PBS Celebrates the Summer of 1969 With Lineup of New Specials

PBS Summer Slate
Courtesy of NASA, June 1965

Celebrating the golden anniversaries of pivotal moments and movements in U.S. history – gay liberation, the lunar landing and Woodstock – PBS will premiere new specials and limited series.

They’ll air The Lavender Scare on Tuesday, June 18, the epic three-part Chasing the Moon on American Experience (Monday, July 8 through Wednesday, July 10, 8 Days: To the Moon and Back on Wednesday, July 17, Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation on American Experience Tuesday, August 6 and more, throughout the summer.

Courtesy of the New York Public Library

In addition, PBS is dedicating the entire month of July to commemorate the wonder and awe of the universe with its Summer of Space multi-platform experience. Viewers can watch on PBS stations, PBS.org and the PBS Video App (check local listings) to explore one of the most critical and eventful periods in American history.

Courtesy of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The most monumental achievement of 1969 occurred on July 20, when Apollo 11 astronauts Commander Neil Armstrong, Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin and Command Module Pilot Michael Collins became the first crew to successfully land on the moon.

To honor this incredible feat and its 50th anniversary, PBS is offering more than 15 hours of new science and history programming with Summer of Space, anchored by the epic and highly anticipated Chasing the Moon on American Experience. The this film tells the entire story of the space race, from its earliest beginnings to the first lunar landing.

Larry Morris/The New York Times/Redux Pictures

Another touchstone during this transformative year was the Woodstock Music and Art Fair—considered the most famous of rock festivals in the 1960s—held on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York in mid-August. In Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation, American Experience brings the three-day concert to life through the voices of those who were present during what became the defining moment of the counter-culture revolution.

June 2019 Premieres

American Masters: Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life

Friday, June 14, 9:00 p.m. ET

PBS Previews: Country Music

Friday, June 14, 10:30 p.m. ET

POV Roll Red Roll

Monday, June 17, 10:00 p.m. ET

Endeavour, Season 6 on Masterpiece

Sundays, June 16 – July 7, 9:00 p.m. ET

The Lavender Scare

Tuesday, June 18, 9:00 p.m. ET

Rivers of Life

Wednesdays, June 19 – July 3, 2019, 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET

When Whales Walked: Journeys in Deep Time

Wednesday, June 19, 9:00 p.m. ET

Tiananmen: Seven Weeks That Changed the World

Tuesday, June 25, 9:00 p.m. ET

Summer of Space Premieres

Secrets of the Dead: Galileo’s Moon

Tuesday, July 2 at 8:00 p.m. ET

Antiques Roadshow: Out of This World

Premiere: Monday, July 8, 8:00 p.m. ET

Chasing the Moon on American Experience

Monday, July 8 – Wednesday, July 10, 9:00 p.m. ET

NOVA: Back to the Moon

Wednesday, July 10, 8:00 p.m. ET

8 Days: To the Moon and Back

Wednesday, July 17, 9:00 p.m. ET

Ancient Skies

Wednesdays, July 24 – August 7, 8:00 p.m. ET

NOVA Miniseries: The Planets

Wednesday, July 24, 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. ET; Wednesdays, July 31 – August 14, 9:00 p.m. ET

July and August 2019 Premieres

A Capitol Fourth (2019)

Thursday, July 4, 8:00 p.m. ET

Grantchester, Season 4 on Masterpiece

Sundays, July 14 – August 11, 9:00 p.m. ET

Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation on American Experience

Tuesday, August 6, 9:00 p.m. ET

Family Pictures USA

Monday, August 12, 9:00 p.m. ET and Tuesday, August 13, 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET

Magical Land of Oz

Wednesday, August 28 – September 11 10:00 p.m. ET

Big Family: The Story of Bluegrass Music

Friday, August 30, 9:00 p.m. ET