An insider look at our favorite shows, new series, and premiering specials you won’t want to miss.
New Shows Are Blooming In May
May is the gateway to summer and Lakeland PBS has new shows and specials to help you welcome in the beautiful weather! Finish the new season of Call The Midwife, meet new friends on Masterpiece's new series Maryland, dance along to Neil Diamond, and honor the veterans in your life and across the country by tuning into our annual National Memorial Day Concert.
Science & Nature
Explore the world around you and nurture your curiosity.
Nature: Grizzly 399, Queen of the Tetons
Grizzly 399, the most famous bear in Grand Teton National Park, has an exceptional litter of four cubs to raise. Every day, the family must contend with threats to their survival, including a warming climate and human encroachment in bear country. Now the stakes are higher than ever as Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana seek to remove grizzlies from the endangered species list—which would make it legal to hunt them. In a riveting story full of twists and turns, hope and heartbreak, Grizzly 399 stands as a symbol of the clash between humans and the wild.
Premieres Wednesday, May 8th at 7:00pm
Space, The Longest Goodbye from Independent Lens
NASA's goal to send astronauts to Mars would require a three-year absence from Earth, during which communication in real time would be impossible due to the immense distance. Meet the psychologists whose job is to keep astronauts mentally stable in outer space, as they are caught between their dream of reaching new frontiers and the basic human need to stay connected to home.
PBS App Exclusive - Stream free for 30 days starting May 6th
Lakeland PBS Passport Members can watch on demand anytime!
Nova, Secrets In Your Data
Find out who’s using your data and what you can do about it.
Whether you’re on social media or surfing the web, you’re probably sharing more personal data than you realize. That can pose a risk to your privacy – even your safety. But at the same time, big datasets could lead to huge advances in fields like medicine. Host Alok Patel leads a quest to understand what happens to all the data we’re shedding and explores the latest efforts to maximize benefits – without compromising personal privacy.
Premieres Wednesday, May 15th at 8:00pm
Nature: Saving The Animals Of Ukraine
No animal left behind.
In the midst of violence and war, Ukrainian citizens are coming together to rescue animals that have been left behind by those forced to flee. Witness a moving view into the effects of war on animals, and the humans who help them.
Premieres Wednesday, May 15th at 7:00pm
Arts, Music, & Culture
Celebrate the art, music, literature, and theatre that has shaped our culture
Common Ground
Common Ground explores the unique people, places and events that are an important part of our region, taking viewers on a journey of exploration into the subjects that help shape and define our diverse communities here in Northern MN.
May 2nd: Northern MN Metalsmiths Class & Conference
May 9th: Lady Slipper Scenic Byway
May 16th: Bemidji Waterfront Music
May 23rd: Author Wendell Affield Chickenhouse Chronicles
May 30th: Rendezvous Event Culture
Tune in Thursdays at 7:00pm
Pavlo: Live In Santorini
Pavlo brings the wondrous beauty of Santorini to life with the sounds of his Mediterranean guitar. Experience the romance of Greece’s most famous island through Pavlo’s new Santorini inspired compositions. Breathtaking sunsets combined with Pavlo’s passionate performance come together in perfect harmony in this ground breaking Public Television Concert Special.
On Air Exclusive Saturday, May 4th at 9:00pm
Backroads
Season 8 of Backroads continues with our final four episodes! Backroads is a live music program produced by Lakeland PBS featuring local musicians from Northern Minnesota. Each week, we feature a different musician or group of musicians, showing them live in concert and getting to learn their thoughts and experiences through interviews
May 2nd: Lehto and Wright
May 9th: Bruce Archer
May 16th: PK Mayo
May 23rd: Breanne Marie & The Front Porch Sinners
New Episodes Thursdays at 7:30pm
People Of The North
This brand-new series takes us to spectacular settings in Northern Norway and the Faro Islands. Join our Norwegian host Arne Hjeltnes together with Chef Frida Ronge, known from Swedish television and the award-winning distiller Stig Bareksten, as they meet the people who makes their living in these far-away places. Experience Scandinavia, the cuisine and the way of life in northern Europe.
Thursdays at 8:00pm
35th Annual National Memorial Day Concert
The National Memorial Day Concert honors our country’s veterans, servicemen and women and military families. The concert unites the country in remembrance and appreciation of those who gave their lives for our nation and serves those who are grieving through the mission put forward by Abraham Lincoln in his second inaugural address, “Let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.”
Sunday May 26th at 7:00pm and 8:30pm
Neil Diamond: Thank You Australia
Celebrate the American legend’s enthralling 1976 performance at the Sydney Sports Stadium. The vast crowd was typical of his Australia and New Zealand record-breaking tour — still one of the most memorable in Australian history — and Neil Diamond delivered the enthralling performance of a true showman.
Saturday, May 18th at 9:00pm
Roots of Comedy with Jesus Trejo
Part comedy, part social commentary, host Jesus Trejo embarks on a journey across America meeting with six rising comedians who explore the mosaic of our nation through the lens of stand-up comedy.
Lakeland PBS Passport Early Streaming Exclusive!
Watch On Demand Starting May 24th. Coming to on-air broadcast in June!
Dramas
Explore gripping crime mysteries, breathtaking period pieces, and captivating international stories from MASTERPIECE and other PBS favorites.
MaryLand on Masterpiece
MaryLand follows two estranged sisters who reunite to unearth the truth about their mother’s sudden death and her double life on the Isle of Man. This is not so much a murder mystery as a compelling tale of two siblings opening up to each other as they work out a string of family secrets. The Guardian (UK) hails MaryLand as “joyful and incredibly affecting.”
Premieres Sunday, May 5th at 8:00pm
Passport Members Can Access The Complete Season On Demand on May 5th
Guilt on Masterpiece
The award-winning TV series Guilt is a darkly funny Scottish thriller, which centers on unscrupulous lawyer Max McCall (Mark Bonnar, World on Fire, Unforgotten, Shetland, Catastrophe) and the shenanigans he gets into in and around Edinburgh. Max can’t manage to stay out of trouble for very long.
The Season Continues Sundays at 9:00pm
Call The Midwife, Season Finale
Miss Higgins receives an unexpected visitor, and Sister Monica Joan ruffles feathers. Poplar votes for its Mother of the Year.
Season 13 Finale Premieres Sunday, May 5th at 7:00pm
COBRA, Season 3
Prime Minister Robert Sutherland is plunged into chaos when an environmental demonstration meets with grave consequences, just as his popularity is plummeting in light of a controversial police-protest bill. As an investigation gets underway, the PM is forced to reckon with the possibility that the most dangerous rebellion has come from within.
Lakeland PBS Passport Early Streaming Exclusive!
Watch On Demand Starting May 13th. Coming to on-air broadcast this summer!
Seaside Hotel, Season 10
Following the end of WWII, Denmark is free again. Will the residents and owners of this famous Danish hotel see things differently once the Nazis are gone? In Danish with English subtitles.
Lakeland PBS Passport Early Streaming Exclusive!
Watch On Demand Starting May 24th. Coming to on-air broadcast this summer!
View Our Monthly Highlights Guide
When you become a member of Lakeland PBS, you can opt in to have our Highlights guide mailed directly to you.