Disney Plus this week debuts yet another Marvel Studios-produced action series, leading all new show premieres as the calendar rolls into April.

Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight debuts March 30 and stars Oscar Isaac as Steven Grant, a gift shop employee who suffers from dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. The series is the sixth Marvel Studios-produced series, following WandaVision, Hawkeye, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, What If … and Loki.

Among the new shows premiering on April Fools Day are Prime Video’s action dramedy series The Outlaws, and Apple TV Plus’s British-based spy drama Slow Horses.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of March 28 to April 3 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

March 28 – Warrior Women With Lupita Nyong’o (documentary) – Smithsonian Channel

March 29 – The Girl From Plainville (drama) – Hulu

March 29 –How to Survive a Pandemic (documentary) – HBO

March 31 – The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder (comedy) – Paramount Plus

March 31 – Julia (comedy) – HBO Max

March 31 – Moonshot (sci-fi movie) – HBO Max

April 1 – Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood (animation) – Netflix

April 1 – Better Nate Than Ever (musical movie) – Disney Plus

April 1 – The Bubble (comedy) – Netflix

April 2 – Fallen Angels Murder Club: Friends to Die For (drama) – Lifetime

Smithsonian Channel and Black Panther actress Lupita Nyong’o will trace the origins of an all-female African army in a new documentary debuting on March 28.

The documentary, Warrior Women with Lupita Nyong’o will take viewers across Benin, West Africa to uncover the truth behind the women who helped to inspire the Dora Milaje fighters of Marvel’s Black Panther film.

According to the network, the little-known but highly formidable Agoji warrior women protected the rulers of one of the richest kingdoms in Africa until a bitter defeat in 1892 that may (or may not) have disbanded them forever.

Warrior Women With Lupita Nyong’o will also air on Smithsonian Channel in Latin America later this year, according to the network.

Smithsonian Channel and Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions will team on a new documentary debuting in May that will examine racial health disparities and practices in the United States.

The documentary, The Color of Care, premieres May 1 and chronicles how people of color suffer from systemically substandard healthcare in the United States, and how COVID-19 exposed the tragic consequences of these inequities, according to network officials. Using testimony from those who lost loved ones to COVID-19 and frontline medical workers in overwhelmed hospitals, expert interviews and powerful data, the film exposes the toll of racism that is embedded in our healthcare system, said the network.

“People of color have long endured the fatal consequences of racial health disparities and the COVID-19 pandemic made these inequalities plain for all to see,” Smithsonian Channel Head James Blue said in a statement. “I hope our documentary event, The Color of Care, will be a catalyst for action. I am delighted to partner with Oprah Winfrey and Harpo Productions on this vital project.”

Added Winfrey: “At the height of the pandemic, I read something that stopped me in my tracks …I read a story about Gary Fowler, a Black man that died in his home because no hospital would treat him despite his COVID-19 symptoms. As we continued to hear how the racial disparities in our country were exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic, I felt something needed to be done. This film is my way of doing something, with the intention that the stories we share serve as both a warning and foster a deeper understanding of what changes need to take place to better serve us all.”

The Color of Care will serve as part of a broader effort driven by Smithsonian Channel to move conversation and action around health equity. The film will also prepare future doctors, nurses and medical professionals to play an active role in combating systemic racism in the delivery of healthcare, according to the network. ■   

Super Bowl week features a number of high-profile series and movie premieres leading into the big game.

Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 13) will serve as the premiere date for the debut of streaming service Peacock's new drama series Bel-Air. The dramatic reimagining of NBC's original series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is executive produced by Will Smith and stars Jabari Banks.  

Also debuting on Peacock is the original movie Marry Me, starring Jennifer Lopez and Maluma. The film premieres February 11 on both the streaming service and in theaters. 

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of January 31 to February 6 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

February 7 – Love & Hip Hop: Lineage to Legacy (special) – VH1

February 7 -- Angela Black (drama) -- Spectrum 

Also: 'Angela Black,' British Thriller Starring Joanne Froggatt, is on Spectrum 

February 7 – One Thousand Years of Slavery – The Untold Story (miniseries) – Smithsonian Channel

February 9 – Fairview (animation) – Comedy Central

February 10 – The Girl Before (drama) – HBO Max

February 10 – Kimi (drama) – HBO Max

February 10 – Real Husbands of Hollywood More Kevin, More Problems (comedy) – BET Plus

February 11–Dollface (comedy) – Hulu

February 11- everything is gonna be all white (docuseries) – Showtime

February 11 – I Want You Back (comedy) – Prime Video

February 11 – The In Between (drama) – Paramount Plus

February 11 – The Sky Is Everywhere (drama) – Apple TV Plus

February 11 – Inventing Anna (drama) – Netflix

February 11 – Love Is Blind (reality) – Netflix

February 12 – Profiled: The Black Man (documentary) – Discovery Plus

Cable programmers and streaming services are commemorating Black History Month with numerous African American-themed original scripted series, movies, documentaries and specials. 

