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What to Watch in July

Geoffrey Baer in 10 That Changed America; Rowan Atkinson as Maigret; Marcus Samuelsson in No Passport Required; Ted Williams on the Red Sox. Photos: Christine Carreira; Getty Images.

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

Rowan Atkinson as MaigretRowan Atkinson as Maigret

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

Ted Williams. Photo: National Baseball Hall of Fame and MuseumPhoto: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

“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.