What to Stream This May: 20+ New Programs You Have to Watch

May 1, 2023

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This May, KCET continues a new season of the award-winning environmental series "Earth Focus Presents" with three more illuminating films: "Zero Gravity," "Dead Sea Guardians," and "Day Zero." Also, uncover the 1937 tragedy in Chicago, when police shot and killed 10 pro-labor marchers and the shocking film cover-up that followed in "Memorial Day Massacre: Workers Die, Film Buried."

In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, also in our lineup are powerful looks into trailblazing pioneers in art — Nam Joon Paik in "Nam Joon Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV" — and in music — the 1970s all-women rock band Fanny in "Fanny: The Right to Rock."

For more AAPI programming to stream, click here.

Monday, May 3

International Jazz Day from the United Nations – 9 p.m.

Jazz stars from around the globe come together to celebrate the unifying power of music.

Celebrate the power of music with the return of International Jazz Day from the United Nations. Watch Preview.

Great Performances: Now Hear This - Albeniz: Portraits of Spain – 10 p.m.

Discover the inspirations Spain provided composer Isaac Albéniz with host Scott Yoo.

Discover the inspirations Spain provided composer Isaac Albeniz with host Scott Yoo and Scottish Grammy-winning guitarist David Russell, along with musicians from Albeniz's birthplace in the Pyrenees mountains as well as Sevilla, Mallorca and more. Watch Preview.

Saturday, May 6

Memorial Day Massacre: Workers Die, Film Buried – 9 p.m.

When police killed ten union activists in Chicago—and the film cover-up that followed.

The 1937 police killing of ten Chicago labor activists and Paramount News' suppression of the only filmed evidence. Watch Preview.

Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day In March – 10 p.m.

Explore the fight against Asian American hate following the spa mass shootings in Atlanta.

Explore the fight against Asian American hate following the March 2021 mass shootings at three spas in Atlanta. Examine how this critical moment of racial reckoning sheds light on the struggles, triumphs and achievements of AAPI communities. Watch Now.

Independent Lens: Matter of Mind: My ALS – 11 p.m.

Three people with ALS confront complex choices in this intimate exploration.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neuromuscular disease with an average survival time of 2-5 years from diagnosis. In this intimate story, three people bravely face different paths as they live with the progressively debilitating illness. Watch Preview.

Sunday, May 7

Independent Lens: Rewind – 12 a.m.

Rewind paints a vivid but hopeful portrait of a family plagued by a cycle of abuse.

Uncover a horrifying secret buried within one tight-knit suburban family's home video footage — a secret that, when revealed, leads to a media firestorm, a high-stakes court battle and a determination to heal. Watch Preview.

Earth Focus Presents: Zero Gravity – 8 p.m.

Zero Gravity follows US students competing in a nationwide tournament to code satellites.

A diverse group of middle-school students go on the journey of a lifetime when they compete in a nationwide tournament to code satellites aboard the International Space Station. Watch Preview.

NOVA: Saving the Right Whale – 10 p.m.

Follow scientists determined to save the critically endangered right whale.

The North Atlantic right whale is on the brink of extinction. But a handful of specialists are determined to help save it as they discover new secrets about the lives of these giants of the sea. Watch Preview.

Wednesday, May 10

The Articulate Hour – 9 p.m./10 p.m.

Artists and experts explore big ideas through a lens of arts, culture, and science.

The Articulate Hour makes sense of big ideas. In each episode, artists, scholars, and other special guests explore a new topic through a lens of arts, culture, and science. Watch Preview.

Thursday, May 13

Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale – 9 p.m.

A doctor, psychic and amusement park fanatic unite to save Detroit's beloved Boblo Boat.

Interweaving lore and mythology, "Boblo Boats" explores the whitewashed history of amusement parks and one crew's crusade to bring back the memories. Watch Preview.

Frontline: Secrets, Politics and the Supreme Court – 10 p.m.

The power and influence of Clarence and Ginni Thomas on the Supreme Court and American politics. An investigation of the controversial rise of one of Washington's most powerful couples, and their role in reshaping the country's politics and law.

Independent Lens: Sam Now – 11 p.m.