Here's a sampling of what's on tap for the first half of February (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):  

Feb. 4 – Phat Tuesdays

(documentary)

Prime Video

Feb. 5 - Single Black Female

(movie)

Lifetime

Feb. 6 -- Power Book IV: Force

(drama)

Starz 

Feb. 7 -- One Thousand Years of Slavery – The Untold Story

(documentary)

Smithsonian Channel

Feb. 8 -- The Loyola Project

(documentary)

CBS Sports Network

Feb. 10 -- Real Husbands of Hollywood More Kevin, More Problems

(special)

BET Plus

Feb. 11 -- Everything’s Gonna Be All White

(docuseries)

Showtime

Feb. 11 -- Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship

(documentary)

National Geographic

Feb. 12 -- Profiled: The Black Man

(documentary)

Discovery Plus

Feb. 13 -- Bel-Air

(drama)

Peacock

Feb. 14 -- Special Black History Month Roundtable

(special)

MSG Network 

Smithsonian Channel will bring back its docuseries Ice Airport Alaska for its sophomore campaign on Jan. 9, the network announced Thursday.

The series chronicles the Ted Stevens International Airport in Alaska as it gets hammered by sub-zero temperatures, snowstorms, blizzards, and earthquakes, according to the network.

Ice Airport Alaska highlights the airport’s 110 staff members who work 24/7 just to keep the 33 million square feet of active runway clear of the 6 million tons of snow that fall annually, according to Smithsonian.

MTV Entertainment Studios will partner with Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance to develop a docuseries on the history of slavery.

The four-part series, One Thousand Years of Slavery, will air on the Smithsonian Channel and will examine how slavery stained the past, shaped the present, and continues to rewrite our future through powerful stories of notable individuals courageously sharing their deeply personal Black experiences, the network said.

The Bassett Vance Productions-produced series, which will air in 2022, will feature interviews and comments from such distinguished leaders as Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and actor David Harewood, according to MTV.

“We are honored to partner with Bassett Vance Productions on this long overdue landmark documentary series that reveals the untold story of human bondage on a global scale,” said Nina L. Diaz, president of content and chief creative officer at MTV Entertainment Group and for unscripted and adult animation at Paramount Plus.

In May MTV, Bassett and Vance announced the development of a limited series based on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Several cable networks are commemorating Juneteenth today (June 19) by offering movies, documentaries and specials in celebration of the holiday that marks the end of slavery in America.

Original programming recognizing the holiday includes National Geographic’s simulcast of ABC Network’s Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming special, which examines the legacy of the holiday through the current lens of political and social unrest that has captured global attention, according to ABC News.

AMC tonight will premiere it’s Sherman’s Showcase:  Spectacular variety special, which will honor historic African-American icons both past and present, according to the network.

This Sunday (June 21), TV One will debut its original documentary series The Beat Don't Stop, which highlights the history and legacy of Washington DC.-based Go-go music.  

Other cable networks offering content to commemorate the Juneteenth holiday include:

--HBO will provide all nine episodes of its drama series Watchmen for free tonight and through the weekend on HBO.com and on demand. The series, which stars Regina King, is set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws.

--FX Networks will air a collection of African-American based films and series including Hidden Figures and Selma, as well as marathons of comedy series black-ish and Atlanta.

--Smithsonian Channel will offer a day-long lineup of award-winning Black History documentaries, airing chronologically from pre-Civil war through Obama’s presidency, including Civil War 360: Fight For Freedom; The Green Book: Guide For Freedom; Major League Legends: Hank Aaron; The Lost Tapes Malcolm X, MLK: The Assassination Tapes; and The Obama Years: The Power of Words.

--TNT, TBS and truTV will air feature films Black Panther and Just Mercy in primetime with limited commercials. Turner will also feature reflections from distinguished guests including actor Anthony Anderson, Senator Kamala Harris and comedian W. Kamau Bell who will talk about the personal impact these films had on their lives and the culture, according to the company.

--Ovation will air a 24-hour block of films, documentaries and specials that shine a light on the significant contributions of Black artists and activists who have advanced progress for all. Content featured include such documentaries as Beyonce: Queen B; Inside the Actors Studio Alfre Woodard and Prince: Kiss The Rain. 

