What to Watch This August: 10+ Programs You Don't Want to Miss
This month's lineup features programs illuminating stories of perseverance in the midst of personal struggle, ongoing conflict and war in new eye-opening documentaries from "Frontline" and "POV."
Also, hear about lesser-known histories of a pioneering Catholic priest and TV producer in "Hollywood Priest: The Story of Fr. 'Bud' Kieser," and how greed, power and racial conflict plagued a Mississippi town during one of America's greatest natural disasters in "American Experience: Fatal Flood."
Read on for the full August programming lineup.
Aug. 6
Frontline: Ukraine: Life Under Russia's Attack – 10 p.m.
A dramatic and intimate look inside the Russian assault on Kharkiv. Told by displaced families trying to survive underground, civilians caught in the fight, and first responders risking their lives amid the shelling of Ukraine's second largest city. Watch Now.
POV: He's My Brother – 11 p.m.
Explore how Christine works to assure dignified lives for herself and her brother Peter, born with multiple disabilities, while she faces uncertainties about becoming his primary caregiver. Watch Now.
Aug. 10
Hollywood Priest: The Story of Fr. 'Bud' Kieser – 8 p.m.
A priest finds his calling telling stories of humanity through a television series. Watch Now.
Aug. 11
Broadchurch (New Season) – Thursdays, 9 p.m.
The people of Broadchurch struggle to come to terms with the devastating turn of events, and shockwaves reverberate through the town. What's next for Ellie and Hardy? Watch Now.
Aug. 13
Frontline: Afghanistan Undercover – 10 p.m.
An undercover investigation into the Taliban's crackdown on women in Afghanistan. Correspondent Ramita Navai finds those being punished by the regime and confronts Taliban officials. Watch Now.
POV: President – 11 p.m.
See how the new leader of Zimbabwe's opposition party Nelson Chamisa challenges the acting president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, in the 2018 general election. How will they interpret democracy in a post-Mugabe era — in discourse and practice? Watch Now.
Aug. 14
Expedition with Steve Backshall – Sundays, 9 p.m.
Head into the unknown with explorer Steve Backshall as he journeys to the world's last unexplored places and faces challenges around the globe, encountering extraordinary wildlife and meeting remarkable people along the way. Watch Now.
Aug. 20
POV: Portraits and Dreams – 10 p.m.
Revisit photographs created by Kentucky schoolchildren in the 1970s and the place where their photos were made. Photographer and artist Wendy Ewald, who guided the students in making their visionary photographs, returns to Kentucky and learns how the lives and visions of her former students have changed. Watch Preview.
POV: About Love – 11 p.m.
Three generations of the Phadke family live in their home in Mumbai. When the youngest daughter turns the camera toward her family, the personal becomes political as power structures within the family become visible — and eventually unravel. Watch Preview.
Aug. 21
POV Shorts: Drawing On Experience – 12:30 a.m.
Two animated films about memory and the stories we tell. "Stay Close" blends home videos and animation in an expressionistic montage to tell the underdog story of Keeth Smart, an African American fencer from Brooklyn who overcomes a gauntlet of hardships on his road to the Olympics. "The Velvet Underground Played at My High School" recounts the Velvet Underground's first gig-in 1965, in front of a crowd of shocked kids at a suburban New Jersey high school. Watch Now.
Aug. 27
American Experience: Fatal Flood – 9 p.m.
A story of greed, power and race during one of America's greatest natural disasters. In the spring of 1927, after weeks of incessant rains, a lethal rampage of the Mississippi River inundated hundreds of towns. In Greenville, Mississippi, efforts to contain the river pitted the majority black population against an aristocratic plantation family, the Percys — and the Percys against themselves.
Frontline: Supreme Revenge: Battle for the Court – 10 p.m.
The conservative takeover of the Supreme Court that paved the way to overturning Roe v. Wade. How a partisan political war, led by Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump, transformed the highest court with far reaching consequences for the country. Watch Preview.
Aug. 31
Walter Anderson: Extraordinary Life and Art of the Islander – 8 p.m.
The fascinating life and work of Mississippi Gulf Coast watercolorist Walter Inglis Anderson is explored in this intimate and revealing new film. Discover the genius who has been called "the South's greatest artist."