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What to Watch This October: 20+ Programs You Must See

Cropped: "La Maggie La Loca," an issue of Love & Rockets, is featured in ARTBOUND Season 13. Courtesy of KCET.
"La Maggie La Loca," an issue of "Love & Rockets," is featured in "Artbound" Season 13. | Courtesy of KCET
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Art and pop culture lovers, rejoice! This October, our Emmy® award-winning KCET original series "Artbound" returns for its 13th season. This time, discover the long-running alternative comic book series "Love and Rockets," how the magazine Giant Robot shaped Asian American pop culture and more.

Also featured is the story of Upton Sinclair's fascinating bid for governor in "The First Attack Ads: Hollywood vs. Upton Sinclair." Learn how his inspiring movement was destroyed by powerful business and political forces with the emergence of the first "attack ads" we still see today.

See below for the full programming lineup.

Streaming Now

Fine Cut (New Season) – Wednesdays, 10 p.m.

Stories of twos: twins, soulmates and second acts.
Pairs (Preview)

Now on its 23nd season, "Fine Cut Festival of Films" showcases promising new filmmaking talent from Southern California, chosen by eight industry professionals. Watch stories of fitting in, family struggles and rebellions. Watch Now.

Saturday, Oct. 1

The First Attack Ads: Hollywood vs. Upton Sinclair – 9 p.m.

The California campaign that gave birth to the political attack ad.
The First Attack Ads: Hollywood vs. Upton Sinclair (Preview)

When world famous author and socialist Upton Sinclair swept the Democratic primary for governor of California in August 1934, it provoked Hollywood's first all-out plunge into politics. Explore how Sinclair's inspiring End Poverty in California movement was destroyed by powerful business and political forces, with most of the Hollywood moguls lending a hand. This is the first film to focus on revered MGM producer Irving Thalberg's creation of the first "attack ads" to appear on a screen, a forerunner of today's media-based politics. Watch Now.

POV: Delikado – 11:30 p.m.

Locals on an island paradise risk death to save the Philippines’ last ecological frontier.
Trailer | Delikado

Follow ecological crusaders protecting the island of Palawan, one of Asia's tourist hotspots. Their struggle is akin to a battlefield as they try to stop politicians and businessmen from destroying its valuable natural resources. Watch Now.

Sunday, Oct. 2

Rivers of Life – Sundays, 9 p.m.

Discover the wildlife, people and scenery of the Zambezi, the Danube the Yukon.
Preview

Travel down three of Earth's great rivers: the Zambezi, the Danube and the Yukon. Discover epic scenery, meet the extraordinary people and animals that thrive along their banks and in their waters as they journey from source to sea. Watch Now.

NOVA: Saving Venice – 10 p.m.

Can innovative engineering projects save Venice?
Saving Venice Preview

Rising seas and sinking land threaten to destroy Venice. Can the city's new hi-tech flood barrier save it? Discover the innovative projects and feats of engineering designed to stop this historic city from being lost to future generations. Watch Now.

Wednesday, Oct. 5

35th Hispanic Heritage Awards – 8 p.m.

Celebrate the recipients of the 35th annual Hispanic Heritage Awards.
Trailer

Celebrate the recipients of the 35th annual Hispanic Heritage Awards. The evening commemorating Hispanic Heritage Month includes performances and appearances by some of the country's most celebrated Hispanic artists and visionaries. Watch Now.

Artbound (New Season) – Wednesdays, 9 p.m.

"Artbound” examines alternative comics, Asian American pop culture and Latinx art.
Artbound Season 13 (Preview)

For its 13th season, "Artbound" will examine a long-running alternative comic book series "Love and Rockets," how Giant Robot shaped Asian American pop culture, Marcel Duchamp and the early days of Los Angeles contemporary art and more. Watch Now.

Saturday, Oct. 8

Making Black America: Through the Grapevine – Saturdays, 9 p.m.

Making Black America showcases Black people’s ability to define Blackness in America.
Extended Trailer

This four-hour series, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., introduces viewers to a world that showcases Black people's ability to collectively prosper, defy white supremacy and define Blackness in ways that transformed America itself. Watch Now.

Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom – 10 p.m.

Meet the woman who repeatedly risked her life and freedom to liberate others from slavery.
Extended Trailer

Go beyond the legend and meet the woman who repeatedly risked her own life and freedom to liberate others from slavery. One of the greatest freedom fighters in U.S. history, Tubman was an Underground Railroad conductor, a Civil War scout, and a spy. Watch Now.

POV: The Last Out – 11 p.m.

Three Cuban baseball players risk exile to chase their dream of playing in the US major le
Trailer | The Last Out

Three Cuban baseball players leave their families and risk exile to train in Central America and chase their dreams of playing in the United States. Watch Now.

Sunday, Oct. 9

NOVA: Rebuilding Notre Dame – 10 p.m.

A team tackles the restoration of iconic Notre Dame Cathedral.
Rebuilding Notre Dame

In April 2019, the world watched as a devastating fire almost destroyed Paris's iconic Notre Dame Cathedral. Go behind the scenes with a team of engineers, masons, and timber workers tackling the daunting challenges of restoring the historic landmark. Watch Preview.

