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TV Picks

You won't want to miss these highlights from WETA Television in the next two weeks!

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“Top Chef”’s Padma Lakshmi (right) guest stars as Madhuvanthi, a beautiful schemer who is out to seduce Sharpe (Sean Bean).

Masterpiece Classic: Sharpe's Challenge

In 1817, soldier-adventurer Richard Sharpe comes out of retirement to quash a rebellion in British India and rescue his old friend Patrick Harper. Sean Bean returns as the swashbuckling hero of this long-running series, based on the best-selling novels of Bernard Cornwell, with Daragh O'Malley as Harper. the duo's exploits put them at the center of a blood-thirsty insurgency led by a psychopathic former English officer. "Top Chef" Padma Lakshmi guest stars as Madhuvanthi, a beautiful schemer who is out to seduce Sharpe.

When to watch on WETA Television »

This musical retrospective lets viewers share in the four-decade career of Peter Yarrow, Mary Travers and Noel Paul Stookey.

Peter, Paul & Mary: Carry It On: A Musical Legacy

Interviews and archival performances of the folk trio's greatest hits chronicle the group's career in American roots music through five decades.

When to watch on WETA Television »

Filmed in October 2009 at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, the concert is a celebration of Rounder Record’s 40 years in the music industry and features Grammy® winning Rounder artists Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas (pictured).

Rounder Records 40th Anniversary Concert

This celebration of Rounder Records' 40 years in the music industry features Grammy-winning Rounder artists Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas; Mary Chapin Carpenter; Bela Fleck and Irma Thomas along with musical host Minnie Driver and special guests Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas and jazz/R&B pianisht Henry Butler. The special, filmed in October 2009 at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, includes selected performances from Steve Martin's show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, from Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's 2008 CMT "Crossroads" special and from Madeleine Peyroux's 2009 concert in Los Angeles.

When to watch on WETA Television »

The daily PBS NEWSHOUR broadcast will feature a dual anchor format, with Jim Lehrer (pictured) regularly joined by senior correspondents Gwen Ifill, Judy Woodruff and Jeffrey Brown in the studio. Senior correspondents Ray Suarez and Margaret Warner will primarily focus on “out of studio” reporting.

PBS NewsHour

For more than 35 years, the NewsHour has stood for quality reporting and analysis that is in-depth, trustworthy and fair. Anchor Jim Lehrer is regularly joined by NewsHour senior correspondents Gwen Ifill, Judy Woodruff, Jeffrey Brown, Ray Suarez and Margaret Warner, with regular video news updates from Hari Sreenivasan.

When to watch on WETA Television »

Gwen Ifill

Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal

Hosted by Gwen Ifill, PBS's longest-running public affairs series features Washington's top journalists analyzing the week's news stories and their effect on the lives of all Americans.

When to watch on WETA Television »

Rick in Rovinj, Croatia, his favorite stop between Dubrovnik and Venice.

Rick Steves' Mediterranean Mosaic

Travel expert Rick Steves takes viewers on a trip across the Mediterranean, with colorful stops in Istanbul, Greece's Peloponnese Peninsula, and Croatia's Dalmatian Coast.

When to watch on WETA Television »

Daryl Hall and John Oates: Live at the Troubadour - horiz 4x3

Daryl Hall & John Oates: Live at the Troubadour

The pop/rock duo appear in a concert featuring performances of material from their Grammy-nominated release, including "Sara Smile" and all their best sing-along hits.

When to watch on WETA Television »

The five Brown siblings, all Juilliard-trained pianists, have taken the music world by storm with their inventive interpretations of classical, jazz and standards. The Browns are exciting to hear — and watch — on their own, but even more exciting as they take the stage at once and play as a passionate quintet.

The 5 Browns: In Concert

The five Brown siblings, all Juilliard-trained pianists, perform individually and take the stage together to play as a passionate quintet, presenting inventive interpretations of classical, jazz and standards.

When to watch on WETA Television »

Original Supremes member Mary Wilson, seen outside the Motown Hitsville recording studio in Detroit, hosts this program, which features timeless classics by the Supremes, the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations and the Miracles.

My Music: Motown Memories

The performance series spotlights great Motown acts, presenting archival hits and rare interviews from five Motown legends: the Temptations, the Four Tops, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Diana Ross and the Supremes, and Marvin Gaye. Mary Wilson, one of the original members of the Supremes, hosts.

When to watch on WETA Television »

Pictured: Civil War cannon.

The Civil War: The Universe of Battle -- 1863

WETA presents a special broadcast of episode five of Ken Burns' acclaimed nine-part documentary film, a co-production of WETA and Florentime Films. The Universe of Battle – 1863. This episode opens with a dramatic account of the turning point of the war: the battle of Gettysburg – the greatest battle ever fought in the Western Hemisphere. For three days, 150,000 soldiers fought in the Pennsylvania countryside culminating in Pickett's legendary charge and the Confederate defeat. The program then goes on to chronicle the fall of Vicksburg, the New York Draft Riots, the first use of black troops, and the Western battles at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. The episode closes with Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

When to watch on WETA Television »

Stay Rich Forever & Ever with Ed Slott

Stay Rich Forever and Ever! With Ed Slott

Tax advisor and personal finance expert Ed Slott shares strategies about safeguarding retirement savings, using personal stories to illustrate the impact the IRS can have on the distribution of tax-deferred savings. Slott – a nationally recognized IRA distribution expert, author, and personal finance columnist – outlines benefits in the tax code that people can cash in on to ensure their financial future.

When to watch on WETA Television »

This program covers the inspiring life and times — and music — of first-generation Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Roy Orbison (pictured).

Roy Orbison: In Dreams

This film explores the life, times and music of first-generation Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Roy Orbison, relating the saga of pop's most enigmatic and ofter under-appreciated pioneer.

When to watch on WETA Television »

Change Your Brain, Change Your Body - Daniel Amen - horiz 4x3

Change Your Brain, Change Your Body

Award-winning psychiatrist and bestselling author Dr. Daniel Amen presents 10 very simple steps to help people live longer, look younger, be thinner, and decrease their risk for Alzheimer's disease, depression, heart disease, cancer and diabetes, illuminating the connection between brain patterns and body weight.

When to watch on WETA Television »

Crooner Pat Boone hosts the program and is seen performing his million-selling 1957 hit “Love Letters in the Sand.

Magic Moments: The Best of 50s Pop

A cavalcade of 1950s pop music acts, including the McGuire Sisters, Debbie Reynolds, Patti Page, the Four Lads and Pat Boone, perform their biggest hits at Atlantic City's Taj Mahal casino.

When to watch on WETA Television »

From the late 1940s ’til the early 1970s, millions of viewers of all ages saw great musical acts each Sunday night on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” This installment in the MY MUSIC series presents classic song performances from 1963-1968. From the Beatles’ American television debut to the Doors’ infamous one-time-only appearance to the Rolling Stones, Sly and the Family Stone, the Mamas and the Papas and more, the special focuses exclusively on full-length music performances — no plate spinners or dancing elephants — that evoke the spirit of that decade’s youth movement.

Ed Sullivan's Rock and Roll Classics: The Sixties

From the late 1940s until the early 1970s, millions of viewers of all ages saw great musical acts each Sunday night on The Ed Sullivan Show. This program presents classic song performances from 1963-1968, by acts including the Beatles, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Sly and the Family Stone, the Mamas and the Papas and more.

When to watch on WETA Television »