Maryam Taghavi: Estranged Letters
This short documentary traces the Iranian-American artist Maryam Taghavi's journey toward her first major solo exhibition — a body of work where abstraction, perspective, and Islamic culture converge.
Episodes
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Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore
S39 E7 - 1h 36m
Learn about the life and career of 4-time Emmy nominee Marlee Matlin as she shares her story in her native American Sign Language. Known for roles in The West Wing and CODA, at 21 years old, Matlin became the first Deaf actor to win an Oscar.
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Marcella
S39 E6 - 1h 22m
Discover how celebrated writer Marcella Hazan shaped Italian cuisine in America. After immigrating to New York in the 1950s, she began making authentic dishes from her Italian roots and inspired millions of Americans with her cookbooks.
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Hannah Arendt: Facing Tyranny
S39 E5 - 1h 23m
Discover Hannah Arendt, one of the most fearless political thinkers of the 20th century, who transformed her time as a political prisoner and refugee during World War II into daring insights about totalitarianism which continue to resonate today.
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Janis Ian: Breaking Silence
S39 E4 - 1h 51m
Discover the life of singer-songwriter Janis Ian and how she rose as a folk icon and gay rights advocate. She broke ground with “Society’s Child” (1966), a bold take on interracial love, and “At Seventeen” (1975), a searing anthem about bullying.
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Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse
S39 E3 - 1h 36m
Explore the work of cartoonist Art Spiegelman and the impact of his Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus, about his parents’ survival of the Holocaust. A defender of free speech, Spiegelman has spoken out as book bans spread across the country.
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LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story
S39 E2 - 1h 42m
Take an intimate look into the life of Liza Minnelli, best known for her Oscar-winning role in Cabaret. Following in the footsteps of her mother Judy Garland, Minnelli used her boundless raw talent to build her own legacy in showbiz.
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The Disappearance of Miss Scott
S39 E1 - 1h 23m
Learn about jazz virtuoso and screen superstar Hazel Scott, the first Black American to have their own television show. An early civil rights pioneer, she faced down the Red Scare at the risk of losing her career and was a champion for equality. The film features interviews with Mickey Guyton, Tracie Thoms, Amanda Seales, and Sheryl Lee Ralph as the voice of Hazel Scott.
Extras + Features
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Liza Minnelli showcased her talents in “Liza with a Z”
S39 E2 - 3m 19s
Liza Minnelli made “Liza with a Z,” a concert film made for television, with producer Fred Ebb and choreographer Bob Fosse in 1972. The show highlighted both Liza’s personality and her performance capabilities. “What Fred Ebb did in collaboration with her is to take anything that was unpolished and awkward about Liza ... and either polish it or embrace the vulnerabilities.”
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Liza Minnelli created her own family
S39 E2 - 1m 51s
Liza Minnelli struggled with fertility issues throughout her life and wasn’t able to have children of her own. However, she surrounded herself with close friends and became a godmother to several of her friends’ children, creating her own chosen family.
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Liza Minnelli on dealing with the press at an early age
S39 E2 - 1m 39s
As the daughter of Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli, Liza Minnelli learned how to handle the press at a young age, which helped with the media attention that came after the successes of “Cabaret” and “Liza with a Z.”
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LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story
S39 E2 - 2m 14s
Take an intimate look into the life of Liza Minnelli, best known for her Oscar-winning role in Cabaret. Following in the footsteps of her mother Judy Garland, Minnelli used her boundless raw talent to build her own legacy in showbiz.
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What Liza Minnelli was like in her relationships
S39 E2 - 2m 52s
Friends described Liza Minnelli as going into her relationships with fervor and passion, even if they were only for a short period of time. “She throws herself into the relationship with the same passion that she throws herself into a song. But then just like in a song, you then go on to the next song.”
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Watch this never-before-seen footage of Liza Minnelli in the 1970s
S39 E2 - 9m 38s
While going through her archives, Liza Minnelli uncovered rare footage from her early 1970s concert tour in Europe. The footage contains clips from her performances, rehearsals, and behind-the-scenes moments with her sister, Lorna Luft.
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![The Disappearance of Miss Scott [ASL]: asset-mezzanine-16x9](/sites/default/files/styles/440x248/public/pbs_media_manager_images/2025/02/18/337906-6fvFpyE-asset-mezzanine-16x9-aWe9kDv.jpg?itok=2MBB_sd4)
The Disappearance of Miss Scott [ASL]
S39 E1 - 3m 18s
Learn about jazz virtuoso and screen superstar Hazel Scott, the first Black American to have their own television show. An early civil rights pioneer, she faced down the Red Scare at the risk of losing her career and was a champion for equality. This version contains on-screen ASL interpretation.
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When Hazel Scott was accused of communist ties
S39 E1 - 4m 18s
When Hazel Scott's name appeared in "Red Channels," a book by former FBI agents accusing entertainers of affiliations with communism, she was determined to clear her name. Before the House Un-American Activities Committee, Scott wrote a 50-page statement declaring her innocence, but HUAC had already made up their minds about her.
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![The Disappearance of Miss Scott [Extended Audio Description + OC]: asset-mezzanine-16x9](/sites/default/files/styles/440x248/public/pbs_media_manager_images/2025/02/18/337908-L2GP55J-asset-mezzanine-16x9-koO6zB4.jpg?itok=xGUlF7dh)
The Disappearance of Miss Scott [Extended Audio Description + OC]
S39 E1 - 4m 18s
Learn about jazz virtuoso and screen superstar Hazel Scott, the first Black American to have their own television show. An early civil rights pioneer, she faced down the Red Scare at the risk of losing her career and was a champion for equality. This version contains extended audio description and large open captions.
