What to Stream This April: 15+ New Programs You Have to See
This April on KCET is for the environment. This month's lineup includes special programming that amplifies climate issues seen through different lenses, through water in "River's End: California's Latest Water War"; through weather in "Independent Lens: The Hottest August"; through engineering in "NOVA: Chasing Carbon Zero"; and more.
"Earth Focus Presents" also returns with more films on environmental issues, kicking off with the first film of the new season "2040: The Regeneration" on April 30.
To see all dedicated Earth Month programming, click here.
Saturday, April 1
American Experience: The Movement and the "Madman” – 9 p.m.
Discover the untold story of the 1969 showdown between President Nixon and the antiwar movement. Told through firsthand accounts, the film reveals how movement leaders mobilized disparate groups to create two massive protests that changed history. Watch Now.
POV: Neurotypical – 10:30 p.m.
An exploration of autism from the point of view of autistic people themselves. See how they and the people around them work out their perceptual and behavioral differences in a reflection of the "neurotypical" world, revealing what it means to be normal and what it means to be human. Watch Preview.
Independent Lens: Hidden Letters – 11:30 p.m.
The bonds of sisterhood, and the parallels of struggles among generations of women in China, are drawn together by the once-secret written language of Nushu, the only script designed and used exclusively by women. Watch Now.
Sunday, April 2
The Food Principle – 8 p.m./8:30 p.m.
A docuseries with conservation, connection and community at its core. Join host Jim Kane as he explores food's role in humanity's greatest challenges, from climate change to biodiversity loss, health to social justice and inclusion. Watch Now.
Wednesday, April 5
La Frontera With Pati Jinich – Wednesdays, 8 p.m.
Savor the sights, sounds and flavors of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands alongside acclaimed chef Pati Jinich as she experiences the region’s rich culture, people and cuisine, sharing meals with self-described "fronterizos" or borderlanders from all walks of life and reflecting on the melding of cultures. Watch Preview.
Joni Mitchell: The Library Of Congress Gershwin Prize For Popular Song – 10:30 p.m.
The incomparable, trailblazing talent of Joni Mitchell is celebrated in Washington, DC's historic DAR Constitution Hall by a cadre of musical stars who all drew inspiration from the woman many consider to be the most influential musical artist of her time. Watch Preview.
Saturday, April 8
American Experience: The Sun Queen – 9 p.m.
An unexpected and largely forgotten heroine, chemical engineer and inventor Maria Telkes was remarkable in her vision and tenacity. She designed and built the world's first successfully solar-heated modern residence and identified a promising new chemical that, for the first time, could store solar heat like a battery. And yet, along the way, she was undercut and thwarted by her boss and colleagues — all men — at MIT. Watch Preview.
Frontline: America and the Taliban, Part 1 – 10 p.m.
How America's 20-year investment in Afghanistan culminated in Taliban victory. Drawing on decades of on the ground reporting, and interviews with Taliban and US officials, part one of an investigation of the missteps and consequences. Watch Preview.
Independent Lens: The Hottest August – 11 p.m.
Listen as ordinary New Yorkers attempt to answer the question "What were you doing while the planet burned?" During one sweltering month in 2017, they discuss the biggest issues they face, from climate change to skyrocketing rents to mass shootings. Watch Now.
Wednesday, April 12
Great Performances – Now Hear This: Piazzolla's History with Tango – 10 p.m.
Tango to Buenos Aires, Argentina, with host Scott Yoo and flutist Alice Dade to explore the evolution of composer Astor Piazzolla's work and the music genre itself as it becomes fused with jazz across time and numerous instruments. Watch Preview.
Saturday, April 15
Frontline: America and the Taliban, Part 2 – 10 p.m.
How America's 20-year investment in Afghanistan culminated in Taliban victory. Drawing on decades of on the ground reporting, and interviews with Taliban and US officials, part one of an investigation of the missteps and consequences. Watch Preview.
Sunday, April 16
River's End: California's Latest Water War – 8 p.m.
A documentary that reveals California's complex struggle over who gets fresh water, and how moneyed interests, game the system. Constant battling over uncertain water supplies heralds an impending crisis - not just in California, but around the world. Watch Now.
NOVA: Weathering the Future – 10 p.m.
It's hard not to notice: our weather is changing. Discover the lessons people on the front lines of destabilizing weather trends are learning that can help everyone adapt in the years ahead, as the planet gets warmer and our weather gets weirder. Watch Preview.
Wednesday, April 19
Great Performances – Now Hear This: Schumann: Genius and Madness – 10 p.m.
Visit Scotland, Germany and France with host Scott Yoo as he investigates the connection between Robert Schumann's bipolar disorder and creative genius via experts, musical performances and examining the work of other artists outside world of music. Watch Preview.
Sunday, April 23
Changing Planet – 9 p.m.
In its second year, "Changing Planet" revisits six of our planet’s most vulnerable ecosystems and catches up with the truly inspiring people introduced in the first series. Meet new faces who’ll deepen understanding of these habitats and introduce new potential solutions to combat the effects of the climate crisis. Watch Preview.
Monday, April 24
Vienna Blood (New Season) – 10 p.m.
Spring 1908: Brilliant young English doctor Max Liebermann and tenacious detective inspector Oskar Rheinhardt are now working as an established crime-solving partnership. And in the grand cafes and opera houses of Vienna, cultures, ideas and crime still flourish. Watch Preview.
Wednesday, April 26
Great Performances – Now Hear This: Andy Akiho Found (his) Sound – 10 p.m.
Experience the creation of music from this Japanese American composer with host Scott Yoo using "found" instruments. To develop a music video, the two visit New York City and explore the creative process with an interactive light show and more.
Saturday, April 29
Frontline: America and the Taliban, Part 3 – 10 p.m.
How America's 20-year investment in Afghanistan culminated in Taliban victory. Drawing on decades of on the ground reporting, and interviews with Taliban and US officials, part one of an investigation of the missteps and consequences. Watch Preview.
Independent Lens: Free Chol Soo Lee – 11 p.m.
Sentenced to death for a 1973 San Francisco murder, Korean immigrant Chol Soo Lee was set free after a pan-Asian solidarity movement of Korean, Japanese, and Chinese Americans helped to overturn his conviction. But Lee found himself in a new fight to rise to the expectations of the people who believed in him. On his journey from an inspiring icon to a swing-shift janitor struggling with drug addiction, Chol Soo Lee personifies the ravages of America's prison industrial complex. Watch Preview.
Sunday, April 30
Earth Focus Presents – 2040: The Regeneration – 8 p.m.
"2040: The Regeneration" looks to the future, while focusing on what is happening now. Award-winning director Damon Gameau (director of "That Sugar Film") embarks on a journey to explore what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to us to improve our planet and shifted them into the mainstream. Watch Preview.
NOVA: Chasing Carbon Zero – 10 p.m.
The U.S. recently set an ambitious climate goal: to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. But is that feasible? What exactly would it take? "Chasing Carbon Zero" takes a hard look at the problem and identifies the most likely real-world technologies that could be up to the task. Watch Preview.