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of Feb. 24 to March 1 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

Feb. 24 -- Black In Space: Breaking the Color Barrier (documentary) -- Smithsonian Channel

Feb. 26 -- I Am Not Okay With This (comedy/drama) -- Netflix

Feb. 27 -- Altered Carbon (returning series) -- Netflix

Feb. 28 -- RuPaul’s Drag Race (returning series) -- VH1

Feb. 28 -- Shop Class (competition series) -- Disney+

Feb. 29 -- Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan (comedy) -- Nickelodeon

March 1 -- Dispatches From Elsewhere (drama) -- AMC

Cable networks and streaming services will launch several specials and documentaries over the next few weeks highlighting the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, which industry executives say is still as relevant -- and debated -- as it was in 1969.

“Considering that after 50 years we’ve never been back to the moon is significant and deserves further questioning and exploration,” said Lucilla D’Agostino, chief creative officer for production company Big Fish Entertainment, which produced Science Channel’s limited documentary series Truth Behind the Moon Landing. “No one can argue that this was an amazing time in American history, but the considerable hurdles NASA needed to overcome to get man there by Kennedy’s deadline have fueled lunar conspiracies for decades.”

The six-part Truth Behind the Moon Landing series, which debuted this past Sunday (June 2), tackles the most popular conspiracy claims surrounding the iconic moon landing. The series seeks to apply scientific reasoning to the most popular conspiracies with commentary from former NASA Astronaut Leland Melvin, Iraq War veteran and former FBI agent Chad Jenkins and best-selling author, Mike Bara, according to network officials.

Other special programming commemorating the event include streaming service CuriosityStream’s June 13 premiere of Return to the Moon, an original documentary film which chronicles today’s global sprint to take man back to the moon and the innovative technology needed to colonize and explore beyond it, according to network officials.

On June 17, Curiosity Stream will also launch a summer block of moon landing-themed specials and documentaries on Monday nights, including Hack the Moon:Unsung Heroes of Apollo, which debuts June 24.

CNN on June 23 will debut director/producer Todd Douglas Miller‘s documentary Apollo 11, which captures the days and hours of the moon landing from newly-discovered 70mm footage and more than 11,000 hours of audio recordings, according to the network.

Smithsonian Channel will explore the moon landing through unique and rare access to Apollo artifacts from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum as part of a six-part series, Apollo’s Moon Shot, premiering June 16.

In addition on July 7, the network will air a one-hour documentary The Day We Walked On The Moon, which relieves the 24 hours surrounding the mission through revelations of the men and women who witnessed the historical event, said the network. 

Smithsonian Channel will celebrate Veteran’ Day with two specials that recognize and honor military servicemen that fought during the Vietnam War. The Gun Trucks of Vietnam, which debuts Nov. 11, explores the ingenuity of American servicemen through never-before-seen eight millimeter films shot directly by soldiers during combat, while The Lost Tapes: Tet Offensive premieres Nov. 18 and brings to life a defining moment of the Vietnam War through rare audio and exclusive video.

I recently spoke to Smithsonian Channel executive vice president of programming and production David Royle about the two Veteran’s Day-themed specials as well as their appeal to a new generation of viewers.

Why has the network put so much emphasis on Veteran’s Day-themed programming this year?

This isn't our first Veterans Day project for us, and telling America's big, dramatic history stories is right at the heart of what the Smithsonian Channel stands for. It feels like if any channel is going to tell these stories we should be doing it. These are pivotal moments in American history -- it's the heart of the American experience and they are big, bold dramatic stories that people forget about. I think we have a role in helping to bring them back to life and to tell them in a way that resonates for today's generations.

You mentioned that this isn’t the first time Smithsonian has created content around Veteran’s Day, but does this particular moment in time -- given our political environment -- invite a greater emphasis on honoring our military heroes and veterans?

We look for stories that resonate with today's audiences and stories that may be historical but have a current meaning. The films we've done this year are really the stories of young men who are sent to fight a war they frequently don't fully understand but nevertheless show extraordinary bravery. I think that obviously there are comparisons to be drawn with Afghanistan and Iraq. The viewer doesn't have to believe in the wars themselves, but I think what they take away from these films is that they can believe in the courage of the individuals who have gone to war on behalf of America.

Will these two specials have any appeal to young viewers?

 I often talk of The Lost Tapes (franchise) as history for the Internet age; what for me really makes it work is the fact that no one's telling you what to think. We live in an age where people get sick to death of all people of all political persuasions and television pundits telling them exactly what they should be and how they should interpret life and the events that go on. With The Lost Tapes: Tet Offensive there's no interviews or recreations but instead video and audio that's put together like a quilt into a seamless narrative, and you the viewer get plunged back into time and get to draw their own conclusions.

