December is going to be a much slower month on PBS than November, but there’s still going to be a lot to watch. Call the Midwife will have its annual holiday special ahead of a new season in 2025. The Violent Femmes are getting a 40th anniversary concert special, while Sara Bareilles is ringing in 2025 with a New Year’s Eve concert of her own.
There is also an assortment of PBS news and nature specials, which have been the hallmark of Public Broadcasting Service for decades. Even if Christmas specials aren’t your thing, PBS is still bringing the holiday joy directly to you. If you missed the best shows on PBS from November, you can still stream those online. However, you must wait for the premiere dates listed below to catch everything coming to PBS in December.
Are you looking for more shows to watch this month? If so, check out our guides on the best new shows to stream, the best shows on Netflix, the best shows on Hulu, and the best shows on Disney+.
Call the Midwife Holiday Special 2024
Premieres: On a date to be determined in December
It’s Christmas 1969, and the fun fair and carol concert add color to frosty Poplar. Yet, the festive spirit at Nonnatus House is dampened by the spread of influenza and the growing fears of an escaped prisoner after a spate of break-ins.
Lucy Worsley’s Holmes vs. Doyle
Premieres: Sunday, December 8
Sherlock Holmes is the most famous detective in the world. For more than a century, he’s intrigued and excited his fans with his intellect and powers of deduction. He made his author, Arthur Conan Doyle, rich and famous. But the writer came to hate his fictional character. In this series, historian and lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan Lucy Worsley investigates this curious relationship between Holmes and Doyle — detective and author.
Frontline — Breakdown in Maine
Premieres: Tuesday, December 10
Frontline investigates the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history and the missed opportunities to prevent it. With the Portland Press Herald and Maine Public, Frontline hears breakdowns from the police, military, and mental health experts before the Lewiston shooting.
Violet Femmes 40th Anniversary with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Premieres: Friday, December 13
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of their self-titled debut album, the folk punk group Violent Femmes invited the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra to be their “back-up band” in this electrifying concert that mixes classical and rock. Violent Femmes formed in 1981, playing on the streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their first album, Violent Femmes, amplified teenage angst and alienation. Songs like Kiss Off, Add It Up and Gone Daddy Gone were written by lead vocalist and guitarist Gordon Gano before he’d even gotten his driver’s license. Today, that debut release stands as a pillar of an American underground movement, and this concert pays homage to the band’s lasting influence.
American Masters — Brenda Lee: Rockin’ Around
Premieres: Monday, December 16
Discover the story behind singer Brenda Lee’s iconic songs and explore how her early fame and life of poverty shaped her artistry across pop, rock ‘n’ roll, and country. Known for her Christmas classic and Billboard hit Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree, she is still a force in music today. The film features interviews with Keith Urban, Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo, and many others.
Joy-Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir
Premiere: Tuesday, December 17
The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square join Broadway’s Michael Maliakel and Downton Abby’s Lesley Nicol for Joy-Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir, a spirited, heartwarming Christmas special. Filmed before a live audience at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Joy will lift your spirits with stirring renditions of classic and popular Christmas music and a true story about French novelist, poet, and dramatist Victor Hugo at Christmastime.
Too Hot To Handel: The Gospel Messiah
Premieres: Tuesday, December 17
Handel’s 18th-century masterpiece, The Messiah, is reimagined by conductor Marin Alsop and colleagues Bob Christianson and Gary Anderson. Handel’s arias, choruses, and orchestration are infused with gospel, jazz, and R&B to create an uplifting reinterpretation of this seasonal favorite.
Too Hot To Handel: The Gospel Messiah has been seen regularly across the United States since its premiere in New York in 1993. This performance in front of nearly 5,000 people at London’s Royal Albert Hall marks its European premiere. Presented by choirmaster and broadcaster Gareth Malone, the program sees The BBC Concert Orchestra joined by The BBC Symphony Chorus and The London Adventist Chorale, along with soloists Vanessa Haynes and Zwakele Tshabalala.
Earthshot Report
Premieres: Wednesday, December 18
The definitive review of the progress we have made in protecting and restoring our planet in 2024. Edited by Prince William and hosted by Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso), the documentary will bring a fresh, entertaining take on global good news stories, solutions, and trends to show the progress toward a stable, thriving future. Earthshot Report dives into previous Earthshot finalist stories, highlighting how they are scaling up their innovative solutions, and showcasing the collective impact on the planet. With specially shot sequences and dynamic visual storytelling, this will be an inspirational invitation to sit back and enjoy an hour of planetary optimism.
Nova — Lost Tombs of Notre Dame
Premieres: Wednesday, December 18
During restoration work after the 2019 fire at Notre-Dame de Paris, two anonymous sarcophagi were discovered under the cathedral’s stone floor. Who is buried in them? What secrets will these lead caskets reveal? Follow a team of archaeologists and historians as they attempt to solve centuries-old mysteries using the latest scientific investigation techniques. What can DNA and chemical analysis of the remains reveal about the history of Notre Dame and those who devoted their lives to it?
Craft in America (Season 16)
Premieres: Friday, December 27
Craft in America explores America’s creative spirit through the language and traditions of the handmade. Episode 1, Science, investigates the unexpected intersection between art and the sciences, featuring Erik & Martin Demaine, John Luebtow, Chris Maynard, Karen Nyberg, Joan Takayama-Ogawa, Joseph & Sergio Youngblood Lugo. Episode 2, Collectors, reveals the essential role that crafts appreciators play in the community, featuring Fleur Bresler, Judith Chernoff & Jeffrey Bernstein, Yolanda González, Sonny & Gloria Kamm, Cynthia Lockhart, Cheech Marin, Carolyn Mazloomi, Francisco Palomares, Frank Romero, Norm Sartorius, PeterShire, Sara Vance Waddell, Jaime “Germs” Zacarias.
POV — Who I Am Not
Premieres: Monday, December 30
Sharon-Rose Khumalo, a South African beauty queen, faces an identity crisis after discovering she’s intersex. Her path crosses with Dimakatso Sebidi, a masculine-presenting intersex activist, as they both navigate a journey marked by society’s stigma and inner struggles. Intertwining raw reality with poetic beauty, Who I am Not captures the heart-wrenching fight for acceptance in a binary world.
Next At the Kennedy Center — Sara Bareilles: New Year’s Eve with the National Symphony & Friends
Premieres: Tuesday, December 31
Acclaimed singer, songwriter, and actress Sara Bareilles takes the stage at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra for an enchanting evening of song and celebration in this New Year’s Eve special. From her first smash hit Love Song to her Broadway songwriting and later performing debut with the musical Waitress, Bareilles’ amazing artistry has been recognized with multiple Grammy and Tony awards and nominations. She will be joined by special guests Rufus Wainwright, Emily King, and David Ryan Harris for this career-spanning night.
