You won’t find a lot of drama series on PBS this month beyond the Finnish series Evilside or the French series The Mountain Detective. The trade-off for everything coming to PBS in April 2025 is new episodes of Antiques Roadshow, Finding Your Roots, Nova, Great Performances, Nature, and Independent Lens.
That’s a pretty wide selection for a service that doesn’t charge you to watch it on TV. Many of these shows can also be found online or on PBS Passport, but the latter does tend to ask for donations in return for access.
If you missed the best shows on PBS from March, you can still stream those online. However, you’ll have to wait for the premiere dates listed below to catch everything coming to PBS in April.
Are you looking for more shows to watch this month? If so, check out our guides on the best new shows to stream, the best shows on Netflix, the best shows on Hulu, and the best shows on Disney+.
Finding Your Roots — Moving On Up
Premieres: Tuesday, April 1
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the long-lost roots of actor Sheryl Lee Ralph and historian Lonnie Bunch — two African Americans whose ancestors broke boundaries and forged families as they moved from slavery to freedom.
American Masters — Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story
Premieres: Tuesday, April 1
Take an intimate look at the life of Liza Minnelli, the iconic actress best known for her Oscar-winning performance in Cabaret. Following in the footsteps of her mother, the legendary Judy Garland, Minnelli used her boundless raw talent to overcome hardship and build her own legacy, with support from mentors like Kay Thompson, Fred Ebb, Charles Aznavour, Halston, and Bob Fosse.
Nature — Katavi: Africa’s Fallen Paradise: Sanctuary
Premieres: Wednesday, April 2
Katavi National Park in southern Tanzania is a remote wilderness. Here, Nature’s filmmakers capture a once-in-a-lifetime event – a severe drought followed by heavy rains that test the survival skills of all those who call Katavi home.
Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years
Premieres: Friday, April 4
Music luminaries and some of the brightest stars in Austin City Limits’ five-decade history return to the fabled ACL stage in Austin, Texas, to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary. The all-star lineup includes Leon Bridges, Billy Strings, Gary Clark, Jr., Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Ángela Aguilar, The Avett Brothers, Indigo Girls, Rufus Wainwright, The Mavericks, and more.
Longtime Austin City Limits supporters and Austin-based actors Jared and Genevieve Padalecki (Walker, Supernatural, Gilmore Girls) co-host the special. The two-hour broadcast offers salutes to ACL icons, including Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and features behind-the-scenes interviews along with rarely seen vintage clips from the ACL archives.
Walter Presents Evilside Season 1
Premiere: Friday, April 4
In a small community on a remote Finnish island, Johanna becomes the prime suspect in the ritualistic murder of her only friend, Aapo. Detective Ulla Penttinen (Amira Khalifa) is convinced of Johanna’s (Olivia Ainali) innocence, but the community is increasingly turning against her. In Finnish with English subtitles.
Antiques Roadshow Season 29
Season continues Mondays, April 7–May 19
Antiques Roadshow continues exciting Season 29 with stops in Littleton, CO (April 7) and Baltimore, MD (April 14, 21, and 28), revealing more of America’s hidden treasures. In May, Roadshow brings viewers the annual fan-favorite “Junk in the Trunk” special (May 19), which features extra discoveries in each of the five cities from this season. Also in May is an all-new compilation special, “Never Seen That Before!” (May 12), highlighting items our excited experts haven’t encountered
— either in person or possibly ever — before that magical moment at Roadshow!
Finding Your Roots — Finding My Roots
Premieres: Tuesday, April 8
Cutting-edge DNA detective work solves longstanding family mysteries for actor The Matrix’s Laurence Fishburne and scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. — in a unique and emotional episode where Gates finds himself as a guest on his own show for the first time.
Independent Lens — We Want the Funk!
Premieres: Tuesday, April 8
We Want the Funk! is Stanley Nelson’s syncopated voyage through the history of funk music, spanning from African, soul, and early jazz roots to its rise into the public consciousness. Featuring James Brown’s dynamism, George Clinton’s extraterrestrial Parliament Funkadelic, transformed girl group Labelle, and Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat, the story also traces funk’s influences on new wave and hip-hop.
Nova — Revolutionary War Weapons
Premieres: Wednesday, April 9
In 1775, a ragtag army of farmers and tradesmen defeated the most powerful army in the world to win American independence. What military technology did the American colonies use in their fight for freedom, and how did it help propel them to one of history’s most unlikely victories?
Archaeologists and historians uncover the real stories of innovation, skill, and strategy that determined the outcome of important battles. From the Brown Bess musket to the world’s first military submarine, get a close-up look at the powerful and sometimes ingenious weapons that helped win our independence.
Great Performances — Now Hear This Season 6
Premieres: Fridays, April 11–May 2
Host Scott Yoo, violinist and conductor of the Mexico City Philharmonic, returns to travel the world investigating some of the greatest music ever written. This season spotlights composers Chopin, Boccherini, Rachmaninoff, and Barrios while exploring the meaning of home with composers inspired equally by nostalgia for a homeland they couldn’t return to and new friendships, ideas, and opportunities in new places.
