PBS boasts slate of new shows unaffected by strikes, which it hopes will draw viewers in
There's a broadcast television network offering plenty of original programming this fall, although it often flies under the radar
NEW YORK — PBS was looking forward to a relatively free lane to offer fresh television to viewers downtrodden by the Hollywood strikes this fall, but that advantage may only last a couple of months now.
A tentative deal reached late Sunday in the crippling TV writers strike, with hopes that actors would soon follow suit, has given rise to hopes that new episodes of favorite scripted shows might return sometime this winter.
With commercial networks largely bereft of fresh material beyond reality shows, sports and game shows, PBS has a fall schedule of new programming, including a heavy dose of nonfiction, led by Ken Burns' look at “The American Buffalo.”
“I have to believe that people are looking for new stuff,” said Paula Kerger, CEO of the Public Broadcasting Service.
PBS' plans were virtually unaffected by the strike. One exception is a delay making “American Historia,” a three-part documentary series helmed by actor John Leguizamo about Latino figures in history, Kerger said. PBS acquired the docuseries “ Becoming Frida Kahlo,” about the artist, to replace it and it premiered last week.
PBS has also bought a few more scripted series that were made outside of the U.S., she said. Most of them are aimed at PBS' streaming service, although the Danish series “Seaside Hotel” has aired on the television network.
For the most part, however, PBS has to plan well in advance and isn't nimble enough to quickly switch things up to take advantage of how rivals were affected by the strike, she said.
A British drama about the lives of people fighting World War II, “World on Fire,” is premiering its second
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