Offair Listings

This acclaimed Emmy Award-winning anthology series features documentaries and a limited number of fiction films united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement and unflinching visions of their independent producers. INDEPENDENT LENS features unforgettable stories about a unique individual, community or moment in history. The series is supported by interactive companion Web sites and national publicity and community engagement campaigns.

• Dolores (#1912) airs 9/28 at 4 p.m. – Meet the indomitable Dolores Huerta, who tirelessly led the fight for racial and labor justice alongside Cesar Chavez, becoming one of the most defiant – and unheralded – feminist activists of the 20th century.

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All Things Bakelite: The Age of Plastic is a joyous and provocative one-hour documentary that captures both the wonder and the curse of chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland’s biggest invention – the first wholly synthetic plastic. One of the greatest stories of science never told comes alive using re-enactments; rare archival footage and personal diaries; interviews with scientists, historians, and artists; and a highly entertaining original score. Its lively pace and quirky style appeals to anyone interested in the human drama that underlies history, science, business, and design. The film’s 2019 release on public television stations coincides with the 110th anniversary year of the Bakelite patent.

airs 9/30 at 9 p.m.

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Of Race and Reconciliation chronicles the Chinese experience in America around the year 1885. That was the year the Chinese residents of Tacoma were forcefully expelled from the city against the backdrop of increasingly alarming and even violent tensions between American citizens caught in an economic downturn and Chinese immigrants seeking opportunity in “Gum San,” or the Land of the Golden Mountains they had heard about in America. Of Race and Reconciliation producer Forrest Burger traveled through six states to take an unflinching look at this period in time, but also document how the tensions between American citizens and immigrant populations provide relevant lessons in today’s political climate, and in Tacoma’s case, how far efforts toward reconciliation have come. airs 9/26 at 4 a.m.

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America has 165,000 women enlisted and active, and an additional 35,000 serving as officers – but our female soldiers are still fighting a battle of perception. Five short stories from the Veterans Coming Home Project looks at women in the military. From Nashville Public Television, WIFE, MOTHER, SOLDIER is the story of a female vet who held the line on the battlefield while her civilian husband held the line at home. FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE TEAM profiles an Army veteran and recruiter who missed the close bonds of military service – then found that camaraderie in the all-female sport of roller derby. From Wisconsin Public Television, PEACEFULLY ORGANIC looks at the difficult struggle many soldiers face in transitioning back to civilian life. In AMERICA’S FUNNIEST VETS ARE SERIOUS ABOUT SERVICE, a veteran uses comedy to share her story, including the harassment she endured in the military. And ON THE HOME FRONT reflects on the career of an Army intelligence officer who received a Bronze star for her military service – a recognition that doesn’t always translate to the civilian world, especially for female veterans.

airs 9/23 at 9:30 p.m., 9/24 at 2:30 a.m., 9/24 at 10:30 a.m., 9/24 at 4:30 p.m., 9/27 at 5:30 a.m. 9/27 at 11:30 a.m.

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Join New York Times best-selling author Michael Pollan on a fascinating journey to find out what we should eat to be healthy. Pollan cuts through today’s barrage of conflicting dietary messages and makes it simple to enjoy food and stay healthy.

airs 9/21 at 4 p.m

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CURIOSITY QUEST is an upbeat family program that explores what you are curious about. In each episode, host Joel Greene, takes viewers on an unscripted hands-on exploration to answer letters of curiosity. CURIOSITY QUEST strives to provide entertaining and educational programming for the entire family to enjoy.

airs Fridays at 2 a.m. beginning 9/6

• #901 – “Solar Boats” – Join host Joel Greene on this adventure to learn how students made their own boats and captured energy from the sun to power them and race across the lake.
• #902 – “Making Candles” – Have you ever wondered how candles are made? Join host Joel Greene as he visits a manufacturer to learn how they melt and mold various types of candles.
• #903 – “Tortilla Chips” – Did you know that tortilla chips are made from corn tortillas? Check out this episode of Curiosity Quest as host Joel Greene learns just how these crunchy treats are made.
• #904 – “Almonds” – Did you know that the state of California produces 82% of the world’s almonds? Check out this episode of Curiosity Quest as host Joel Greene explores how almonds are grown, harvested, and shipped.
• #905 – “Baseball Bats” – Join host Joel Greene and the Curiosity Quest crew as they visit Louisville Slugger in Kentucky to learn how they make wooden baseball bats.
• #906 – “Alpaca Farm” – Do you think an alpaca spits? Well, we’ve got a treat for you. Curiosity Quest host Joel Greene travels to an alpaca farm in Indiana to learn all about these fascinating animals.
• #907 – “Growing Rice” – Have you ever wondered where rice comes from? Join us on this episode of Curiosity Quest as host Joel Greene becomes a farmer for a day learning all about how rice is grown, harvested, and shipped all over the world.
• #908 – “Ostrich Farm” – Did you know the ostrich is the largest and fastest bird? You won’t want to miss this episode of Curiosity Quest as host Joel Greene learns all about the Ostrich.
• #909 – “How To Make A Bus” – City folk probably see these every day. But have you ever wondered how buses are made? The Curiosity Quest crew and host Joel Greene visit a bus manufacturer to explore how they design and create these enormous vehicles.
• #910 – “Making Furniture” – Join host Joel Greene on this episode of Curiosity Quest as he explores a furniture manufacturer to learn how they make unique wooden furniture.
• #911 – “Food Waste” – Join host Joel Greene as he explores the food industry and how we can help to prevent food waste at our schools and homes.