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The Disappearance of Miss Scott
S39 E1 - 3m 18s
Learn about jazz virtuoso and screen superstar Hazel Scott, the first Black American to have their own television show. An early civil rights pioneer, she faced down the Red Scare at the risk of losing her career and was a champion for equality. The film features interviews with Mickey Guyton, Tracie Thoms, Amanda Seales, and Sheryl Lee Ralph as the voice of Hazel Scott.
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Hazel Scott went on strike in her most popular film role
S39 E1 - 4m 19s
Hazel Scott is most well-known for her role in the film "The Heat's On," where she plays two pianos at once. However, while shooting the movie, Scott refused to have the Black women in the film wear soiled aprons to see their husbands off to war and staged a strike until their costumes were changed. This act of defiance ultimately cost her her film career.
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When Hazel Scott started jazzing the classics
S39 E1 - 2m 29s
At just 15 years old, Hazel Scott was playing as an intermission pianist at 52nd Street for headliner Frances Faye. Because the club didn't want her playing the same songs as Faye, she started "jazzing" or "swinging" the classics, or playing classic songs at an uptempo and with improvisation, displaying her mastery of the piano.
Schedule
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American Masters
Starring Dick Van Dyke
Friday
Dec 12
2 Hours
Celebrating the life and career of actor Dick Van Dyke on his 100th birthday; featuring never-before-seen footage, photos and home movies that detail his legacy in show business. -
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American Masters
Starring Dick Van Dyke
Friday
Dec 12
2 Hours
Celebrating the life and career of actor Dick Van Dyke on his 100th birthday; featuring never-before-seen footage, photos and home movies that detail his legacy in show business. -
Image
American Masters
Starring Dick Van Dyke
Saturday
Dec 13
2 Hours
Celebrating the life and career of actor Dick Van Dyke on his 100th birthday; featuring never-before-seen footage, photos and home movies that detail his legacy in show business. -
Image
American Masters
Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes
Saturday
Dec 13
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Bebop pioneer and virtuoso composer Max Roach's far-reaching ambitions were inspired and challenged by the inequities of the society around him. -
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American Masters
Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes
Sunday
Dec 14
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Bebop pioneer and virtuoso composer Max Roach's far-reaching ambitions were inspired and challenged by the inequities of the society around him. -
Image
American Masters
Starring Dick Van Dyke
Sunday
Dec 14
2 Hours
Celebrating the life and career of actor Dick Van Dyke on his 100th birthday; featuring never-before-seen footage, photos and home movies that detail his legacy in show business. -
Image
American Masters
Starring Dick Van Dyke
Sunday
Dec 14
2 Hours
Celebrating the life and career of actor Dick Van Dyke on his 100th birthday; featuring never-before-seen footage, photos and home movies that detail his legacy in show business. -
Image
American Masters
Starring Dick Van Dyke
Monday
Dec 15
2 Hours
Celebrating the life and career of actor Dick Van Dyke on his 100th birthday; featuring never-before-seen footage, photos and home movies that detail his legacy in show business. -
Image
American Masters
Starring Dick Van Dyke
Monday
Dec 15
2 Hours
Celebrating the life and career of actor Dick Van Dyke on his 100th birthday; featuring never-before-seen footage, photos and home movies that detail his legacy in show business. -
Image
American Masters
Starring Dick Van Dyke
Monday
Dec 15
2 Hours
Celebrating the life and career of actor Dick Van Dyke on his 100th birthday; featuring never-before-seen footage, photos and home movies that detail his legacy in show business. -
Image
American Masters
Starring Dick Van Dyke
Monday
Dec 15
2 Hours
Celebrating the life and career of actor Dick Van Dyke on his 100th birthday; featuring never-before-seen footage, photos and home movies that detail his legacy in show business. -
Image
American Masters
Ten Times Better
Tuesday
Dec 16
30 Minutes
The astonishing and heartwarming story of George Lee, a pioneering Asian dancer who originated a featured role in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker ago as a teenage immigrant from China. -
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American Masters
Ten Times Better
Wednesday
Dec 17
30 Minutes
The astonishing and heartwarming story of George Lee, a pioneering Asian dancer who originated a featured role in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker ago as a teenage immigrant from China. -
Image
American Masters
Ten Times Better
Wednesday
Dec 17
30 Minutes
The astonishing and heartwarming story of George Lee, a pioneering Asian dancer who originated a featured role in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker ago as a teenage immigrant from China. -
Image
American Masters
LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story
Thursday
Dec 18
2 Hours
An intimate look at the life and career of Liza Minnelli and how she built her own legacy in show business. -
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American Masters
LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story
Friday
Dec 19
2 Hours
An intimate look at the life and career of Liza Minnelli and how she built her own legacy in show business. -
Image
American Masters
LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story
Friday
Dec 19
2 Hours
An intimate look at the life and career of Liza Minnelli and how she built her own legacy in show business. -
Image
American Masters
LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story
Saturday
Dec 20
2 Hours
An intimate look at the life and career of Liza Minnelli and how she built her own legacy in show business.
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