February 11, 2010
Press Contact:
Regina Daley
617/300-5318
WGBH March 2010 television program highlights
Nova: “Pluto Files”
Tuesday, March 2, 8-9pm on WGBH 2
Since its discovery in 1930, Pluto has held a warm place in the public imagination. So, when the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium stopped calling Pluto a planet, director Neil deGrasse Tyson found himself at the center of a firestorm — a firestorm led by angry Pluto-loving elementary school students. But what is it about this cold, distant rock that captures so many hearts? Nova joins Tyson on a quest to find out. From the scientists trying to classify Pluto to die-hard “Pluto-philes,” Tyson meets a fascinating cast of characters with just one thing in common: strong opinions about Pluto. Based on Tyson’s book The Pluto Files, this is a light-hearted look at the solar system’s best-loved non-planet.
Frontline: “The Suicide Tourist”
Tuesday, March 2, 9-10pm on WGBH 2
Do we have the right to end our lives if life itself becomes unbearable, or when we enter the late-stages of painful, terminal illness? The questions, debated for centuries, have only grown more pressing in recent years as medical technology has allowed us to live longer lives, and several U.S. states have legalized physician-assisted suicide. With unique access to Dignitas, the Swiss non-profit that has helped more than a thousand people die since 1998, Academy Award-winning filmmaker John Zaritsky offers a revealing look at a couple facing the most difficult decision of their lives — and lets us see for ourselves as one Chicago native makes the trip to Switzerland for what will become the last day of his life.
Independent Lens: “The Eyes of Me”
Sunday, March 21, 10-11pm on WGBH 44
This is an up-close look at four teens who have lost their sight. The film follows their struggles to fit in, prepare for college and live independently. It’s an extraordinary peek into the world of blind teenagers where crossing an intersection, cooking a meal or navigating unfamiliar areas can be a challenge that sighted viewers never consider.
High School Quiz Show
Monday, March 22, 7:30-8pm on WGBH 2
Twenty schools from eastern Massachusetts have been chosen to compete on High School Quiz Show, the new weekly game show series produced by WGBH. The competition will culminate in a statewide playoff for the championship, as four teams from WGBY’s academic game program, As Schools Match Wits, compete with High School Quiz Show’s four top qualifying teams. Quiz questions for the teams correlate with the core Massachusetts high school curriculum, including literature, history, and science, together with current events, sports, entertainment, and general knowledge. High School Quiz Show is endorsed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Hosted by Dhaya Lakshminarayanan.
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Great Performances: “Dance in America: NY Export: Opus Jazz”
Wednesday, March 24, 8-9pm on WGBH 2
A “ballet in sneakers” choreographed by the legendary Jerome Robbins in 1958, NY Export: Opus Jazz was a breakout success in its day, complete with a world tour and a broadcast on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Set to an evocative jazz score by Robert Prince with original abstract urban sets designed by Ben Shahn, the five movements blend ballet, jazz and ballroom with Latin, African and American rhythms to create a style that remains expressive, sensual and contemporary. Yet Opus Jazz has been infrequently performed by ballet companies since it debut, and never adapted for film. Co-conceived and produced by New York City Ballet principal dancers Ellen Bar and Sean Suozzi, this new film production takes the overlooked Robbins’ masterpiece off the stage and places it into the landscapes that inspired it, filmed on locations all over the five boroughs of New York City. The 16 emblematic characters are city kids drawn together by their youth, their energy and their hunger for life, but this Opus Jazz takes them out of the 50s and into today; although fashions and skylines change, the experience of being young in New York belongs to every generation. Completing the program will be background material on the original Robbins production, as well as interviews with the cast and creators on the process of recreating the work for a new era.
Great Performances: “At the Met Les Contes d’Hoffman”
Wednesday, 9pm-12am on WGBH 2
Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher (Lincoln Center’s “South Pacific”) directs this new production, after the triumph of his Met “Barber of Seville.” Offenbach’s fictionalized take on the life and loves of the German Romantic writer E.T.A. Hoffmann is a fascinating journey. Met music director James Levine conducts Joseph Calleja in the title role. Anna Netrebko is the tragic Antonia and Alan Held sings the demonic four villains.