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Rob Stephenson and inquisitive kids take a hands-on approach to scientific exploration.

airs Fridays at 1 a.m. beginning 9/6

• #301 – “Wheels and Axels” – Difficult doorknobs, funnel races, water wheels and pinwheel power! Explore how a round wheel works together with an axle so that they rotate together. STEM Challenge: Making a rubber band powered wheel and axle. Curious About Careers: Scientist Tonya Matthews gives an interactive tour at Michigan Science Center in Detroit.
• #302 – “Resonance” – Resonant rods, rings and pipes and powerful pendulums! Explore how every object has the potential to vibrate, and those vibrations occur in different wave patterns. Resonance is adding an additional force with a matching frequency the wave. STEM Challenge: Making a membranophone. Curious About Careers: Nuclear physicist Artemis Spyrou explains how an atom-smashing cyclotron works.
• #303 – “Momentum” – Racing cans, pencil spinners, bowling ball bangers! Explore how whenever something is moving, it has momentum, and the faster it’s moving, the more momentum it has. STEM Challenge: Designing a better bobsled. Curious About Careers: Pediatrician Mona Hanna-Attisha describes what it takes to care for children’s health.
• #304 – “Football Science” – Football bounce and flight, sticky fingers and more! Explore how a football’s shape makes it more difficult to predict how it will bounce, while that shape helps its gyroscopic motion when thrown or kicked. STEM Challenge: Designing a water balloon helmet. Curious About Careers: Biomechanical engineer Tamara Reid Bush explains the movement of the human body.
• #305 – “Buoyancy” – Sinking stones, aluminum boats, Cartesian diver, scuba action figures, hot air balloons and more! Explore buoyancy, which is an object’s ability to float. STEM Challenge: Making a hovering balloon. Curious About Careers: Microbiologist Joan Rose discusses the workings of a water research lab.
• #306 – “Skeletal System” – Broken bones, tendon tricks, acidic exoskeletons and more! Explore the human skeletal system including bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and joints; and how it stores calcium and phosphorous and produces blood cells. STEM Challenge: Making a no-hands crutch. Curious About Careers: Orthopedic surgeon and baseball team physician Julie Dodds on her career in sports medicine.
• #307 – “Rockets” – Multi-staging balloons, water bottles, air rockets and more! Explore how rockets can lift off the ground through an imbalance of forces. STEM Challenge: Designing a water bottle rocket. Curious About Careers: Astrophysicist Shannon Schmoll at Abrams Planetarium and technology manager Mary Palkovich.
• #308 – “Candy Chemistry” – Buoyant candy, marshmallow melee and more! Candy and science? It’s funny to think that candy is related to science, but it’s true! STEM Challenge: Making sugar stained glass. Curious About Careers: Audiologist Brooke Tudor explains how to properly test and care for our hearing.
• #309 – “Inertia” – Spinning eggs and more! Explore how an object that is still or at rest will stay at rest, while an object in motion will keep moving unless another force acts on it. STEM Challenge: Making ‘eggciting’ safety restraints. Curious About Careers: Technology coordinator Michelle Massey and pediatrician Mona Hanna-Attisha.
• #310 – “Electric Batteries” – Human batteries, electric lemon, potato possibilities and more! The Curious Crew learns that batteries are used to change chemical energy into electrical energy. STEM Challenge: Designing a better battery. Curious About Careers: Scientist Tonya Matthews and Nuclear physicist Artemis Spyrou.

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This series tells the story of early settlement, conquest and immigration; of tradition and reinvention; of anguish and celebration; and of the gradual construction of a new American identity from diverse sources that connects and empowers millions of people today. The series covers the 1500s to the present day.

airs Wednesdays at 2 a.m. beginning 9/4

• #102 – “Empire of Dreams” – See how the American population is reshaped by Latino immigration starting in 1880 and continuing into the 1940s: Cubans, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans begin arriving in the U.S. and start to build communities in South Florida, Los Angeles and New York.
• #103 – “War and Peace” – Trace the World War II years and those that follow, as Latino Americans serve their new country by the hundreds of thousands – yet still face discrimination and a fight for civil rights in the United States.
• #104 – “The New Latinos” – Review the decades after World War II through the early 1960s, as swelling numbers of immigrants from Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic seek economic opportunities.
• #105 – “Pride and Prejudice” – Witness the creation of the proud “Chicano” identity as labor leaders organize farm workers in California, and as activist’s push for better education opportunities for Latinos, the inclusion of Latino studies and empowerment in the political process.
• #106 – “Peril and Promise” – Examine the past 30 years, as a second wave of Cubans and hundreds of thousands Salvadorans, Nicaraguans and Guatemalans flee to the U.S., creating a debate over undocumented immigrants that leads to calls for tightened borders, English-only laws and efforts to brand the undocumented as a drain on public resources. Simultaneously, the Latino influence is booming in business, sports, media, politics and entertainment. Latino Americans become the largest and youngest growing sector of the American population.

