Offair Listings

PBS’ premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA programs demystify science and technology and highlight the people involved in scientific pursuits.

• #4607 “Saving the Dead Sea” – There’s no place on Earth like it. Cleopatra attributed her beauty to its secrets. King Herod built one of the world’s first health spas on its shores. And as the biblical story goes, “rocks and fire falling from the sky” buried Sodom and Gomorrah and the sea became “the sea of salt” — The Dead Sea. Now this wonder of the world is dying. Since 1976, its level has declined by more than sixty-five feet. Its coastline is pockmarked with thousands of sinkholes. Can the Dead Sea be saved? After more than a decade of research and debate, scientists, engineers and political leaders have come up with a daring plan, one that could not only save the sea but help bring stability to a region rife with conflict. NOVA follows this unprecedented endeavor -perhaps the world’s largest water chemistry experiment ever – as scientists and engineers race to save the Dead Sea and help bring water to one of the driest regions on Earth.

Airs 4/24 at 9 P.M.

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The history of business and entrepreneurship lies at the heart of the American story, but often absent from that narrative are the experiences of African Americans. From the country’s earliest days, African Americans have embodied the qualities of innovation, risk-taking and determination to forge a path toward a better life.  Boss: The Black Experience in Business, by Peabody and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson, traces the lives of African American entrepreneurs over 150 years, from those bound by bondage to moguls at the top of million-dollar empires.

Airs 4/23 at 8 p.m. (repeats 4/28 at 11 p.m.)

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In the heart of New York’s rapidly gentrifying Lower East Side stand four tenement buildings that housed the Streit’s Matzo factory since 1925.

An iconic New York institution and a fifth generation family business, the Streit’s factory and the Streit family itself have long held firmly to tradition, churning flour and water into matzos through ovens as old as the factory itself.  Though the factory seems a century removed from the world around it, even Streit’s was not immune from the forces that challenge manufacturing and family businesses everywhere. In a rapidly gentrifying Lower East Side, where kosher butchers and grocers gave way to high-end restaurants, bars and apartments, Streit’s finally closed it doors after 90 years. Chronicling the family legacy, Streit’s: Matzo and the American Dream premieres this Passover at Film Forum in New York City.  Streit’s Matzo and the American Dream is a story of tradition, of resistance and resilience, and a celebration of a family whose commitment to their heritage and to their employees is inspiring proof that the family that bakes together, stays together.

Airs 4/22 at 9 p.m. (repeats 4/28 at 7 p.m.)

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Regardless of one’s religious beliefs, there is no denying the impact Jesus of Nazareth has had on world history, particularly the events surrounding his death. In JESUS: COUNTDOWN TO CALVARY Hugh Bonneville, well-known actor and a Cambridge theology graduate, travels to Jerusalem in search of answers. Meeting with academic experts and spiritual leaders, Bonneville deconstructs the week leading up to Jesus’s death and untangles the complex factors that resulted in his crucifixion. Exploring questions that have provided more than 2000 years of debate, the documentary offers fascinating insight from both religious and historical angles.

Airs 4/21 at 7 p.m.

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Robert Penn Warren is the only person to have won Pulitzer Prizes for both fiction and poetry and was named U.S. Poet Laureate in 1986. His 1946 novel about political corruption, All the King’s Men, was translated into an Academy Award winning film. The documentary explores the life and career of one of our nation’s most acclaimed writers and features previously unreleased home movie footage of the author and his family.

Airs 4/19 at 3-4 a.m.

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As many as one out of every 110 children in the United States will be diagnosed with autism, yet many people are unaware of the full spectrum of autism disorders. Hear about the signs that can help with an early diagnosis and the treatments that can make a difference.

Airs 4/18 at 8:30 p.m. (extended version airs 4/27 at 3 p.m.

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Take a mind-blowing journey through human history, told through six iconic objects that modern people take for granted, and see how science, invention and technology built on one another to change everything.

• #101 – The Telescope – Meet the brilliant minds throughout history, from Galileo to Edwin Hubble, responsible for creating the telescope. Today, their invention allows humanity to reach the furthest limits of seeing 13 billion light-years out. Airs 4/17 at 10 p.m.
• #102 – The Plane – Take to the sky with the dreamers whose work gave humans the ability to fly. From Leonardo da Vinci’s “flying machines” to the modern commercial plane, without these inventions, we may have never left the ground. Airs 4/24 at 10 p.m.

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From acclaimed director David Sutherland (Kind-Hearted Woman, Country Boys, The Farmer’s Wife) comes this unique look at the immigration issue. The film follows the efforts of Elizabeth Perez, a decorated United States Marine veteran, to reunite her family after the deportation of her husband, an undocumented worker from Mexico. Her struggle begins to challenge her assumptions about justice and fairness in the nation she fought for.

Airs 4/15 at 9 p.m.

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In the next 10 to 15 years, an estimated 800,000 children with autism will age out of the school system and transition into adulthood. Then, they will look to ill-prepared state and federal governments for the support services and resources to meet their many needs – a situation autism experts refer to as the “coming tsunami.” The one-hour documentary AUTISM: COMING OF AGE provides an inside look at the lives of three adults with autism and includes interviews with their families and support teams. Autism and disability experts from Massachusetts, New York, Washington, Virginia and Pennsylvania also discuss the current system, impending challenges and possible outcomes for the future.

Airs 4/13 at 11 p.m.; 4/14 at 3 a.m., 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.; 4/17 at 5 a.m. and 11 a.m.

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