Masterpiece Classic: “Sharpe’s Challenge”
Sunday, March 28, 9-11pm on WGBH 2
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 (The Lord of the Rings) 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’s Padma Lakshmi guest stars as Madhuvanthi, a beautiful schemer who is out to seduce Sharpe.
Independent Lens: “Lost Souls”
Sunday, March 28, 10-11pm on WGBH 44
In 1999, filmmaker Monika Navarro’s uncles were deported from the United States to Mexico, forced to leave the only country they knew and, as servicemen, had pledged to protect. Set against the backdrop of increased attention to the U.S.-Mexican border, “Lost Souls” explores national identity, the lives of immigrants and what happens after deportees are sent to a homeland they no longer consider home.
Frontline: “The Wounded Platoon”
Tuesday, March 30, 9-10pm on WGBH 2
At the height of the Iraq war, Charlie Company’s Third Platoon was at the tip of the spear — one of the more exceptional and cohesive fighting units operating in an often chaotic campaign. Now, as the soldiers return home and the military’s mental health treatment and screening programs are put to the test, Frontline tracks down the surviving members of the platoon. Some have adjusted well to civilian life — one is a police officer, some are off to college. But others are struggling with post traumatic stress and the effects of traumatic brain injuries. And one sits in a Colorado prison, having pled guilty to participation in the murder of another member of Charlie Company. In this affecting portrait of one platoon, Frontline investigates the promises and realities of what today’s soldiers find after war.
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Tavis Smiley Reports: “America the Beautiful”
Wednesday, March 31, 8-9pm on WGBH 2
In this program second of four quarterly primetime specials hosted by Tavis Smiley, Smiley delves into Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” speech, examining the context of Dr. King’s words on liberty, responsibility and freedom against the backdrop of the fight for civil rights and an increasingly unpopular war, and examines the implications of his words today.
American Masters: “I.M. Pei: Building China Modern”
Wednesday, March 31, 9-10pm on WGBH 2
Noted architect I.M. Pei, who left his native China in the 1930s, was invited to design a modern museum to house the antiquities of Suzhou, where he grew up. This film follows his seven-and-a-half-year personal and architectural journey from west to east, a literal coming home — a realization of Pei’s lifelong dream, but also his biggest challenge and a work that he defines as “my biography.” The program includes commentary from local residents, design specialists, Suzhou officials and a stellar array of architects, designers and scholars commenting on Pei’s life and work.
The Street Stops Here
Wednesday, March 31, 10-11:30pm on WGBH 2
The Street Stops Here is a portrait of the nation’s best high school basketball coach, Bob Hurley Sr., and his career-long struggle to inspire and motivate those around him in order to keep the doors of an inner-city Catholic school open. This is a story about teenagers fighting their way out of the ’hood, armed with little more than a basketball and the hard wisdom of a fierce, demanding coach. For 35 years, Hurley has led St. Anthony his way. He’s an uncompromising teacher who demands perfection from kids who’ve known little discipline growing up on the streets of Jersey City. His methodical yet volatile style works miracles. He’s tallied 900-plus victories for a school that’s won 24 state championships. Hurley’s sent to college all but two of the hundreds of players he’s coached, a feat that truly shows what matters most to him. This season, Hurley faces challenges that will test his resolve. The most talented senior class he’s ever assembled, with six seniors headed to Division I schools, is about to graduate without having won a state championship — something that’s never happened to one of his teams. Even worse, a financial crisis threatens to close the high school to which he’s dedicated his life. Intimate and inspiring, The Street Stops Here is the story of a man’s lifelong commitment to improve the lives of inner city kids and save the high school that gives them hope.
About WGBH
WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcaster, producing such award-winning PBS series as Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Nova, American Experience, Arthur, Curious George, and more than a dozen other prime-time, lifestyle, and children’s series. WGBH’s television channels include WGBH 2/HD and 44, and digital channels World and Create. Local TV productions that focus on the region’s diverse community include Greater Boston, Basic Black, and María Hinojosa: One-on-One. WGBH Radio serves listeners from Cape Cod to New Hampshire with WGBH 89.7, Boston’s NPR Station for News and Culture; 99.5 All Classical; WCAI for the Cape and Islands; WNCK on Nantucket; and the All-Classical WGBH HD channel. WGBH also produces the national radio news program The World. WGBH is a leading producer of online content and a pioneer in developing educational multimedia and new technologies that make media accessible for people with disabilities. Find more information at
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