Popular Action Adventure TV Shows on PBS - Page 2

The American Revolution

2025

The American Revolution

2025
5.5
The American Revolution was at once a war for independence, a war of conquest, a civil war, and a world war, fought by neighbors on American farms and between global powers an ocean or more away. It impacted millions from Vermont’s Green Mountains to the swamps of South Carolina, from Indian Country to the Iberian Peninsula. In defeating the British Empire and giving birth to a new nation, the American Revolution turned the world upside-down. Thirteen colonies on the Atlantic Coast united in rebellion, won their independence, and established a republic that still endures. The American Revolution will present the story of the men and women of the Revolutionary generation, their humanity in victory and defeat, and the crisis that they lived through.
The Tunnel

2013

The Tunnel

2013
7.5
The plot follows detectives Karl Roebuck and Elise Wasserman working together to find a serial killer who left the upper-half body of a French politician and the lower-half of a British prostitute in the Channel Tunnel, at the midpoint between France and the UK. They later learn that the killer—who comes to be nicknamed the "Truth Terrorist"—is on a moral crusade to highlight many social problems, terrorising both countries in the process
Frankie Drake Mysteries

2017

Frankie Drake Mysteries

2017
6.3
Toronto’s only female private detective in the 1920s takes on the cases the police don’t want or can’t handle. From airplanes and booze running to American G-men, Communists and union busters, Frankie’s fearless sense of adventure gets her into all kinds of trouble, but she always manages to find her way out.
Secrets of the Dead

2000

Secrets of the Dead

2000
6.3
Part detective story, part true-life drama, long-running series explores some of the most iconic moments in history to debunk myths and shed new light on past events. Using the latest investigative techniques, forensic science and historical examination, it shatters accepted wisdom, challenges prevailing ideas, overturns existing hypotheses, spotlights forgotten mysteries, and ultimately rewrites history.
Jamestown

2017

Jamestown

2017
7.3
The early 17th Century story of three courageous, dynamic women who leave their dark pasts behind in England, and make the journey of a lifetime across the ocean for a new life in America.
The Marlow Murder Club

2024

The Marlow Murder Club

2024
6.3
Retired archaeologist Judith Potts lives alone in a faded mansion in the peaceful town of Marlow, filling her time by setting crosswords for the local paper. During one of her regular wild swims in the Thames, Judith hears a gunshot coming from a neighbour's garden and believes a brutal murder has taken place.
Independent Lens

1999

Independent Lens

1999
6.5
This acclaimed Emmy Award-winning anthology series features documentaries and a limited number of fiction films united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement and unflinching visions of their independent producers and featuring unforgettable stories about a unique individual, community or moment in history.
L'allieva

2016

L'allieva

2016
7
Alice is a clumsy and passionate coroner resident. She fights between life and love complexities. Even tough she still has a lot to learn, she has a special quality: empathy with the victims that leads her to have crucial intuition in the cases that she works on.
Little Women

2017

Little Women

2017
7.1
Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, the story follows sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March on their journey from childhood to adulthood. With the help of their mother, Marmee, and while their father is away at war, the girls navigate what it means to be a young woman: from sibling rivalry and first love, to loss and marriage.
DI Ray

2022

DI Ray

2022
6.9
DI Ray is set in Birmingham and follows Leicester-born Rachita Ray, a police officer who takes on a case that forces her to confront a lifelong personal conflict between her British identity and her South Asian heritage.
Home Fires

2015

Home Fires

2015
8.2
The story of a group of inspirational women in a rural Cheshire community with the shadow of World War II casting a dark cloud over their lives. As the conflict takes hold and separates the women from their husbands, fathers, sons and brothers, the characters find themselves under increasing and extraordinary pressures in a rapidly fragmenting world. By banding together as the Great Paxford Women’s Institute, they help maintain the nation’s fabric in its darkest hour, and discover inner resources that will change their lives forever.
On Story

2011

On Story

2011
4
An inside look at the creative process behind some of our most popular and beloved movies and television shows. All episodes feature recorded conversations between acclaimed and award-winning screenwriters, TV creators, and filmmakers from the Austin Film Festival's annual conference and year round events.
A Chef's Life

2013

A Chef's Life

2013
10
A character-driven documentary and cooking series that takes viewers inside the life of Chef Vivian Howard, who, with her husband Ben Knight, left the big city to open a fine dining restaurant in small-town Eastern North Carolina.
Rick Steves' Europe

2000

Rick Steves' Europe

2000
8.6
Rick Steves, America's leading authority on European travel, returns to transport viewers to the continent's bustling cities, quaint villages and picturesque countryside.
Indian Summers

2015

Indian Summers

2015
7.1
Epic drama set in the summer of 1932 where India dreams of independence, but the British are clinging to power. Set against the sweeping grandeur of the Himalayas and tea plantations of Northern India, the drama tells the rich and explosive story of the decline of the British Empire and the birth of modern India, from both sides of the experience. At the heart of the story lie the implications and ramifications of the tangled web of passions, rivalries and clashes that define the lives of those brought together in this summer which will change everything.
Live from Lincoln Center

1976

Live from Lincoln Center

1976
8.6
Since premiering in 1976, the landmark series has sought to democratize the world of the performing arts by making Lincoln Center's historic concerts and events available for public broadcast across the country. And it continues to push the boundaries, both technical and creative, of what is possible in the realm of stage performance capture.
Christopher Kimball's Milk Street Television

2017

Christopher Kimball's Milk Street Television

2017
7.8
Let’s stop doing things in the kitchen that made sense in the 19th century but not in the 21st. Milk Street travels the world to bring you the very best ideas and techniques with no lists of hard-to-find ingredients, strange cookware, or all-day methods to slow you down.
The Bonfire of Destiny

2019

The Bonfire of Destiny

2019
7.4
After a devastating fire in 1897 Paris, three women find their lives upended by betrayals, deceptions and romantic turmoil. Inspired by real events.
The Woodwright's Shop

1981

The Woodwright's Shop

1981
9
The Woodwright's Shop is a traditional woodworking show hosted by Roy Underhill on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States. It is one of the longest running "how to" shows on PBS. Since its debut in 1979, the show has aired over 400 episodes. The first two seasons were broadcast only on public TV in North Carolina; the season numbering was restarted when the show went national in 1981. It is still filmed at the UNC-TV studios in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
Mercy Street

2016

Mercy Street

2016
6.1
Follows the lives of two volunteer nurses on opposing sides of the Civil War - New England abolitionist Mary Phinney and Confederate supporter Emma Green. Based on true stories and set in a Union hospital in the occupied Confederate city of Alexandria, viewers are taken beyond the battlefield and into the lives of Americans on the Civil War home front as they face the unprecedented challenges of one of the most turbulent times in our nation’s history.