Saturday, Oct. 15

Becoming Frederick Douglass – 9 p.m.

The filmmakers discuss the life of Frederick Douglass.
A First Look at 'Becoming Frederick Douglass'

Discover how a man born into slavery became one of the most influential voices for democracy in American history. Oscar® -nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson explores the role Douglass played in securing the right to freedom for African Americans. Watch Now.

POV: Accepted – 11 p.m.

A prep school in Louisiana that sends 100% of its grads to college is rocked by scandal.
Trailer | Accepted

Follow four high school students at a prep school in Louisiana that sends 100% of its grads to college, rocked by scandal as an article exposes the controversial methods of its dynamic founder — and the fiction of higher education's promise. Watch Now.

NOVA: Computers V. Crime – 10 p.m.

Is artificial intelligence making policing and courts fairer, or is it increasing bias?
Computers v. Crime Preview

Across the country, artificial intelligence is helping inform decisions about policing and criminal sentencing. This timely investigation digs into the hidden biases, privacy risks, and design flaws of this controversial technology. Watch Now.

Wednesday, Oct. 19

Next at the Kennedy Center: Let My Children Hear Mingus – 8 p.m.

A dynamic mix of artists across hip hop, jazz, and more perform at the Kennedy Center.
Preview

The Kennedy Center celebrates jazz icon and social activist Charles Mingus at 100. Through performances and conversations, we explore how his outsized personality and inimitable style pushed boundaries and paved the way for future generations. Watch Now.

Saturday, Oct. 22

Frontline: Michael Flynn's Holy War – 10 p.m.

Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn: from elite soldier overseas to waging “spiritual war” in America.
"Michael Flynn's Holy War" - Preview

Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn: from elite soldier overseas to waging "spiritual war" in America. With the Associated Press, how Flynn emerged as a leading conspiracy theorist, from QAnon to "Stop the Steal" and his ties to Christian nationalism. Watch Now.

POV: An Act of Worship – 11 p.m.

Dive down this counter-narrative and collective memory of the past 30 years of Muslim life in America by exploring pivotal moments in U.S. history and the impact of anti-Muslim rhetoric and policy on young Muslims who came of age after 9/11. Watch Now.

Sunday, Oct. 23

POV Shorts: The Calling – 12:30 a.m.

Two films exploring creed and conviction. A Muslim hospital chaplain honor his Southern heritage and fights white supremacy in "Redneck Muslim." Three London neighbors share their devotion to Islam, Christianity and football in "The Masses." Watch Now.

The Cure – 4 p.m.

Thirty years of mammograms and trillions of dollars of research have had virtually no impact on breast cancer survival rates since the 1980s. Three courageous women navigate their way through medical fact and fiction while challenging the multi-billion-dollar cancer industrial complex to find their way to health, hope, and healing. Watch Now.

Secrets of the Dead – Sundays, 9 p.m.

Discover one of the most significant British archaeological finds of the century.
Archaeology at Althorp Preview

Part detective story, part true-life drama, "Secrets of the Dead" unearths evidence from around the world, challenging prevailing ideas and throwing fresh light on unexplained events. Watch Now.

NOVA: Can Psychedelics Cure? – 10 p.m.

Psychedelics are unlocking new ways to treat conditions like addiction and depression.
Can Psychedelics Cure? Preview

Mind-altering drugs-or psychedelics-have been used for thousands of years. Today, scientists are discovering their potential for profoundly positive clinical impacts, helping patients struggling with afflictions like addiction and depression. Watch Now.

Saturday, Oct. 29

Frontline: Putin's Attack on Ukraine: Documenting War Crimes – 10 p.m.

Investigating evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine and the pursuit of justice.
Putin's Attack on Ukraine: Documenting War Crimes - Preview

Documenting evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine and the pursuit of justice. With the Associated Press, tracing Vladimir Putin's pattern of atrocities in Ukraine and other conflicts, and the challenge of holding him to account. Watch Now.

Independent Lens: Tiktok, Boom. – 11:30 p.m.

Gen Z influencers and experts help dissect influential social media platform TikTok.
Trailer | Tiktok, Boom.

Featuring a cast of Gen Z influencers and experts, this film dissects TikTok, one of the most influential platforms in the new social media landscape, balancing a genuine interest in the community and its innovative mechanics with healthy skepticism. Watch Now.

Sunday, Oct. 30

Bridging the Divide: Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race – 4 p.m.

In 1973, Tom Bradley becomes the first black mayor elected in a majority white U.S. city.
Preview

Learn how Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley, the first black mayor elected in a major U.S. city with a white majority, united a divided city through a unique multi-racial coalition, ushered in police reform and transformed American politics. Watch Now.

NOVA: Ocean Invaders – 10 p.m.

Meet one of the ocean’s most beautiful and destructive species: Lionfish.
Ocean Invaders

Lionfish-long prized in home aquariums-have invaded the Atlantic. Dive deep with host Danni Washington to investigate what makes the lionfish such a successful invasive species, how it's wreaking havoc, and what can be done about it. Watch Now.

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