PBS Videos

The Surprising Ancestry of Hasan Minhaj | Finding Your Roots | PBS - March 20, 2026 - PBS
Watch more: https://to.pbs.org/4pH4zhG | #FindingYourRoots
Hasan Minhaj discovers one his ancestors had a royal surname, and another may have been shaykh (sheikh) - an honorary position in the muslim faith.
Hasan Minhaj is a two-time Peabody Award-Winning comedian best known for his breakout Netflix special HOMECOMING KING and his critically acclaimed, political satire show PATRIOT ACT WITH HASAN MINHAJ which won a Peabody, an Emmy, and a Television Academy Honor. In addition to standup comedy, he hosts an ongoing digital series and podcast, HASAN MINHAJ DOESN’T KNOW. Hasan has also starred in films including, IT ENDS WITH US and BABES. He is also be remembered for his time as a senior correspondent at Comedy Central’s THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART.
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Finding Your Roots
For more than a decade, renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has helped to expand America’s sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion. Professor Gates has explored the ancestry of dozens of influential people from diverse backgrounds, taking millions of viewers deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.
Music, Memory, and Migration | Alsarah: The Sonic Historian | In the Making | PBS - March 19, 2026 - PBS
Follow Sudanese musician and ethnomusicologist Alsarah as she leads Alsarah and the Nubatones, a band of immigrants exploring migration’s impact on culture through music — an essential venture amid displacement and an enduring conflict. Premieres March 19, 2026.
Alsarah: The Sonic Historian
Directed by Roopa Gogineni & Wael Gzoly
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#ethnomusicology #worldmusic #music
In The Making
What happens when an artist holds up a mirror to the world? "In The Making" is a documentary shorts series from @americanmasters and @FirelightMediaNYC that follows emerging cultural icons on their journeys to becoming masters of their artistic disciplines. The new season focuses on eight artists across a variety of disciplines whose work explores and influences American culture today.
Sunken 4th Century Basilica | Full Episode | Secrets of the Dead | PBS - March 18, 2026 - PBS
Watch more: https://to.pbs.org/3mHxfbj | #SecretsDeadPBS
Uncover the sunken remains of a 4th-century basilica in Turkey. Submerged beneath the waters of Lake Iznik for hundreds of years, the church could reveal crucial insights into the early days of Christianity. Join a team of international researchers as they travel back through time—and grapple with Turkey’s many earthquakes, which could sink the structure deeper at any moment.
The Sunken Basilica | Secrets of the Dead
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Secrets of the Dead on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@secretsofthedead
#SecretsoftheDead #archaeology #history #ancientrome #constantinople
Secrets of the Dead
Part detective story, part true-life drama, @secretsofthedead unearths evidence from around the world, challenging prevailing ideas and throwing fresh light on unexplained events.
The British Siege of Charleston | The American Revolution | PBS - March 16, 2026 - PBS
Official website: https://to.pbs.org/amrevpbs | #AmericanRevolutionPBS
Looking towards the South, British General Henry Clinton aims to take the Carolinas. Charleston was, at the time, one of the largest cities in the United States. The British surround and lay siege on the city as thousands of enslaved men, women and children flee to the British lines. After a month of constant bombardment, the city surrenders, which will become the biggest defeat of the Revolution.
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THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION | A Film By Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt
An expansive look at the virtues and contradictions of the war and the birth of the United States of America, the film follows dozens of figures from a wide variety of backgrounds. Through their individual stories, viewers experience the war through the memories of the men and women who experienced it: the rank-and-file Continental soldiers and American militiamen (some of them teenagers), Patriot political and military leaders, British Army officers, American Loyalists, Native soldiers and civilians, enslaved and free African Americans, German soldiers in the British service, French and Spanish allies, and various civilians living in North America, Loyalist as well as Patriot, including many made refugees by the war.
The Revolution began a movement for people around the world to imagine new and better futures for themselves, their nations, and for humanity. It declared American independence with promises that we continue to strive for. The American Revolution opened the door to advance civil liberties and human rights, and it asked questions that we are still trying to answer today.
