What to Watch This May: 25+ Programs You Can't Miss
This article was revised to correct the number of programs.
AAPI Heritage Month programming takes the stage on KCET this May, with new thought-provoking films documenting the Asian American-Pacific Islander experience — such as "Waterman – Duke: Ambassador of Aloha" on five-time Olympic medalist Duke Kahanamoku. Also, rebroadcasts of "The Migrant Kitchen" take you once again to a visual feast of a variety of Asian cuisines, from Middle Eastern to Chinese.
And catch the newest films from Earth Focus Presents, "Inhabitants" and "The Magnitude of All Things," for fresh perspectives on pressing environmental issues.
Read on for all programs available to stream this month.
Streaming Now
Pacific Heartbeat
Running the gamut from enlightening documentaries to musical showcases, the anthology series "Pacific Heartbeat" draws viewers into the heart, mind and soul of Pacific Island culture. Watch Now.
The Migrant Kitchen
"The Migrant Kitchen" is an Emmy®-winning documentary series that explores America’s booming food scene through the eyes of a new generation of chefs whose cuisine is inspired by the immigrant experience. Watch Now.Earth Focus (New Season)
Through the stories of the patients and doctors of AltaMed, a community health organization serving more than 300,000 people across L.A., this episode exposes the socio-environmental determinants of health in the city of South Gate, California. Watch Now.
Tuesday, May 3
Luna & Sophie – Tuesdays, 10 p.m.
Luna Kunath and Sophie Pohlmann are best friends and polar opposites. They also solve crimes. Luna is strong-willed, but her penchant for naivety gets her into trouble. Sophie seems more mature, but her desire for harmony and fairness can be her weakness. Watch Now.
Wednesday, May 4
Great Performances: New American Voices – 8 p.m.
Scott Yoo discovers how American composers are inspired by their immigrant roots today through two composers: Brazilian-born Sergio Assad and Indian American Reena Esmail. Watch Now.International Jazz Day – 10 p.m.
Jazz stars from around the globe come together to celebrate the unifying power of music. Hosted by Michael Douglas and featuring unforgettable performances by Herbie Hancock, Andra Day, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dianne Reeves, Marcus Miller and many more. Watch Now.
Saturday, May 7
American Experience: Flood in the Desert – 10 p.m.
Explore the 1928 dam collapse, the second deadliest disaster in California history. A colossal engineering failure, the dam was built by William Mulholland to ensure the growth of Los Angeles by bringing water to the city via aqueduct. Watch Now.Frontline: The Power of Big Oil, Part 3 – 11 p.m.
The fossil fuel industry's history of casting doubt and delaying action on climate change. Part three of a three-part series tracing decades of casting doubt on the science, missed opportunities and the ongoing attempts to hold Big Oil to account. Watch Now.
Sunday, May 8
Independent Lens: Try Harder! – 12 a.m.
San Francisco's Lowell High, one of the best public schools in the country, draws high achievers from across the city into a fiercely competitive universe. Follow seniors as the pressure to impress admissions officers at elite universities intensifies. Watch Now.
Wednesday, May 11
American Masters: Waterman – Duke: Ambassador of Aloha – 10 p.m.
Narrated by Jason Momoa, discover the inspiring story and considerable impact of five-time Olympic medalist Duke Kahanamoku. He shattered swimming records and globalized surfing while overcoming racism in a lifetime of personal challenges. Watch Now.
Saturday, May 14
Independent Lens: When Claude Got Shot – 11 p.m.
After being shot in the face by 15-year-old Nathan King, Claude's path to recovery leads to forgiveness. But that path is paved with the complexities of race, violence, and justice. Watch Now.
Sunday, May 15
Betrayed: Surviving an American Concentration Camp – 12:30 a.m.
The story of a group of Japanese Americans and their incarceration by the U.S. government during World War II. Hear from more than 40 camp survivors and descendants as the film explores the long-term effects of this incarceration and the phenomenon of intergenerational trauma. Watch Now.
Earth Focus Presents: Inhabitants – 7:30 p.m.
Follow five Native American Tribes across deserts, coastlines, forests, and prairies as they restore their traditional land management practices. Watch Now.NOVA: Dinosaur Apocalypse: The New Evidence – 10 p.m.
