Andrew Davies Finishes What Jane Austen Started with “Sanditon”

KPBS is so excited to bring the brand-new “Masterpiece” drama “Sanditon”—Jane Austen’s final, unfinished work—to our station this month!

Screenwriter Andrew Davies (“Pride and Prejudice”, “Mr. Selfridge”, “Les Misérables”) finishes what Jane Austen started when she had to stop writing the novel in 1817 due to illness.

The bold adaptation follows the series’ young heroine, Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams). Charlotte arrives in Sanditon, a sleepy seaside village, and encounters Tom Parker, who is transforming the village into a trendy and fashionable seaside resort.

The series features drama, secrets, and romances that will thrill you week after week.

Sundays starting January 12 at 9 p.m. on KPBS-TV

“A Place to Call Home”

Season 6 is the final chapter of the Bligh saga “A Place to Call Home”—an Australian drama that explores the ties that hold families together and the betrayals that can tear them apart.

As the 1950s come to a close in Inverness, the inhabitants of Ash Park each find a way to confront their fears and heal the damage within to finally reach their place to call home. For some, the challenge is to overcome the mental scarring from their wartime experiences. For others, the damage has been done by fate, family, friends, or foes. Hearts are on the line as courageous acts of transformation, love, sacrifice, and kindness toward one another lead to an evolution of a better version of themselves. And the outcomes are almost impossible to fathom.

Tuesdays starting January 7 at 9 p.m. on KPBS-2 and Sundays starting January 12 at 7 p.m. on KPBS-TV

Trek Across the Globe on “NOVA: Polar Extremes”

On February 5, join us for a journey back in time and across the globe with “NOVA: Polar Extremes.” The one-night, two-hour special takes viewers on a dramatic and surprising adventure from pole to pole. From 650 million years ago to the present, it will uncover the extraordinary story of the Earth’s poles and their changing climates.

What drives the Earth’s poles to their extremes? How quickly can they change? Renowned paleontologist Kirk Johnson hosts the series, which aims to answer these questions and uncover the mysteries of our planet’s past.

“NOVA: Polar Extremes” features stunning footage from some of the most beautiful and remote places in the world. It will take you on a brilliant journey to explore the planet on which we live … and determine whether the secrets of our planet’s past may predict what will happen to our world in the future.

Wednesday, February 5 at 9 p.m. on KPBS-TV

Maya Trabulsi

Fascinating Guests, Surprising Stories: “Finding Your Roots” Returns to KPBS!

If you’re not already watching “Finding Your Roots,” jump on board during its exciting and groundbreaking sixth season, currently airing on KPBS!

USA Today recently called “Finding Your Roots” “a brilliant series about race, identity and heritage,” and Newsday referred to the series’ longtime host, scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., as “TV’s best and most thoughtful tour guide.”

For more than a decade, the series has engaged viewers in a national conversation about identity by digging deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.

This exciting season of “Finding Your Roots” kicked off at the end of 2019 and featured notable actors Eric Stonestreet, Melissa McCarthy, Anjelica Huston, Mia Farrow, and Isabella Rossellini—all of whom learned about their family histories and retraced the interesting and surprising journeys of their ancestors.

Still to come on the series are more than 20 other fascinating and noteworthy celebrity guests, including Terry Gross, the iconic host of NPR’s “Fresh Air,” whose episode airs on January 21 (January 22 on KPBS-2).

Join Dr. Gates and his noteworthy, dynamic guests on their unforgettable journeys to retrace their ancestral pasts—only on KPBS!

Tuesdays beginning January 7 at 8 p.m. on KPBS-TV and Wednesdays beginning January 8 at 9 p.m. on KPBS-2

“San Diego News Matters” is KPBS’ daily news podcast covering local politics, education, health, environment, the border, and more. New episodes air every weekday morning so you can listen on your morning commute.

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