emergency room of Highland Hospital in East Oakland, CA. Shot over several months and with a poignant mix of humor and drama, the film presents a composite portrait of a public institution struggling to care for a persistent and growing stream of patients living on the fringes of America’s health care system.

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40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19 @ 6:00PM

Throughout its 40-year history on public television, Great Performances has provided viewers nationwide with an unparalleled showcase of the best in all genres of the performing arts.

In celebration of this extraordinary legacy on the occasion of the series’ 40th anniversary on PBS, a stellar roster of diverse alumni gather to share their personal stories of what Great Performances has meant to them, with reminiscences and performances by Julie Andrews, Audra McDonald, Don Henley, David Hyde Pierce, Josh Groban, Itzhak Perlman, Peter Martins, Patti Austin and Take 6, Met Opera star Elīna Garanča and Michael Bublé. The evening, taped at Lincoln Center last November, will be televised on Great Performances,

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WITH GWEN IFILL

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18 @ 9:00pm & 11:00pm

TONIGHT-POST-SHUTDOWN WASHINGTON: POLITICAL DIVIDES & DYSFUNCTION

Today President Barack Obama signed a law ending the 16-day government shutdown and extending the U.S. debt limit into 2014, but the budget battle continues. The temporary measures will fund the government through January 15, 2014 and extend the U.S. Treasury’s borrowing authority until February 7. A bipartisan committee of lawmakers is now tasked with leading negotiations to resolve the budgetary issues that fiercely divide Republicans and Democrats and reaching a long-term budget deal to avoid another round of confrontations next year.

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KOMATSU

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16 @ 11:00PM

Explore the science, innovation and sheer genius it takes to transform the most basic ingredients into powerhouse machines.

SAVING OTTER 501

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

On a typical late summer day a baby sea otter washes up on the beach in Monterey, California — hungry, lost, injured. It’s a tragic event, but not surprising. California sea otters are struggling. For decades marine biologist Karl Mayer and his small staff have worked unceasingly — one otter at a time — to bring this “keystone” species back from the brink of extinction so it can play its important role in the local marine environment. But the effort has stalled, and no one knows why. This is the story of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s 501st attempt to save an orphan otter. From her discovery as a stranded newborn pup crying on the beach through her rehabilitation in secret roof tanks atop the Aquarium, NATURE follows as Otter 501 learns how to dive, hunt, eat, and fend for herself in the wild, where survival is a long shot at best.

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SUNDAY. OCTOBER 13 @ 9:00PM

SEASON FINALE

Celia reacts badly to John’s revelation that Caroline is gay. When she and Alan have dinner with Caroline and Kate, she’s very rude to Kate. Alan feels crushed after this, and tells Gillian that it’s over between him and Celia. Back in Harrogate, a livid Caroline gives Celia a dressing down. Celia duly apologizes to Kate and begs her not to leave Caroline. The next day Celia is shocked to learn that Alan’s had a heart attack. She stays by his bedside, telling him that their wedding plans are back on now she’s made things right with Caroline. Against the odds, Alan regains consciousness.

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THE PARADISE

SUNDAY. OCTOBER 13 @ 7:00PM & 12:00AM

When Denise finds an abandoned baby boy in ladieswear, Moray finds a fresh marketing opportunity, Lady Katherine finds a new suitor, and Clara finds a vulnerability that she’d long since buried. Denise’s newest idea for The Paradise bumps up against the formidable Miss Audrey and requires a cunning, but risky, path to Moray’s ear.

With Joanna Vanderham (What Maisie Knew) as Denise and Emun Elliott (Game of Thrones) as Moray, Sarah Lancashire (Upstairs Downstairs), Elaine Cassidy (A Room with a View), and Patrick Malahide (Game of Thrones) star in Episode 2 of Bill Gallagher’s (Lark Rise to Candleford) stirring drama based on Émile Zola’s beloved classic novel, Au Bonheur des Dames.

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WITH GWEN IFILL

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11 @9:00PM

THIS WEEK: GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, SHORT-TERM DEBT DEAL, YELLEN TO THE FED AND SCOTUS TAKES ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE..AGAIN

Finally signs of progress in the negotiations to end the government shutdown and raise the nation’s debt limit. At the White House this week President Obama has been meeting with lawmakers from both parties in hopes of reaching a compromise deal. On Thursday House Speaker John Boehner offered a short-term debt limit increase but only if President Obama agrees to new negotiations on budget matters and spending cuts. There was no mention of dismantling healthcare reform under this Republican proposal, but the partial government shutdown would continue. Revelations that the shutdown included withholding death benefits to families of fallen troops highlighted the outrage from Americans.

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