The film, narrated by Peter Coyote, includes the first-person voices of nearly 200 individual historic figures, read by a cast of actors, including Adam Arkin, Jeremiah Bitsui, Corbin Bleu, Kenneth Branagh, Josh Brolin, Bill Camp, Tantoo Cardinal, Josh Charles, Hugh Dancy, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, Keith David, Hope Davis, Marcus Davis-Orrom, Bruce Davison, Leon Dische Becker, Alden Ehrenreich, Craig Ferguson, Morgan Freeman, Christian Friedel, Paul Giamatti, Domhnall Gleeson, Amanda Gorman, Michael Greyeyes, Jonathan Groff, Charlotte Hacke, Tom Hanks, Ethan Hawke, Maya Hawke, Lucas Hedges, Josh Hutcherson, Samuel L. Jackson, Gene Jones, Michael Keaton, Joe Keery, Joel Kinnaman, Tracy Letts, Damian Lewis, Laura Linney, Josh Lucas, Michael Mando, Carolyn McCormick, Lindsay Mendez, Tobias Menzies, Joe Morton, Edward Norton, David Oyelowo, Mandy Patinkin, Wendell Pierce, Jon Proudstar, Matthew Rhys, LaTanya Richardson, Liev Schreiber, Chaske Spencer, Dan Stevens, Meryl Streep, and Yul Vazquez, among others.
Lizzo Family Ordeal Never Seen Before | Finding Your Roots | PBS - March 13, 2026 - PBS
Watch more: https://to.pbs.org/4pH4zhG | #FindingYourRoots
Lizzo discovers that her enslaved ancestors were granted freedom by the will of their deceased owner, with provision to send them to Liberia, by way of The American Colonization Society. In all the time Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has done research for Finding Your Roots, it's the very first instance of a guest on the show having a relation to this movement. Unfortunately, the story does not end with her ancestors obtaining that freedom.
Melissa Viviane Jefferson, known professionally as Lizzo, is a four-time GRAMMY® Award-winning, Emmy Award-winning superstar singer, songwriter, rapper, and actress who has left an indelible and incomparable mark on popular culture. She has garnered numerous accolades, notched two Hot 100 #1 smashes, earned dozens of gold, platinum, and multi-platinum certifications, packed arenas worldwide, and shined in blockbuster films.
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Finding Your Roots
For more than a decade, renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has helped to expand America’s sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion. Professor Gates has explored the ancestry of dozens of influential people from diverse backgrounds, taking millions of viewers deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.
Why Spain Joined the American Revolution Against the British | PBS - March 9, 2026 - PBS
Official website: https://to.pbs.org/amrevpbs | #AmericanRevolutionPBS
In June 1779, Spain joins France in the war against England. As empire with colonies in America, Spain does not support American independence. However, they see opportunity to attack their British enemies. Meanwhile, privateer John Paul Jones leads daring raids on British supply ships and is hailed a hero by the French court.
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#americanhistory #revolutionarywar #history #ushistory #warhistory #spanishempire #colonialhistory #navalwarfare
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION | A Film By Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt
An expansive look at the virtues and contradictions of the war and the birth of the United States of America, the film follows dozens of figures from a wide variety of backgrounds. Through their individual stories, viewers experience the war through the memories of the men and women who experienced it: the rank-and-file Continental soldiers and American militiamen (some of them teenagers), Patriot political and military leaders, British Army officers, American Loyalists, Native soldiers and civilians, enslaved and free African Americans, German soldiers in the British service, French and Spanish allies, and various civilians living in North America, Loyalist as well as Patriot, including many made refugees by the war.
The Revolution began a movement for people around the world to imagine new and better futures for themselves, their nations, and for humanity. It declared American independence with promises that we continue to strive for. The American Revolution opened the door to advance civil liberties and human rights, and it asked questions that we are still trying to answer today.
The film, narrated by Peter Coyote, includes the first-person voices of nearly 200 individual historic figures, read by a cast of actors, including Adam Arkin, Jeremiah Bitsui, Corbin Bleu, Kenneth Branagh, Josh Brolin, Bill Camp, Tantoo Cardinal, Josh Charles, Hugh Dancy, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, Keith David, Hope Davis, Marcus Davis-Orrom, Bruce Davison, Leon Dische Becker, Alden Ehrenreich, Craig Ferguson, Morgan Freeman, Christian Friedel, Paul Giamatti, Domhnall Gleeson, Amanda Gorman, Michael Greyeyes, Jonathan Groff, Charlotte Hacke, Tom Hanks, Ethan Hawke, Maya Hawke, Lucas Hedges, Josh Hutcherson, Samuel L. Jackson, Gene Jones, Michael Keaton, Joe Keery, Joel Kinnaman, Tracy Letts, Damian Lewis, Laura Linney, Josh Lucas, Michael Mando, Carolyn McCormick, Lindsay Mendez, Tobias Menzies, Joe Morton, Edward Norton, David Oyelowo, Mandy Patinkin, Wendell Pierce, Jon Proudstar, Matthew Rhys, LaTanya Richardson, Liev Schreiber, Chaske Spencer, Dan Stevens, Meryl Streep, and Yul Vazquez, among others.
