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What to Watch in August

Lisa Tipton
Thursday and Morse in 'Endeavour' season 7. Photo: Mammoth Screen
Thursday and Morse in 'Endeavour' season 7. Photo: Mammoth Screen

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? Lisa Tipton, WTTW’s Head of Programming and Pledge, 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, she’ll recommend a few shows that she thinks you should watch.

Endeavour

Sundays beginning August 9 at 8:00 pm and available to stream at the same time

Thursday and Morse in 'Endeavour' season 7. Photo: Mammoth ScreenPhoto: Mammoth Screen

Endeavour is a favorite mystery of our audiences—it's now in its seventh season. Endeavour Morse and his team are once more together in their old positions after the chaos of the previous season, and the decade has turned to the 1970s as more mysteries await. 

Frontline: Love, Life & the Virus

Tuesday, August 11 at 10:00 pm and available to stream at the same time


Frontline continues to tell the overlooked stories of the COVID-19 pandemic, this time looking at a mother trying to survive the coronavirus and see her newborn baby, while a community rallies behind this immigrant family as they struggle to be reunited.

The Democratic and Republican National Conventions

Monday, August 17 through Thursday, August 20 at 7:00 pm (PBS NewsHour) and 10:00 pm (Chicago Tonight) for the Democratic National Convention, and available to stream (PBS NewsHour and Chicago Tonight

Monday, August 24 through Thursday, August 27 at 7:00 pm (PBS NewsHour) and 10:00 pm (Chicago Tonight) for the Republican National Convention, and available to stream (PBS NewsHour and Chicago Tonight


While the COVID-19 pandemic has scrambled the plans for the Republican and Democratic Party conventions, both will still be held in some fashion at the end of August: the Democratic from August 17-20, the Republican from August 24-27. Follow along with nightly national coverage and analysis from PBS NewsHour, while Chicago Tonight and WTTW News offer a local perspective, discussing the implications of the conventions with everyday Chicagoans as well as local experts.

Don't miss digital coverage of the 2020 election and conventions from both NewsHour and WTTW News as well, and check back in mid-August for a Q&A with NewsHour executive producer Sara Just and WTTW's News director Hugo Balta on how they are covering the conventions during such an eventful year.