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PBS has announced new documentaries and programs showcasing Hispanic and Latino culture in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Premieres include new episodes of ALMA’S WAY on PBS KIDS, PBS’s second primetime Spanish-language drama VELVET, new documentaries from AMERICAN MASTERS and VOCES, a musical celebration with NEXT AT THE KENNEDY CENTER and the broadcast of the 37th HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARDS.
“Our content highlights the lived experiences of our audience year-round, and this special collection aims to capture the stories and spirit of Hispanic and Latino communities through a wide variety of topics,” said Sylvia Bugg, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming at PBS. “This month, we are proud to premiere VOCES ‘American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos’ with John Leguizamo, PBS’s second primetime Spanish-language drama, VELVET, and serve as the broadcast home for the 37th HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARDS. Our continued goal is to ensure that viewers and families across the country feel represented, celebrated and inspired when engaging with PBS content across platforms.”
“We’re thrilled to see new stories from ALMA’S WAY during Hispanic Heritage Month, and an exciting feature of Sonia Manzano herself as the hero in an episode of XAVIER RIDDLE AND THE SECRET MUSEUM. Viewers can also catch some of the greatest hits from ROSIE’S RULES,” said Adriano Schmid, Vice President of PBS KIDS Content, PBS. “We hope that all children across the country get to explore new cultures and continue to see themselves represented in our characters and unique stories that celebrate and reflect their lived experiences.”
The extensive collection of programs for Hispanic Heritage Month 2024 will be available on PBS and PBS KIDS (check local listings), PBS.org and the PBS app, and streaming on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video app throughout the duration of Hispanic Heritage Month and beyond. More information can be found on PBS’s Hispanic Heritage Month Site.
BROADCAST PREMIERES
PBS KIDS XAVIER RIDDLE AND THE SECRET MUSEUM “I am Sonia Manzano”
Premieres Monday, September 9 on PBS KIDS
This series follows the adventures of Xavier Riddle, his sister Yadina, and their friend Brad. In each episode, the three face a problem and must turn to the Secret Museum to help them solve it, where they travel back in time to meet real-life figures when they were kids. In this special episode featuring Sonia Manzano (beloved by generations as “Maria” on Sesame Street, who broke new ground as one of the first Latino characters on national TV), the trio travels back to learn the important lesson that telling stories can help manage big feelings.
AMERICAN MASTERS and VOCES “Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined”
Premieres Tuesday, September 17, 9 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS app
One of America’s most celebrated Latina writers, the Dominican-American poet and novelist Julia Alvarez burst onto the literary scene and blazed a trail for a generation of Latino authors. Her semi-autobiographical novel, How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, was published in 1991, followed by In the Time of the Butterflies (1994), which raised global awareness about life under Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. This new documentary opens a window into her extraordinary journey from her childhood in the Dominican Republic to a life of exile in New York City to a brilliant literary career that shows no sign of slowing down. At 74, she recently published the critically acclaimed novel The Cemetery of Untold Stories.
PBS KIDS ALMA’S WAY
New episodes premiere Monday, September 23 on PBS KIDS
Created by Sonia Manzano, ALMA’S WAY focuses on critical thinking, self-awareness, responsible decision-making, and empathy. The series is aimed at viewers ages 4-6 and follows 6-year-old Alma Rivera, a proud, confident Puerto Rican girl who lives in the Bronx with her family, friends, and community. It showcases Latino cultures through music, food, and language, and the new episodes follow Alma as she visits the American Museum of Natural History, teaches Uncle Nestor how to ride a bike, makes a care package for Granny Isa, and more. All episodes are available in both English and Spanish.
VOCES “American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos”
Premieres Friday, September 27, 9 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS app
Actor and playwright John Leguizamo’s work preparing for his 2018 Broadway show, “Latin History for Morons,” produced an obsession with reading and researching the history of the Americas. His passion for uncovering the full scope of American history, coupled with his nature as a curious student of the world, resulted in “American Historia.” In this three-part series, Leguizamo travels throughout Mexico and the U.S. to shed light on both the known and lesser-known Latino stories.
37TH HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARDS
Premieres Friday, September 27, 10 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS app
Celebrate the recipients of the 37TH 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, including Designer Carolina Herrera, Beautyblender Creator Rea Ann Silva, and NBA Legend Carmelo Anthony.
VOCES “Mambo Legends: The Music Never Ends”
Premieres Friday, October 4, 10 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS app
The Mambo Legends Orchestra is committed to keeping the sounds of the great Afro Cuban bandleaders Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez alive for future generations. Comprised of several former members of these legendary orchestras, The Mambo Legends provide a link to the golden era of music in New York in the early 1940s, when the Machito Orchestra fused the big-band sound of popular music with the rhythms of Africa, Cuba, and Puerto Rico to create an enduring musical genre beloved around the world.
VELVET
Premieres Thursday, October 10, 9 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS app
In late 1950s Madrid, the golden age of haute couture, there was one place everyone would like to shop at least once in their lifetime: the Galerías Velvet. The series follows the love story of Alberto Márquez (Miguel Ángel Silvestre, “Sense 8”), heir of Galerías Velvet, one of the most prestigious fashion houses in Spain, and Ana Ribera (Paula Echevarría, “Gran Reserva”), who works as a seamstress there. In Spanish with English subtitles.
NEXT AT THE KENNEDY CENTER “Snarky Puppy: The Family We Make”
Premieres Friday, October 11, 10 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS app
Snarky Puppy, the acclaimed Grammy Award-winning band, brings their genre breaking sound to a sold-out show at the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall. When one of the main guest artists, Afro-Peruvian icon Susana Baca, falls ill the band quickly come up with a new plan to transform the concert into a loving tribute to her music and influence. Joined on stage by stars from several Spanish-speaking countries – Silvana Estrada (Mexico), Gaby Moreno (Guatemala), Silvia Pérez Cruz (Spain), and Fuensanta (Mexico) – they perform a special “Family Dinner”-style concert playing their own songs along with Susana’s.
VOCES LATINO VOTE 2024
Premieres Tuesday, October 22, 10 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS app
This new documentary explores the range of issues that matter most to the politically diverse Latino community in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Nevada, Wisconsin and Arizona, as well as in California and Florida, two states with large Latino populations. The film also examines the influence of Latino evangelical pastors in shaping community perspectives and the role that Spanish-language media will play in the 2024 election.
VOCES “Our Texas, Our Vote”
Premieres Monday, October 28, 10 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS app
On the eve of the upcoming presidential election, acclaimed filmmaker Hector Galán takes viewers inside the largest Latino voter registration mobilization in Texas history, led by a new generation on the frontlines of a growing swing state that neither political party can ignore.
STREAMING AND DIGITAL PROGRAMMING
Additional titles from PBS and PBS KIDS are currently available to stream across digital platforms including via PBS Passport. For more information on PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website. Additionally, streaming titles from PBS Digital Studios can be found on their “Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month on PBS” playlist.
For the complete schedule of streaming and digital programming, click on the link below for the full press release:
Hispanic Heritage Month Programming on PBS.
