PBS Fall Highlights Include Ken Burns’ The Roosevelts

ARLINGTON: PBS has revealed its prime-time lineup for the fall that launches with the premiere of Ken Burns' seven-part series The Roosevelts: An Intimate History.

The Roosevelts launches on September 14 with a seven-night premiere. The 14-hour documentary will air nightly at 8 p.m. through September 20. The series weaves the stories of Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, three members of one of the most prominent and influential families in American politics.

Sunday nights on PBS will feature the best in British drama and docs on historical icons. Dramas coming to the Masterpiece strand include Death Comes to Pemberley, starring Matthew Rhys (The Americans) and Anna Maxwell Martin (Bleak House). There are two new Worricker stories, featuring Bill Nighy (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) reprising his role as MI5 agent Johnny Worricker.

Mondays will see the return of Antiques Roadshow with six all-new episodes. POV and Independent Lens return with a roster of new doc programs.

Tuesdays are devoted to exploring the personal histories and ancestries of pioneers who helped to shape modern society. This includes the return of Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Also coming up are The Pilgrims: American Experience, six new docs from Makers and more American Masters.

PBS has slated "Think Wednesdays" to run mid-week, featuring a lineup of nature, science and tech programming. This means new episodes of Nature and Nova at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., respectively. Premiering October 15 is the new six-episode series How We Got to Now with Steve Johnson. Also joining the Wednesday lineup is Life on the Reef, a portrait of Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Arts remain a cornerstone of the Friday schedule. The PBS Arts Fall Festival enters its fourth season. This year it includes Live from Lincoln Center's 40th anniversary season, featuring Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert with the New York Philharmonic; Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 years; The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess from San Francisco Opera and more. The public affairs shows Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and Charlie Rose: The Week return to kick off the weekend.

“The PBS fall schedule is remarkable for its variety and quality—from an epic, binge-worthy serving of Ken Burns’s new documentary The Roosevelts to a star-studded lineup of drama and performance. We’re incredibly proud of the strength of our lineup and our commitment to bring viewers the best content available in history, science, drama, documentary, the arts and performance and much more,” said Beth Hoppe, PBS's chief programming executive and general manager of general audience programming.