Great Performances — The Magic of Nureyev
Premieres: Friday, April 11
In Russian choreographer Rudolf Nureyev’s interpretation of Swan Lake, the role of the male dancer was redefined. This documentary goes behind the scenes of Nureyev’s historic 1964 production, highlighted by his partnership with British prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn. Featuring extensive excerpts from the legendary production, the documentary also spotlights newly recorded interviews with dancers Michael Birkmeyer and Gisela Cech, who danced alongside Nureyev at the premiere of “Swan Lake.”
The Corridors of Power
Premieres: Monday, April 14
After the fall of the Soviet Union, America stood alone as the world’s only global superpower, but what responsibilities came with that power? Rare archive and in-depth testimony from decision-makers give insight into the workings of the inner sanctums of the White House to better understand not the “what” but the “why.” Featuring interviews with leading U.S. political figures, including Madeleine Albright, James Baker, Colin Powell, and Hillary Clinton.
Nova — Secrets of the Forest
Premieres: Wednesday, April 16
Can forests help cool the planet? Follow scientists working in spectacular forest landscapes in Costa Rica, Brazil, Australia, and beyond as they try to untangle complex networks of trees, fungi, and creatures large and small – all in a quest to tackle the twin threats of climate change and species extinction.
Water for Life
Premieres: Monday, April 21
Water for Life tells the dramatic story of three community leaders in Latin America who risked their lives and resisted government and corporate plans to divert critical local water resources to mining and hydroelectric projects. Narrated by Andor’s Diego Luna.
Changing Planet — River Restoration
New Season Premieres: Wednesday, April 23
The largest river restoration project ever attempted is underway in Northern California, aiming to bring life back to the sacred river Klamath. Dr. M. Sanjayan witnesses huge dams being removed and joins the team who are reviving salmon populations, while in Paris, France, the iconic river Seine is being cleaned up after decades of pollution.
Walter Presents The Mountain Detective Season 3
New Season Streaming Premiere: Friday, April 25
Former policeman Alex Hugo (Samuel LeBihan) leaves Marseilles in search of a new life but ends up confronting violence in the mountains of the Hautes-Alpes. In French with English subtitles.
International Jazz Day from Morocco
Premieres: Friday, April 25
Hosted by Jeremy Irons, this one-hour concert features jazz legends Herbie Hancock, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Marcus Miller, along with next-gen stars Ambrose Akinmusire, Lakecia Benjamin, Mandisi Dyantyis, and Magnus Lindgren. The special showcases powerful jazz collaborations, including blues from Shemekia Copeland and Joe Louis Walker, Femi Kuti’s Afrobeat anthem One People, One World, Melody Gardot’s This Foolish Heart Could Love You, and Dee Dee Bridgewater performing Spain. Other highlights include Herbie Hancock’s Cantaloupe Island, Mandisi Dyantyis’s Somandla, and Jazzmeia Horn’s tribute to Betty Carter. The evening concludes with a moving rendition of John Lennon’s Imagine featuring the entire all-star cast.
POV — The Taste of Mango
Premieres: Monday, April 28
At the center of this hypnotic, urgently personal meditation on family, memory, identity, violence, and love are three women: Chloe Abrahams (the director), Chloe’s mother, Rozana, and Chloe’s grandmother. Their stories, by turns difficult and jubilant, bear witness to the complex, evolving nature of inheritance and the hurt and protection entangled within familial bonds.
Pati Jinich Explores Panamerica
Premieres: Tuesdays, April 29–May 13
Pati Jinich’s life’s work has been focused on building bridges between her two beloved countries – her homeland of Mexico and her new home, the United States. In this docuseries, the acclaimed chef and James Beard Award winner expands her lifelong mission to uncover cultural connections throughout the Americas and how they enrich each other. Pati embarks on a journey inspired by the Pan-American Highway, a series of roads and a symbol of connection and collaboration extending from Alaska to Argentina.
Independent Lens — Free for All: The Public Library
Premieres: Tuesday, April 29
Free for All: The Public Library tells the story of the quiet revolutionaries who made a simple idea happen. From the pioneering women behind the “Free Library Movement” to today’s librarians who serve the public despite working in a contentious age of closures and book bans, meet those who created a civic institution where everything is free, and the doors are open to all.
Nova — Critical Condition: Health in Black America
Premieres: Wednesday, April 30
Black Americans are nearly twice as likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease as White Americans, and their life expectancy is about five years shorter. Why? In this special feature-length documentary, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson investigates the dramatic health disparities in the U.S., even as scientists confirm that there are no meaningful genetic differences between races. From the deep history of pseudoscientific beliefs about race that still permeate modern medicine to the latest research on how experiencing discrimination can directly damage the body’s DNA and biology, Critical Condition reveals the factors behind the health crisis facing Black Americans.
Nova — When Machines Prescribe (documentary short)
Premieres: Wednesday, April 30
Available immediately following Critical Condition: Health in Black America on PBS. Doctors rely on medical algorithms to make decisions about diagnosis and treatment. These computer programs are designed to take into account factors like symptoms, medical history, and test results to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients. But what if some of the data fed into the computer is based on old pseudoscience about racial differences? Nova investigates common medical algorithms in which the patient’s race drives clinical decision-making and how their continued use has harmed the health of Black patients.