Chris Paul Discovers Contract Signed By His Ancestors | Finding Your Roots | PBS - March 6, 2026 - PBS
Watch more: https://to.pbs.org/4pH4zhG | #FindingYourRoots
Chris Paul learns about his ancestors' post-slavery lives. Often referred to as 'slavery by another name', sharecropping or a share wage agreement, was a common system across the American South after the Civil War. Emancipated people often signed contracts to continue working in the very same agricultural fields they had when they were enslaved, in exchange for a portion of the crops produced.
Affectionately known as the Point God, Chris Paul is a 12-time NBA All-Star and two-time Olympic Gold medalist. He was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team as one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history. In 2021, Paul became the first player in league history to record 20,000 points and 10,000 assists in their career. He ranks second on the NBA all-time career assists and steals list. Chris recently completed his 20th season in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs. Off the court, he’s a father, husband, entrepreneur, activist, author, and philanthropist.
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#findingyourroots #ancestry #genealogy #familyhistory #chrispaul
Finding Your Roots
For more than a decade, renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has helped to expand America’s sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion. Professor Gates has explored the ancestry of dozens of influential people from diverse backgrounds, taking millions of viewers deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.
Who Controls Women’s Bodies? Ani Liu Responds | In The Making | PBS - March 5, 2026 - PBS
Explore the work of New York-based artist Ani Liu as she creates provocative artifacts at the intersection of art, science, and technology. From neuroscience to motherhood, her practice challenges understandings of bodies and gender.
Ani Liu: Eye Heart Womb
Directed by Miao Wang
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In The Making
What happens when an artist holds up a mirror to the world? "In The Making" is a documentary shorts series from @americanmasters and @FirelightMediaNYC that follows emerging cultural icons on their journeys to becoming masters of their artistic disciplines. The new season focuses on eight artists across a variety of disciplines whose work explores and influences American culture today.
A Solar Eclipse and The Battle of Monmouth | The American Revolution | PBS - March 2, 2026 - PBS
Official website: https://to.pbs.org/amrevpbs | #AmericanRevolutionPBS
A solar eclipse plunges the colonies into darkness in June 1778 as the Continental Army mobilizes from Valley Forge to attack British supply chains. The two armies clash near Monmouth Court House in New Jersey in brutal summer heat. At the end of the battle, both sides are bloodied, yet both claim victory. The Battle of Monmouth will be the last major engagement of the war in the North.
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THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION | A Film By Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt
An expansive look at the virtues and contradictions of the war and the birth of the United States of America, the film follows dozens of figures from a wide variety of backgrounds. Through their individual stories, viewers experience the war through the memories of the men and women who experienced it: the rank-and-file Continental soldiers and American militiamen (some of them teenagers), Patriot political and military leaders, British Army officers, American Loyalists, Native soldiers and civilians, enslaved and free African Americans, German soldiers in the British service, French and Spanish allies, and various civilians living in North America, Loyalist as well as Patriot, including many made refugees by the war.
The Revolution began a movement for people around the world to imagine new and better futures for themselves, their nations, and for humanity. It declared American independence with promises that we continue to strive for. The American Revolution opened the door to advance civil liberties and human rights, and it asked questions that we are still trying to answer today.
The film, narrated by Peter Coyote, includes the first-person voices of nearly 200 individual historic figures, read by a cast of actors, including Adam Arkin, Jeremiah Bitsui, Corbin Bleu, Kenneth Branagh, Josh Brolin, Bill Camp, Tantoo Cardinal, Josh Charles, Hugh Dancy, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, Keith David, Hope Davis, Marcus Davis-Orrom, Bruce Davison, Leon Dische Becker, Alden Ehrenreich, Craig Ferguson, Morgan Freeman, Christian Friedel, Paul Giamatti, Domhnall Gleeson, Amanda Gorman, Michael Greyeyes, Jonathan Groff, Charlotte Hacke, Tom Hanks, Ethan Hawke, Maya Hawke, Lucas Hedges, Josh Hutcherson, Samuel L. Jackson, Gene Jones, Michael Keaton, Joe Keery, Joel Kinnaman, Tracy Letts, Damian Lewis, Laura Linney, Josh Lucas, Michael Mando, Carolyn McCormick, Lindsay Mendez, Tobias Menzies, Joe Morton, Edward Norton, David Oyelowo, Mandy Patinkin, Wendell Pierce, Jon Proudstar, Matthew Rhys, LaTanya Richardson, Liev Schreiber, Chaske Spencer, Dan Stevens, Meryl Streep, and Yul Vazquez, among others.