What happens when a filmmaker helps his half brother search for his missing mother?

In this coming-of-age documentary about generational trauma, follow Sam Harkness from age 11 to 33 as his once average, middle-class Seattle family is heartbroken and unsure of what to do after his mother suddenly abandons them. Watch Preview.

Sunday, May 14

Earth Focus Presents: Dead Sea Guardians – 8 p.m.

Three historic enemies join forces on a heroic journey to save the Dead Sea from drying.

The Dead Sea, shared by Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians, is a unique salt-lake, known for its exceptional geographical, biological, and historical value. Three historic enemies join forces on a heroic journey to stop overconsumption and poor water management of the Dead Sea and save it from disappearing. Watch Preview.

Wild Scandinavia – Sundays, 9 p.m.

See Scandinavia’s epic landscapes full of fjords, magical forests and fiery volcanoes.

Immerse yourself in these breath-taking Scandinavian landscapes, beautiful fjords, magical forests, and volcanic and arctic extremes. Watch as surprising wildlife stories, myths, and modernity are all woven into this icy natural world. Watch Preview.

NOVA: Hidden Volcano Abyss – 10 p.m.

Investigate one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded history.

In January 2022, one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded history rocked the islands of Tonga. Join scientists as they investigate what caused the blast, how it spurred a devastating tsunami, and if another eruption could be imminent. Watch Preview.

Wednesday, May 17

American Masters: Nam June Paik: Moon is the Oldest TV – 9 p.m.

See the world through the eyes of Nam June Paik, the father of video art.

See the world through the eyes of Nam June Paik, the father of video art and coiner of the term "electronic superhighway." Experience the acclaimed artist's creative evolution, as Academy Award nominee Steven Yeun reads from Paik's own writings. Watch Preview.

Saturday, May 20

Unconditional: Healing Hidden Wounds – 9 p.m.

A man leans over beside another older man's hospital bed holding up a note that reads "I'm Richard, your son" and speaks into a microphone connected to a headset that the patient is wearing.

A revealing documentary about the home healthcare crises of mental wellness. Filmed over seven years, the film follows three very different families as they discover the impacts, stresses and rewards of caregiving for their loved ones living with disabilities.

Sunday, May 21

Independent Lens: Silent Beauty – 12 a.m.

A woman’s journey to heal from childhood sexual abuse and confront generational trauma.

One woman's road to heal from childhood sexual abuse evolves into the story of a family's journey through generational trauma, of discovery, loss, and bonding-at once agonizing and beautiful. Watch Preview.

Earth Focus Presents: Day Zero – 8 p.m.

A fearless documentary with an urgent message: a journey across the planet that takes us to the frontline in the battle to prevent the world's most precious resource — freshwater— from running out.

NOVA: Your Brain: Perception Deception – 10 p.m.

Is what you see real? Join neuroscientist Heather Berlin on a quest to understand how the brain shapes reality, and why people can't always trust what they perceive. Learn the surprising tricks and shortcuts the brain takes to help us survive.

Wednesday, May 24

Fanny: The Right to Rock – 10 p.m.

Co-founded by Filipina American sisters, Fanny is a ferocious 70s rock band.

Despite releasing five critically-acclaimed albums over five years, touring with famed bands from Slade to Chicago and amassing a dedicated fan base of music legends including David Bowie, Fanny's groundbreaking impact in music was written out of history — until bandmates reunite 50 years later with a new rock record deal. Watch Preview.

Saturday, May 27

Frontline: Once Upon A Time in Iraq: Fallujah – 10 p.m.

The story of the Iraq war & the chaos that followed, told by Iraqis who lived through it.

The enduring story of the battle of Fallujah, told by the people who lived through it. Twenty years after the invasion of Iraq, soldiers, journalists and ordinary Iraqis recount one of the defining episodes of the war. Watch Preview.

Sunday, May 28

NOVA: Your Brain: Who's in Control? – 10 p.m.

Are you in control of your brain, or is your brain controlling you? Dive into the latest research on the subconscious with neuroscientist Heather Berlin to see what's really driving the decisions people make.