Six Fan-Favorite Series Return and Brand-New Drama LITTLE BIRD Makes Its PBS Debut This Fall.
Usher in the changing seasons with new mysteries and thrills, as well as stories of self-discovery, extravagant beauty, betrayal and courage. Throughout September and October, PBS will premiere new episodes of six returning drama series, including the long-awaited return of WORLD ON FIRE SEASON 2 ON MASTERPIECE, starring Jonah Hauer-King (The Little Mermaid, Little Women) in a story of bravery and resilience; along with season premieres of UNFORGOTTEN, VAN DER VALK and ANNIKA from MASTERPIECE. In addition, romance, glamour, and beautiful scenery are in store when guests check back into HOTEL PORTOFINO for season two and intriguing mysteries are unraveled in the season two return of PROFESSOR T. PBS will also debut LITTLE BIRD, a new primetime drama about an Indigenous woman’s journey to find her birth family, in honor of Native American Heritage Month.
“We are excited to have such a robust primetime lineup this fall with the return of some of our most popular dramas,” says Maria Bruno Ruiz, Vice President, Program Content Strategy and Scheduling at PBS. “In addition, I’m also very proud to bring American viewers the premiere of LITTLE BIRD, an incredibly powerful story that is not only engaging but shines light on “The Sixties Scoop,” a tragic time in history when Native children were forcibly removed from their families by the Canadian government in the 1960s.”
The seven dramas are listed below in airdate order (check local listings) and will also be available to stream on the day of broadcast on PBS.org and the PBS app, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.
PROFESSOR T (Season 2)
New Season Premieres: Sunday, Sept. 3, 8 p.m. ET
Professor Jasper Tempest and the team untangle a series of knotty crimes ranging from an unexplained fire in a student block to the mystery of an entire family found dead in their home. Meanwhile, Professor T is dominated and perplexed by the women in his life, from his mother to the love of his life, Christina, and his new therapist, Dr. Helena.
UNFORGOTTEN ON MASTERPIECE (Season 5)
New Season Premieres: Sunday, Sept. 3, 9 p.m. ET
DCI Jessica “Jess” James joins DI Sunny Khan to investigate the discovery of human remains in a newly renovated antique home in West London. The ghost of much-loved former colleague Cassie Stuart looms large over the team and Jess knows there will be big shoes for her to fill. Sunny’s grief puts a strain on his relationship with fiancée Sal.
VAN DER VALK ON MASTERPIECE (Season 3)
New Season Premieres: Sunday, Sept. 3, 10 p.m. ET
For Piet Van der Valk, it’s a new day and a new dawn as he welcomes two new sergeants to the team, the hotshot but impulsive Eddie Suleman and the technical whiz Citra Li.
LITTLE BIRD
New Series Premieres: Thursday, October 12, 9 p.m. ET (check local listings)
Bezhig Little Bird was adopted into a Jewish family at the age of five, being stripped of her identity and becoming Esther Rosenblum. Now in her 20s, Bezhig longs for the family she lost and to fill in the missing pieces. Her quest lands her in the Canadian prairies where she discovers that she was one of the generation of children forcibly apprehended by the Canadian government through a policy, later coined the 60s Scoop.
HOTEL PORTOFINO (Season 2)
New Series Premieres: Sunday, October 15, 8 p.m. ET
Season 2 begins in the summer of 1927 as Bella is still devoting her energy to Hotel Portofino. Aside from her hotel duties, Bella is concerned for her children — Lucian, whose marriage to Rose might be facing trouble, and Alice, who needs a break from her hotel responsibilities. Bella’s husband, Cecil, has not been seen since returning to England at the end of the previous summer. With Cecil’s unannounced return to Portofino, the messy private lives of her children, and an imminent visit from a travel guide that could make or break the hotel’s future, Bella has her work cut out to keep all the plates spinning.
WORLD ON FIRE ON MASTERPIECE (Season 2)
New Season Premieres: Sunday, Oct.15, 9 p.m. ET
Telling the story of World War II through the eyes of ordinary people, following intrepid young heroes fighting for freedom, Season 2 of WORLD ON FIRE will take viewers from the war-torn streets of Britain deep into Nazi Germany, the resistance within occupied France, and the brutal sands of the North African desert. Jonah Hauer-King (“The Little Mermaid”) and Lesley Manville (“Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris”) star.
ANNIKA ON MASTERPIECE (Season 2)
New Season Premieres: Sunday, Oct. 15, 10 p.m. ET
Annika (Nicola Walker, UNFORGOTTEN ON MASTERPIECE) and the team return to solve more murders that wash up from Scotland’s waters. Annika shares her wry insights on the crimes while raising her teen daughter, Morgan.
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