Sir David Attenborough explores how a North Dakota fossil dig site could hold clues to what happened the day an asteroid struck Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs. Watch Now.NOVA: Dinosaur Apocalypse: The Last Day – 11 p.m.
Sir David Attenborough explores fossils from a North Dakota site that could reveal what happened to the animals here the day an asteroid struck Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs. Watch Now.
Wednesday, May 18
Great Performances: Anything Goes – 8 p.m.
Enjoy this London production of Cole Porter's classic musical led by Tony winner Sutton Foster who reprises her Tony-winning role as Reno Sweeney directed by Kathleen Marshall with favorite songs like "I Get A Kick Out of You" and "You're the Top." Watch Now.Lionel Richie: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize – 10:30 p.m.
The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, a PBS music special, honors singer-songwriter Lionel Richie, as he receives the distinguished honor from the Library of Congress. Watch Now.
Sunday, May 22
Sky Blossom: Diaries of the Next Greatest Generation – 12:30 a.m.
During World War II, troops would look up and say, "Here come the Sky Blossoms" — paratroopers rushing to their aid. Today, a new generation is answering that call for help. This documentary captures their stories. Watch Now.Earth Focus Presents: Magnitude of All Things – 7:30 p.m.
Wildfires, floods, devastation, extinction: the gravity of our existential climate crisis becomes a deeply intimate rumination on both personal and global grief in Jennifer Abbott's "The Magnitude of All Things." Still reeling from the death of her sister from cancer, Abbott began tracing parallels between her experience of loss and the overwhelming shared sorrow of people on the frontlines of climate change. Watch Now.Colombia: Wild and Free – Sundays, 9 p.m.
Journey to South America in this two-part series to explore the magnificent flora and fauna of Colombia, from the wild, largely deserted Pacific coast to the snow-covered volcanoes of the Andes, from the plains of the Orinoco region to the rainforests of the Amazon. Watch Now.
NOVA: Why Ships Crash – 10 p.m.
When the colossal Ever Given container ship, crashed into the bank of the Suez Canal in March 2021, international supply chains ground to a halt. How could such a disaster happen? And can the investigation help prevent future accidents? Watch Now.
Wednesday, May 25
Great Performances: Merry Wives – 8 p.m.
Experience Shakespeare's comedic masterpiece from the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park set in South Harlem telling the story of the trickster Falstaff and the wily wives who outwit him in a celebration of Black joy, laughter and vitality. Watch Now.Petit Rat – 10 p.m.
In 1940, a French Jewish girl's dream of becoming a ballerina is cut short by World War II. She vows that if she has daughters, they will become dancers. Nearly 80 years later, she and her two daughters confront the impact of that pledge. Petit Rat is a portrait of three women, bonded by the intergenerational trauma of war and uplifted by the resilience of familial love. Watch Now.
Saturday, May 28
American Experience: Plague at the Golden Gate – 10 p.m.
The solo directorial debut of acclaimed film editor Li-Shin Yu takes us back to turn-of-the 20th-century San Francisco, when a deadly outbreak of bubonic plague in the city's Chinatown and the hunt to identify its source led to an all-too-familiar spate of violent anti-Asian sentiment. Watch Now.
Sunday, May 29
Independent Lens: One Child Nation – 12 a.m.
China's one-child policy forever changed the lives of mothers and children. Inspired by the birth of her first child, filmmaker Nanfu Wang returns to China to speak with her mother and brother, and explore the ripple effect of this social experiment. Watch Preview.
They Volunteered for This: Merrill's Marauders – 4 p.m.
This hour-long film focuses on one of World War II's most heroic and least talked about units, "Merrill's Marauders" — volunteers under the legendary General Frank Merrill — who specialized in "hit and run" tactics in the jungles and mountains of Burma. The unit received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2020 for their sacrifice and accomplishments. Watch Now.NOVA: Ice Age Footprints – 10 p.m.
Thousands of prehistoric footprints in New Mexico's White Sands National Park capture moments when Ice Age humans crossed paths with enormous ground sloths and mammoths. What can this new evidence reveal about the peopling of the Americas? Watch Now.
Monday, May 30
National Memorial Day Concert – 6:30 p.m.
Tune in to the annual broadcast of America's national night of remembrance. The multi-award-winning event honors the military service of all our men and women in uniform, their families and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Watch Preview.
