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New Documentaries | January 2026

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by
Jennifer Wieland
• Published on
Programming

From a documentary on walking across the country, to the future lithium rush predicted in California, dive deeper into fascinating topics with the amazing documentaries available to you right here on WTVP 47, your local PBS! 

Walkable USA
Sunday, January 4, 2026, 9pm 

Noted planner and walkable city advocate Jeff Speck partners with Hammond, Indiana in an attempt to breathe new life into the city's once-thriving downtown core. 

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Sun, 01/04/2026 @ 9:04 PM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Mon, 01/05/2026 @ 1:05 AM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Tue, 01/06/2026 @ 4:00 AM

No Place to Grow Old
Tuesday, January 6, 2026, 9:30pm 

No Place to Grow Old is the first documentary to explore the growing crisis of older adult homelessness in America. Set in Portland, Oregon, this 48-minute film intimately follows three seniors, offering a rare and deeply human look at a demographic overlooked and underserved. 

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Tue, 01/06/2026 @ 9:30 PM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 01/07/2026 @ 4:00 AM

Weathered: After the LA Firestorm
Wednesday, January 7, 2026, 9pm 

One year after the devastating LA wildfires, survivors race to rebuild stronger. Weathered: After the LA Firestorm follows residents and fire leaders uniting to make LA a model for recovery--and a blueprint for communities facing future disasters. 

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 01/07/2026 @ 9:00 PM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 01/08/2026 @ 1:00 AM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Sun, 01/11/2026 @ 1:00 AM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Tue, 01/13/2026 @ 7:00 PM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Wed, 01/14/2026 @ 12:00 AM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Wed, 01/14/2026 @ 8:00 AM

A Better Next Big Thing
Sunday, January 11, 2026, 12pm 

This thought-provoking film looks at the world's largest and cleanest lithium supply in California's Salton Sea region. As the global economy transitions to renewable energy, the documentary asks: can this rural, underserved community rewrite the rules of economic opportunity and ensure the green energy revolution works for everyone? 

  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Sun, 01/11/2026 @ 12:00 PM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Sun, 01/18/2026 @ 10:30 PM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Mon, 01/19/2026 @ 2:30 AM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Mon, 01/19/2026 @ 10:30 AM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 01/21/2026 @ 10:00 PM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Sun, 01/25/2026 @ 12:00 AM

Voces 
American Sons
Monday, January 12, 2026, 9pm 

Follow a group of Marines a decade after their deployment to Afghanistan as they navigate the lingering trauma of war and the devastating loss of their comrade, Corporal JV Villarreal. Through Villarreal's haunting first-person video diary, audiences gain an intimate view of life on the front lines and the unbreakable bonds formed through sacrifice. The film serves as a poignant exploration of resilience, grief and the urgent need for mental health support. 

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Mon, 01/12/2026 @ 9:00 PM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Tue, 01/13/2026 @ 1:00 AM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 01/14/2026 @ 2:00 AM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Wed, 01/14/2026 @ 6:00 PM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Wed, 01/14/2026 @ 11:00 PM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Thu, 01/15/2026 @ 7:00 AM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Mon, 01/19/2026 @ 4:00 AM

Independent Lens
Vivien’s Wild Ride 
Monday, January 26, 2026, 9pm 

When legendary film editor Vivien Hillgrove begins losing her sight, she confronts memories of loss and resilience while reinventing herself as an artist with a disability. From her groundbreaking career in cinema to her life on a small farm with her partner, Karen, Vivien's story reveals how creativity, care and connection can reshape what it means to see and belong. 

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Mon, 01/26/2026 @ 9:00 PM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 01/28/2026 @ 3:00 AM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Wed, 01/28/2026 @ 7:30 PM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Thu, 01/29/2026 @ 12:30 AM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Thu, 01/29/2026 @ 8:30 AM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Sat, 01/31/2026 @ 11:00 AM

American Masters
Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire
Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 8pm 

Learn about the life and career of Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize-winning author of Night. After his liberation from Buchenwald, Wiesel became a writer in France before immigrating to America. Over the course of his decades-long career, Wiesel fought the "sin of indifference" by writing 57 books, teaching as a university professor and championing human rights. 

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Tue, 01/27/2026 @ 8:00 PM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 01/28/2026 @ 12:30 AM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Wed, 01/28/2026 @ 6:00 PM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Wed, 01/28/2026 @ 11:00 PM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 01/29/2026 @ 2:00 AM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Thu, 01/29/2026 @ 7:00 AM