Best PBS Shows That Make Supporting Public Television Worthwhile

PBS is facing challenging times with the recent withdrawal of its federal funding. While the current administration dismantles many institutions, this one hits the hardest. PBS has been an institution for free news and entertainment for decades, showcasing the most educational and culturally enriching TV programming.

I signed up for a monthly donation to my local PBS station to do my part. With my donation, I was granted access to the PBS streaming application, Passport, which showcases a vast library of streaming titles and live-streaming channels.

As a supporting member, I’ve rounded up this list of excellent PBS shows that make me appreciate everything that comes with public television.

10

Nature

Nature continues to be the longest-running nature documentary series on PBS. The show covers wildlife worldwide, from the bison of Osage Prairie to the rhinos of Nepal. With stunning footage and insightful narration, the TV series explores our changing world for the behavior of animals and the shifting environments they occupy.

While it might be hard to compete with the stellar documentaries from the UK (Planet Earth, Life, Nature World), Nature remains strong because it focuses on being earnest and reflective of our world rather than filming pleasant and safe moments. The program doesn’t shy away from the effects of humans on the environment or the cruelty that comes with nature’s more violent and gross elements. With hundreds of episodes that are as engaging as they are informative, the show has been nominated for several Emmy Awards and won a Peabody Award.

9

The French Chef with Julia Child

Chef Julia Child forever changed how we look at cooking shows with The French Chef. Her instructional program wasn’t about cooking common American meals, but dishes more familiar to a menu at a French restaurant. Even more impressive was how her episodes were filmed live, leaving room for plenty of relatable mistakes or, as Julia called them, “teachable moments.”

Aside from Julia’s inviting presence, The French Chef is fun to watch for the inspiration it delivers in cooking up recipes. I don’t feel like watching a routine cooking program, but a master class for attempting the trickiest of meals. The devotion to charging forward makes her signature closing line of “bon appétit” not only deserved but fitting. Some old TV shows may have aged like milk, but The French Chef is a fine wine, where Julia’s appreciation of butter and cream will never go out of style.

8

Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries

As a spin-off series to Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Modern Murder Mysteries shifts the Australian setting from the 1920s to the 1960s. Carrying on the sleuthing from Phryne Fisher is her long-lost niece, Peregrine (Geraldine Hakewill). Keeping the mystery-solving tradition alive, she works alongside Detective James Steed (Joel Jackson) to solve the many confounding murders that plague 1960s Melbourne.

For taking over a role once occupied by Essie Davis, Geraldine Hakewill makes her performance more of her own rather than trying to replicate what Davis has done, staking her claim as an assertive modern woman in a different decade. It’s also refreshing to have a murder mystery that is more alive with vibrancy than cozy vibes. So if the constant period-piece and small-town docile cases of the UK have gotten a bit stuffy, Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries is a colorful divergence of a different kind of detective.

7

Grantchester

Based on James Runcie’s novels, Grantchester is a 1950s murder mystery series set in the titular village of Cambridgeshire. The local vicar of the town often becomes involved with murder cases that pop up in the community, aided by Detective Inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green). The murders are pretty brutal, and the cases become more emotionally involving as the vicars balance their faith in the spiritual with their faith in the many suspects of the village.

As a part of the Masterpiece Mystery showcase, Grantchester has become a stand-out series on PBS for its balance of the quaint and the dark. It’s not as cheerful as something like Father Brown, nor is it as stern as something like Touching Evil. There’s a solid amount of drama and a rotating series of main characters to keep the series going strong after over a decade of solving murders in a quaint 1950s UK setting, finding a good balance between the cozy and the compelling.

6

The Joy of Painting

Bob Ross was the painter who always came to mind for the most chill of art lessons. With his soft voice and bushy afro, his program, The Joy of Painting, was a great way to either relax or get some tips on painting landscapes. The show would be a fairly quiet tutorial painting mountains and woods with occasional detours involving animals and family.

Bob Ross’s iconography has spread so widely since his show ended that some younger viewers might not even be aware of The Joy of Painting. With its chill atmosphere and charming hallmarks of Bob’s trademark “happy little bush” technique, watching his paintings come together has a satisfaction that has never been matched since. Considering that it’s common to find relaxed streams of artists creating an illustration in Photoshop or painting a model kit, Bob Ross’s show was ahead of its time and still holds up.