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The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) brings its signature investigative journalism back to public television this spring with another installment of Reveal, a four-part series presented by KQED. Reveal is a first-of-its-kind television show that brings viewers deep into investigations and captures the drama and high stakes of the reporting process. The magazine-format program leads with a documentary story followed by shorter pieces and a “true cartoon” animation, and each hour-long episode explores crucial, and often underreported issues: from Terrorist Hunting to finding the families of Jane and John Doe’s. Hidden stories, uncovered; that’s what this series is all about.

airs Wednesdays at 1 a.m. beginning 9/4

• #202 – “Freedom Fighters” – Reveal features two-time Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s short documentary “Freedom Fighters,” which profiles three remarkable women battling for equal rights in one of the world’s most dangerous countries for women. In addition, the episode delves into the potential dangers women face when they donate eggs to fertility clinics and the story of two women who gave up everything to help those at risk of deportation.
• #203 – “Nellie Bly Makes The News” – Director Penny Lane’s “Nellie Bly Makes the News” headlines an episode of Reveal showcasing animated documentaries and innovative, groundbreaking storytelling. Using diverse stylistic approaches, the hour covers a wide range of topics, from the story of a muckraking journalist who changed the game for women in reporting before women even had the right to vote to the surprising origin story of the humble strawberry.
• #204 – “The Dead Unknown” – Reveal examines what the Justice Department has called “the nation’s silent mass disaster.” For decades, there was no way to link the lists of missing persons around the country with the unidentified John and Jane Does in morgues and cemeteries, leaving many families in the dark about their loved ones’ fate. Director Michael I Schiller’s “The Dead Unknown” follows investigators in real time over the course of a year as they attempt to find the identity of one 50-year-old cold case. The hour also looks at efforts to prevent deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border and the Standing Rock Sioux’s historic faceoff with the U.S. government decades before the oil pipeline.

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EARTH FOCUS, a partnership between KCETLink and the Thomson Reuters Foundation provides audiences with urgent local and global environmental coverage that spotlights the issues, impact and possible solutions from a variety of unique perspectives.

airs Tuesdays at 3 a.m. beginning 9/3

• #1001 – “Sea Level Rising: Living with Water” – Louisiana is learning from Hurricane Katrina. Forecasts are dire for Louisiana to experience the second-highest sea level rise in the world. There is a big movement brewing in New Orleans to build adaptive “resilience zones.” In Southeast Louisiana, the native peoples of the Isle de Jean Charles have become the first U.S citizens moving within their homeland displaced by climate change.
• #1002 – “Climate Migration” – Populations are dramatically shifting as climate change drives migration. Droughts and floods are driving many people away from their rural, farming communities into big cities. We see how this is manifesting in Mongolia and examine the factors leading to the new community of Haitian people living in limbo at the border between Mexico and the U.S.
• #1003 – “City Planning” – Two cities, San Francisco and Freetown, brace for climate change using vastly different methodologies. San Francisco’s developers are building expensive real estate on floodplains as officials try to heed expert projections on future sea levels. On the other side of the world, a deadly mudslide caused by torrential rains and deforestation in Sierra Leone shows the consequences of city planning that doesn’t take climate change into account.
• #1004 – “Adaptation to Global Water Shortages” – Anticipating future water needs, two regions on opposite sides of the world turn to technology for answers. Western Morocco, near the Sahara Desert, is currently facing unprecedented drought and groundwater mismanagement. But an ancient method of gathering moisture from fog is being taught to 13 villages, allowing people to have a level of local control over their most basic need. Central Valley California: The food basket of the world uses nearly 80 percent of the entire state’s water supply. Yet there are still close to one million people who don’t have access to clean drinking water. Researchers at UCLA may change that through a technology that would allow unincorporated rural communities to control how contaminated water is treated.
• #1005 – “Future of Food” – Communities and innovators all over the world are creating new sustainable food sources that are resilient to climate change and growing populations. In Madagascar we see how villagers are closing off marine areas to allow the fish supply to replenish at a natural pace. In San Diego, California, aqua culturists are exploring open ocean farming as a more sustainable model for the fishing industry.
• #1006 – “Urban Habitat” – With so much biodiversity in the highly urban area of Los Angeles, species are thriving despite human interference, and in some cases because of it.

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