What to Watch in July
There’s a huge amount of worthwhile TV out there nowadays, so it can be hard to choose what to watch. But who better to recommend shows than the person who programs them? Dan Soles, Senior Vice President and Chief Television Officer at WTTW, constructs the WTTW schedule by searching through offerings from many different sources which include the national PBS network, the BBC, and independent filmmakers to put together a varied and engaging broadcast schedule. Each month, he’ll recommend a few shows that he thinks you should watch.
Maigret
Saturdays at 7:00 pm, beginning July 7
Jules Maigret, the subject of more than one hundred stories by Georges Simenon, is one of the most popular detectives of all time. In this new British adaptation, a surprising actor stars as the gruff commissioner: Rowan Atkinson. Atkinson has always been a huge fan, so this is a dream role for him. Join him as he trawls the noir streets of Paris solving murders.
10 That Changed America
Tuesdays, July 10, 17, and 24, at 8:00 pm
Geoffrey Baer is back with a new set of ten world-moving constructions: 10 Streets, Monuments, and Modern Marvels That Changed America. Discover the street that foreshadowed America’s obsession with suburbs; dive into debates over how we should remember our past; and learn how engineers have defied nature to connect our country, cross divides, and bring water to our cities. And explore more stories through videos, quizzes, and features at wttw.com/10, launching soon!
No Passport Required
Tuesdays at 9:00 pm, beginning July 10
This new show from Eater and PBS takes you on a fascinating tour of America through a unique lens: the food of its immigrant communities. Acclaimed chef Marcus Samuelsson – himself a melting pot of influences, being born in Ethiopia, raised in Sweden, and living now in Harlem – visits six American cities and the vibrant groups of people who call them home, from Haitians in Miami to Mexicans in Chicago – including Diana Dávila, who appeared on WTTW's Dishalicious – and more.
Ted Williams: American Masters
Monday, July 23 at 9:00 pm
“The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived” was a much more complicated man than he looked. A veteran of World War II and the Korean War, an angry man furious about his mother’s virtual abandonment of him and his brother, and a Mexican American background all contributed to a multi-faceted character who also revolutionized the game of baseball while playing for the Boston Red Sox – he was the last player to bat over .400. Jon Hamm narrates American Masters’s first foray into baseball, and this is the perfect month for it.