5

Doc Martin

Set in the picturesque fishing village of Portwenn, Doc Martin follows the medical adventures of the cantankerous Doctor Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes). Having been used to the luxuries of London, moving to a practice in a smaller town has made him irritable. Still, he does his best to provide the medical care he can for the most challenging cases and even falls in love with the local teacher, Louisa (Caroline Catz).

Doc Martin has a lot of charm, from his gorgeous location in the mountains overlooking the ocean to his rocky chemistry with his community and patients. His bedside manner is atrocious, but his ability to sniff out medical complications and sabotage makes him an invaluable asset to Portwenn. His romantic developments with Louisa also make the show worth returning to, if only to see where their love will take them next.

4

Frontline

While PBS NewsHour is a fine show for keeping up with current events, Frontline remains the more in-depth show about what is happening today. The long-running educational program, based out of Boston’s GBH station, covers everything from politics to terrorism to war abroad and at home. Where NewsHour ends, Frontline expands with longer interviews, more history, and greater context to get the full story.

Frontline doesn’t pull its punches when tackling the harder issues, charging ahead on issues of Putin’s war on the press, Musk’s takeover of Twitter, and Trump’s subversion of the law. The show does, however, cover environmental issues regarding native villages of Alaska threatened by climate change and the devastation of Hurricane Helene. But the best reason to watch is for the showcase of award-winning documentary movies like Antidote and 20 Days in Mariupol.

3

Midsomer Murders

Based on Caroline Graham’s novels about Chief Inspector Barnaby, Midsomer Murders follows the investigations of murders within the fictional English county of Midsomer. Local detectives track down leads to find the culprits, engaging with all the quirky characters of the community. Through it all, the detective manages to not only find some levity but even some dark humor in the decades of murders, such as a woman being killed with cheese or an assassination from a dollhouse window.

Midsomer Murders is one of the more enduring mystery shows, considering how much it embraces humor beyond the usual tongue-in-cheek or wry scathings in between murders of the week. The performances are also rather stellar, and the soundtrack is fitting, with a theme embracing the weirdness of a theremin. Even after 24 seasons, there’s still a comfort to be had tuning in on Saturday nights for these odd mysteries, making it clear why the show has been on for so long and resonated enough to be popular in over 200 countries.

2

NOVA

NOVA made science come alive with the most updated and exciting developments, from advancements in airport engineering to the next innovative space telescope. The award-winning series is packed with insight into the many interviews with scientists, but also boasts plenty of remarkable footage of technological developments and moments of discovery. The topics can also be historical or current, spanning from Egyptian tombs’ secrets to the Baltimore bridge’s recent collapse.

For being on the air for 52 seasons, you’ve likely seen NOVA used in one of your science classrooms. These episodes were always a highlight because of their entertaining format and neat opening, which has only grown more exciting with the new openings. The show is also essential for covering the more crucial scientific aspects of the AIDS epidemic, climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic, providing key facts when we need them most.

1

Agatha Christie’s Poirot

There have been plenty of adaptations of Agatha Christie’s quirky Belgian detective, but it’s hard to beat David Suchet’s portrayal in Poirot. With his allies Captain Arthur Hastings and Chief Inspector James Japp, the usually reserved Hercule Poirot will come out of his shell just enough to solve a case in his many adventures. He’ll use his little gray cells to solve mysterious deaths everywhere, from trains to Halloween parties.

Suchet’s performance holds up so well that returning to this series for that pitch-perfect performance is fun. Comparing his role in the story of Murder on the Orient Express to an older portrayal by Albert Finney and the recent one by Kenneth Branagh offers no contest. David Suchet owns the role of Poirot, making it all the more satisfying that he played the character for 70 glorious episodes of cozy mystery comfort.

It’s easy to take PBS for granted when so many more tantalizing TV networks and streaming services are available. But with such a variety of acclaimed documentaries, murder mysteries, and instructional programs, there’s a little bit of everything to stimulate the minds of the intellectually curious. Whether you want to stay updated on the world or retreat to a cozy classic, PBS is worth supporting for all it offers.