TV

Character actor George Wendt was known to a generation as Norm, the beleaguered, lovable everyman on the sitcom Cheers. He died this week at the age of 76.

Premieres Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 / Stream now with the PBS app. Join historian John Monsky, host Katie Couric, conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops for a Veterans Day tribute to remember. In an unforgettable event from Boston’s Symphony Hall, Monsky takes viewers on a breathtaking and suspenseful journey through the events of D-Day, the liberation of Paris, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Allied advance into Germany.

Premieres Sunday, May 25, 2025 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS app. This exciting period drama is set in northern Chile against a backdrop of political upheaval and international intrigue in the 1930s. The story begins in 1907 during a salt miners strike when the parents of brothers Pedro and Gaspar are massacred by the government while protesting for better working conditions in the mines.

Premieres Monday, May 26, 2025 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS app. The film tells the captivating untold story of one of the most unique fighting forces of the Vietnam War. U.S. Navy’s Task Force 117 and Soldiers of the 9th Infantry Division, a joint Army-Navy Unit, battled as brothers deep in the Mekong Delta. Forged in brotherhood and tested in relentless combat, these soldiers and sailors became the highest-decorated force of the Vietnam War.

Saturday, May 24, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream now with KPBS Passport and YouTube. MILK STREET Editorial Director J.M. Hirsch travels to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he hears from chefs and home cooks about their effort to preserve Ukrainian culture through cuisine. At Milk Street, Christopher Kimball joins J.M. to make an oven-baked, old-school rendition of Chicken Kyiv flavored with dill, lemon and ginger. Then, we investigate the past, present, and future of Ukrainian Borsch.

Stream now with YouTube. Despite cultural taboos, herpetologist Fandresena Rakotoharimalala is on a mission to save chameleons in Madagascar. Possessing an uncanny ability to spot camouflaging chameleons, she hopes to ensure protections for the island's dwindling species.

Premieres Thursday, May 22, 2025 at 9:30 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS app + Encores Saturday, May 24, 2025 at 3:30 p.m. on KPBS TV + Monday, May 26 at 9:30 p.m. on KPBS 2 + Thursday, May 29 at 9:30 p.m. on KPBS 2. Explore a Playas restaurant putting a Mexican twist on a Louisiana-style shrimp dish. Watch as Jorge gets messy with a bib on. Then, head to Ensenada to meet David Martinez from Muelle 3, a tiny place with a huge reputation for some of the freshest seafood in the west.

Also on TV this week, a new season of Nine Perfect Strangers premieres on Hulu, and new episodes of Couples Therapy debut on Paramount+ with Showtime.

Wendt got his start in Chicago's The Second City improv comedy troupe. He went on to earn six Primetime Emmy nominations for his role as a lovable barfly on Cheers.

The children's series has found a new streaming home — Netflix, PBS stations and PBS KIDS will air new episodes on the same day. And Netflix will also run 90 hours from the Sesame Street library.