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What to Watch in June

JAMES BRADSHAW as Dr. Max DeBryn and SHAUN EVANS as Endeavour. Photo: Mammoth for ITV and MASTERPIECE
The sixth season of 'Endeavour' premieres in June. Photo: Mammoth for ITV and MASTERPIECE

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.

Prince: Rave Un2 the Year 2000

Saturday, June 1 at 9:00 pm


WTTW has never aired a Prince concert before, so this is a thrilling change. Prince is at the peak of his powers here, in a concert taped in December of 1999, and he was always such an incredible performer. You can never have enough Prince!


Endeavour

Sundays beginning June 16 at 8:00 pm


Your favorite cerebral detective returns with a sixth season of Endeavour, featuring a young Inspector Morse. Set in 1969, it’s a turbulent time not just in the wider world but also Morse’s narrower purview: the Oxford City Police has merged with another force, leaving Morse, Thursday, Bright, and the rest of the team separated in new roles. Plus: Morse has a mustache!


POV: Roll Red Roll

Monday, June 17 at 9:00 pm


In 2012, a teenage girl was raped by star high school football players in the town of Steubenville, Ohio. Cellphones documented much of the horrific night, and revealed the misogynistic, violent culture of the high school team. This difficult but necessary documentary digs into the event that became a national disgrace, as well as the culture that enabled and encouraged them.


The Lavender Scare

Tuesday, June 18 at 9:00 pm


You know about the Red Scare, but what about the Lavender Scare? While Joe McCarthy was persecuting suspected Communists, President Eisenhower pronounced that gay and lesbian employees of the government were a threat to American security, beginning a decades-long campaign of firing, harassment, discrimination, and stigmatization against LGBTQ people working in government. The discrimination inspired resistance, planting the seeds of LGBTQ civil rights movements. It’s a little-known chapter of history that’s important to revisit and understand.


Tiananmen: The People Versus the Party

Tuesday, June 25 at 9:00 pm


June marks the 30th anniversary of the violent response to massive pro-democracy demonstrations in China’s Tiananmen Square. In 1989, some thousands of people were killed as protesters assembled to ask for a more open China. It’s an event that most people in the West know of, but not about. As China continues to rise as a world power, look back on a defining event of its modern era.