Hannibal in the Alps | Full Episode | Secrets of the Dead | PBS - February 25, 2026 - PBS
Watch more: https://to.pbs.org/3mHxfbj | #SecretsDeadPBS
Hannibal, one of history’s most famous generals, achieved what the Romans thought to be impossible. With a vast army of 30,000 troops, 15,000 horses and 37 war elephants, he crossed the mighty Alps in only 16 days to launch an attack on Rome from the north. For more than 2,000 years, nobody has been able to prove which of the four possible routes Hannibal took across the Alps, and no physical evidence of Hannibal’s army has ever been found… until now. In Secrets of the Dead: Hannibal in the Alps, a team of experts – explorers, archaeologists, and scientists – combine state-of-the-art technology, ancient texts, and a recreation of the route itself to prove conclusively where Hannibal’s army made it across the Alps – and exactly how and where he did it. [Originally aired in 2018]
Hannibal in the Alps | Secrets of the Dead
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Secrets of the Dead on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@secretsofthedead
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Secrets of the Dead
Part detective story, part true-life drama, @secretsofthedead unearths evidence from around the world, challenging prevailing ideas and throwing fresh light on unexplained events.
Tracy Letts Learns His Cherokee Ancestors Moved Prior To Forced Removal | Finding Your Roots - February 24, 2026 - PBS
Watch more: https://to.pbs.org/4pH4zhG | #FindingYourRoots
Tracy Letts discovers that his Cherokee ancestors chose to move West willingly before the forced removal of Native Americans. Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. unveils the research that proves the move happened, but the reasons for it have been lost to time.
Tracy Letts is a multifaceted award-winning actor and playwright. Letts received the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play  August: Osage County and a Tony Award for his portrayal of George in the revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? In August 2023, Letts starred in the second season of HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” as Jack McKinney for which he earned an Emmy Award nomination. His other film credits include roles in Ford v Ferrari, Little Women, The Post, Lady Bird. Lady Bird among many others.
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Finding Your Roots
For more than a decade, renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has helped to expand America’s sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion. Professor Gates has explored the ancestry of dozens of influential people from diverse backgrounds, taking millions of viewers deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.
Valley Forge Tested the Resolve of The Continental Army | The American Revolution | PBS - February 23, 2026 - PBS
Official website: https://to.pbs.org/amrevpbs | #AmericanRevolutionPBS
The Continental Army settles down in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, for the winter, where they face harsh conditions and dwindling supplies. Hundreds of soldiers desert, either returning home or surrendering to the British in nearby Philadelphia. Morale among the Patriots is low, and there is discussion of mutiny or demanding that Washington step down as commander.
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#americanhistory #revolutionarywar #history #ushistory #warhistory
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION | A Film By Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt
An expansive look at the virtues and contradictions of the war and the birth of the United States of America, the film follows dozens of figures from a wide variety of backgrounds. Through their individual stories, viewers experience the war through the memories of the men and women who experienced it: the rank-and-file Continental soldiers and American militiamen (some of them teenagers), Patriot political and military leaders, British Army officers, American Loyalists, Native soldiers and civilians, enslaved and free African Americans, German soldiers in the British service, French and Spanish allies, and various civilians living in North America, Loyalist as well as Patriot, including many made refugees by the war.
The Revolution began a movement for people around the world to imagine new and better futures for themselves, their nations, and for humanity. It declared American independence with promises that we continue to strive for. The American Revolution opened the door to advance civil liberties and human rights, and it asked questions that we are still trying to answer today.
The film, narrated by Peter Coyote, includes the first-person voices of nearly 200 individual historic figures, read by a cast of actors, including Adam Arkin, Jeremiah Bitsui, Corbin Bleu, Kenneth Branagh, Josh Brolin, Bill Camp, Tantoo Cardinal, Josh Charles, Hugh Dancy, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, Keith David, Hope Davis, Marcus Davis-Orrom, Bruce Davison, Leon Dische Becker, Alden Ehrenreich, Craig Ferguson, Morgan Freeman, Christian Friedel, Paul Giamatti, Domhnall Gleeson, Amanda Gorman, Michael Greyeyes, Jonathan Groff, Charlotte Hacke, Tom Hanks, Ethan Hawke, Maya Hawke, Lucas Hedges, Josh Hutcherson, Samuel L. Jackson, Gene Jones, Michael Keaton, Joe Keery, Joel Kinnaman, Tracy Letts, Damian Lewis, Laura Linney, Josh Lucas, Michael Mando, Carolyn McCormick, Lindsay Mendez, Tobias Menzies, Joe Morton, Edward Norton, David Oyelowo, Mandy Patinkin, Wendell Pierce, Jon Proudstar, Matthew Rhys, LaTanya Richardson, Liev Schreiber, Chaske Spencer, Dan Stevens, Meryl Streep, and Yul Vazquez, among others.