PBS announced its summer lineup Tuesday, promising a captivating few months of music, mystery and appraisals aplenty.
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The new programming includes an episode of "Great Performances" chronicling “Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival 3,” which premieres June 6, and a three-part mystery miniseries, "Zen," starring "John Adams" actor Rufus Sewell, which will bow July 17 at 9.
Also, great news for appraisal junkies -- beginning June 20, "Antiques Roadshow" will air back-to-back episodes on Mondays starting at 8 p.m.
Unearth the other hidden gems of PBS' summer 2011 lineup in the full press release below.
PBS Announces Summer 2011 Lineup
Rufus Sewell, Eric Clapton and Little Richard Bring Mystery and Music to All-New Shows
HISTORY DETECTIVES Moves to New Tuesday Night Slot on June 21
MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! Season Premieres With New Agatha Christie Whodunits
New AN AMERICAN FAMILY Two-Hour Special Airs on July 7
Masterminds and maestros — it’s a summer of mystery and music on PBS. On Sunday, June 19, MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! welcomes back super sleuths Poirot and Miss Marple with all-new episodes. Joining the gifted gumshoe line-up is Rufus Sewell as Aurelio Zen in the three-part miniseries, “Zen.” The HISTORY DETECTIVES crack all-new cases on a new night, Tuesdays, beginning June 21. Summer music fills the airwaves on PBS with all-new GREAT PERFORMANCES, including “Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival 3,” and A CAPITOL FOURTH featuring the legendary Little Richard and Broadway star Kelli O’Hara, among others. Many of these shows, including MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! and HISTORY DETECTIVES, are also available for viewing anytime, anywhere on the PBS Video Portal and on PBS’ iPad and iPhone Apps, available for free.
Starting Monday, June 20, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW treats viewers to a double whammy of appraisals and antiques. Throughout the summer, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW will air at 8:00 p.m. ET and 9:00 p.m. ET on Monday nights. Also, this season, HISTORY DETECTIVES gets to the bottom of an item formerly appraised on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW — the first-ever object crossover between the two programs.
This July, PBS presents a two-hour AN AMERICAN FAMILY special comprised of filmmakers’ selections of scenes handpicked from the groundbreaking 1973 series, a cinema vérité production that followed the lives of the Loud family of Santa Barbara. The special premieres Thursday, July 7, 2011, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET.
Who knows, you might uncover something new this summer with PBS…
Season highlights:
GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET “Nixon in China”
Wednesday, June 1, 2011, 9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. ET
Composer John Adams conducts the Met premiere of his most-famous opera. Baritone James Maddalena stars in the title role. Peter Sellars directs.
GREAT PERFORMANCES “Jackie Evancho: Dream With Me in Concert”
June 2011 (check local listings)
Jackie Evancho — the 11-year-old soprano with the extraordinary voice who came to national prominence on “America’s Got Talent” — returns to PBS after her sensational guest appearance on GREAT PERFORMANCES “Hitman Returns: David Foster & Friends.”
