WATERTOWN, NY (March 29, 2023) – Easter is the most important Christian festival, and the one celebrated with the greatest joy. This April, WPBS is pleased to present special programming celebrating Easter and heralding the rebirth and renewal associated with this holiday and with the spring season. Special programs include:
Sunday, April 2nd
Mother Teresa: No Greater Love (3:00 pm) Filmed on 5 continents and featuring unprecedented access to both institutional archives and the apostolates of the Missionaries of Charity, this film reveals not just who Mother Teresa was, but how her singular vision to serve Christ in the poor continues to be realized through the Missionaries of Charity today.
Monday, April 3rd
Travelscope w/Joseph Rosendo: Guatemala’s Semana Santa – Easter Week (7:30 pm) Throughout Guatemala, Easter Week (Semana Santa) is celebrated as the most significant and festive season on every religious and social calendar. Joseph travels to Guatemala City, Antiqua and Lago de Atitlan and discovers that while the observance is rich in Roman Catholic ceremony and tradition, at the same time it leaves room for the popular devotion and beliefs of the indigenous Mayan culture.
Saturday, April 8th
The Lawrence Welk Show (6:00 pm) This show from 1979 opens with “Easter Parade” as pretty girls in gay nineties finery stroll on a flower-bedecked set with their handsome escorts. Sandi, Gail, and Mary Lou “Tiptoe Through The Tulips”, Myron Floren does a thrilling version of “The Lost Chord”, Henry Cuesta plays “Love Lifted Me”, and the whole cast sings a group of beloved hymns at the close.
Sunday, April 9th
PBS KIDS | Nature Cat: The Return of Bad Dog Bart (7:00 am) When Hal accidentally unearths Bad Dog Bart’s second treasure map which leads to his stolen loot of cat toys, it sets off a dizzying, adventurous journey to be the first to dig up the treasure. Joining Nature Cat and his pals in the race to find the stolen loot is that very bad dog himself Bad Dog Bart. And if that isn’t bad enough, there is a tough pirate named One Eared Winnie who also is trying to find the treasure. Arghhh!!!
PBS KIDS | Curious George: Follow That Monkey (8:00 am) Join Curious George and The Man with the Yellow Hat as they set out on a madcap cross-country adventure to reunite Kayla, a homesick elephant, with her family. This unlikely trio faces all types of comic calamities and colorful characters and in the end learn that with family, friends and determination you can achieve anything.
PBS KIDS | Wild Kratts: In Search of the Easter Bunny (9:30 am) The Wild Kratts are busy coloring eggs for Easter. The bros. think a really cool adventure would be to actually go find the real Easter Bunny. Chris thinks it’s the snowshoe hare, while Martin thinks it’s the jackrabbit. They decide to split up, with Chris going north and Martin south in search of the Easter Bunny! Science Concept: Species differentiation and environmental adaption.
PBS KIDS | Arthur: Brain Sees Stars (10:00 am) Brain’s Easter egg hunts are notoriously hard. But this year’s might prove impossible if Brain can’t remember where he hid the final egg. To track down the missing memory, Brain, D.W., and Bud venture where no kid has gone before: Brain’s brain!
PBS KIDS | Sid the Science Kid: Rock & Roll Easter (10:30 am) It’s springtime and that means it’s time to hunt for Easter eggs in the backyard. Explorer Sid searches under every bush and behind every tree, and he finds all the eggs Mom and Dad have hidden. But wait, he also found…a big shiny rock! Could it be…a treasure? Sid brings the rock to school and the kids try to identify the mystery rock. This leads to a special Easter themed investigation where the kids don bunny ears to find and sort different kinds of rocks on an Easter Rock Hunt!
Rick Steves European Easter (11:00 am) Taking you on a spring journey through Spain, Slovenia, Italy, and Greece, Rick Steves’ European Easter celebrates this 2,000-year-old story in a variety of cultures. You’ll feel the emotion of this special time as the Passion of Christ unfolds during Holy Week. He joins Andalusians carrying parade floats, Greek priests tossing showers of flower petals, and villagers blessing olive branches, plus feasting, fireworks, and more.
Jesus: Countdown to Calvary (12 noon) Regardless of one’s religious beliefs, there is no denying the impact Jesus of Nazareth has had on world history, particularly the events surrounding his death. Hugh Bonneville, well-known actor and a Cambridge theology graduate, travels to Jerusalem in search of answers. Meeting with academic experts and spiritual leaders, Bonneville deconstructs the week leading up to Jesus’s death and untangles the complex factors that resulted in his crucifixion. Exploring questions that have provided more than 2000 years of debate, the documentary offers fascinating insight from both religious and historical angles.
Easter in Art (1:00 pm & 1:30 pm) Delve into the significance of Easter, as represented in Western art and explore the various depictions of the Easter story from the time of the early Christians to the present day. The stunning two-part film features a parade of masterpieces focused on this Christian story by some of the greatest artists in history.
Mary Berry’s Easter Feasts (2:30 pm & 3:00 pm) In Episode 1, Mary discovers the traditions followed by diverse British families and communities during Lent and Good Friday and the food that brings them together as each prepare for the great Easter celebration. In Episode 2, Mary explores the wonderful foods that bring each different community together on Easter Sunday, the most symbolic and meaningful feast in the Christian calendar.
Music & the Spoken Word – Easter Special (6:30 pm)
About WPBS
WPBS is a PBS station serving approximately 650,000 households throughout Northern New York and Eastern Ontario via cable, satellite, Internet and over-the-air distribution. WPBS is a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate, inform, and engage its two-nation region with exceptional and trusted content across multiple platforms. Its vision is to be the premier provider of extraordinary public media that instills wonder and curiosity across generations and borders. More information about WPBS, including a full channel listing, is available at wpbstv.org, or by following WPBS on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
