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What to Stream This Month

Daniel Hautzinger
Grand Teton National Park. Photo: bondjb/shutterstock.com
Grand Teton National Park. Photo: bondjb/shutterstock.com

Find our streaming recommendations for the previous and following months.

Do you ever wish you could binge-watch your favorite PBS programs? If you’re a member you already can; if not, it’s easy to join. With WTTW Passport, members can watch a huge library of PBS and WTTW programming on-demand on any streaming device. To learn more about WTTW Passport, check out our dedicated site. You can activate or sign up for Passport here.

Each month we’ll bring you a few Passport picks. This July, embark on adventures to foreign countries, the depths of the ocean, and majestic landscapes – all from the comfort of your couch.

The Story of China

Condensing 4,000 years of history into 360 minutes, the six-part The Story of China follows host and historian Michael Wood as he explores the origins and heights of China’s empires, their collapse, and the rise of Communist China. The luxurious trade of the Silk Road, China’s greatest female poet, the sprawling enormity of modern Shanghai: it’s all here.

Check out our interview with the series filmmaker Rebecca Dobbs and host Michael Wood, plus discover hidden masterpieces of Chinese art at the Art Institute of Chicago.


Great Yellowstone Thaw

As winter melts into spring and then summer in Yellowstone, the temperature can shift some 140 degrees. Kirk Johnson of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History hosts three episodes in which extreme temperatures pose a threat to wolves that have only just recovered from near-extinction, owls that must migrate in search of food, and bears forced out of hibernation early.

You can also revel in stunning photography from Yellowstone featuring the majestic landscape and hardy creatures who live there here.


Big Pacific

This five-part series surveys the “Mysterious,” “Violent,” “Voracious,” and “Passionate” depths of the Pacific Ocean and concludes with a making-of episode. Hosted by actor Daniel Dae Kim of Hawaii Five-0 and Lost, it shows how the diverse creatures of the vast Pacific Ocean feed, fight, reproduce, and survive.

Looking for more marine life? Explore the Shedd Aquarium with an animal trainer and a Shedd vice president.


Nature’s Great Race

While bird and butterfly migrations receive all the press, there are some extraordinary land migrations across the world as well. In three episodes, Nature’s Great Race follows caribou in the Arctic and elephants and zebras in eastern and southern Africa as they traverse perilous landscapes and thousands of miles. You can also follow the majestic migrations in photos.


Weekend in Havana

WTTW’s own Geoffrey Baer hosts this tour of the unique city of Havana, only recently re-opened to Americans. With a restoration architect, a salsa dancer, and an Afro-Cuban pianist as his guides, Baer explores Havana’s vibrant culture and history, from its 1950s cars to its crumbling old buildings to Hemingway’s haunts to Santeria. Immerse yourself further in the glorious Cuban city with virtual tours, 360 videos, and featured stories on our Weekend in Havana website.