With Guns Trucks Of Vietnam, this is a film that's not about re-creations; I find it absolutely astonishing that these young men are being ambushed by the Vietcong on these really dangerous roads and some of them are filming amateur 8 millimeter films. They're just doing it for themselves; they're not doing it for television stations but they're doing it because they want to record what they went through. In today's age of iPhones and droids and everyone taking video we don't think of this happening 50 years ago, but they were filming video in the middle of the Vietnam War that was going on at the time.

(UPDATED) The following is a guide to some of cable's Black History Month programming.

Related: 'Our Time' Has Come|Keeping TV One in Front on the Movement

Feb. 2
2 Dope Queens (Special)
HBO

Feb. 9
Eddie Griffin: Undeniable (Comedy special)
Showtime

Feb. 11
Behind the Movement (Movie)
TV One

The Undefeated Presents: Dear Black Athlete (Special)
ESPN

Feb. 17
Douglas Wilder at Virginia Commonwealth University
(Talk/lecture)
C-SPAN3

Feb. 18
Oral Histories: Henry ‘Hank’ Thomas (Talk)
C-SPAN3

Uncensored (Documentary series)
TV One

A Long Way From Home: The Untold Story of Baseball’s Desegregation (Documentary)
TV One

Feb. 20
Death Row Chronicles (Documentary)
BET

Feb. 24
Real America: A City Decides — 1956 (Documentary)
C-SPAN3

Notes from the Field (Special)
HBO

Feb. 26
The Lost Tapes: Malcolm X (Documentary)
Smithsonian Channel

Feb. 27
Marlon Wayans: Woke-ish (Comedy special)
Netflix

Unsolved: The Murder of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. (Series)
USA Network

Oprah at The Apollo (Special)
OWN

INTERSTITIALS:TV One will launch a new short-form video campaign featuring actor Common that will feature a variety of topics related to Black History and the issues affecting the African-American community.
--AMC Networks will launch its 5th Annual Black History Month Public Service Announcement campaign. which features interviews with nine Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and showcases the people and events that inspire each elected official as they reflect on what Black History Month means to them. The spots will air on AMC, BBC AMERICA, IFC, SundanceTV, and WE tv throughout the month of February.
--Nickelodeonis celebrating Black History Month with a brand-new series of PSAs set in Charleston, South Carolina, that explore themes of education, culture and cuisine as they relate to African Americans.

Smithsonian Channel will air a documentary on the life of civil rights icon Malcolm X in a new documentary, The Lost Tapes: Malcolm X. the network said Wednesday.

The documentary, which premieres Feb. 26, will relive the pivotal years of the activist using rarely seen footage and audio tapes, including never-before-seen video of the Nation Of Islam rallies, as well as recordings made at the Audubon Ballroom on the day of his assassination in 1965, the network said.

Like other Lost Tapes episodes, the program relies solely on media reports from the time -- with no interviews or re-enactments – allowing viewers to relive the power of Malcolm’s story as it unfolded.

Previous installments of The Lost Tapes have included Pearl Harbor, the L.A. Riots, the Son of Sam and Patty Hearst.

Smithsonian Channel has launched on Hulu With Live TV and YouTube TV, including live linear and on-demand content from the channel, as well as TV everywhere authentication on those virtual MVPD streaming services.

Hulu With Live TV subscribers can watch the channel’s programming on Apple TV (4th generation), Amazon Fire TV, 2017 Samsung Smart TVs, Roku, iOS devices, Android phones and tablets, Chromecast, Nintendo Switch and Xbox, Smithsonian Channel (a joint venture of Showtime Networks and the Smithsonian Institution) said in a release. YouTubeTV is currently available on iOS, Android, Chromecast and Xbox, the network said.

READ MORE: YouTube TV Tunes in 35 More Markets

“In this ever-changing landscape, we’re always looking for ways to expand our existing audience” Smithsonian Channel president Tom Hayden said in a release. “We are thrilled that Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV subscribers now have access to our award-winning programming, and look forward to strong partnerships with two of the biggest leaders in digital streaming.”

READ MORE: Hulu Optimizes Web Platform for Live TV

Smithsonian Channel programs include the series Aerial America, The Lost Tapes and Air Disasters.

Smithsonian Channel on April 23 will air the documentary special The Lost Tapes: L.A. Riots, which features video footage, police recordings, local media accounts and interviews that capture a six-day period during the summer of 1992 in which the city of Los Angeles experienced an explosion of protests and riots over the acquittal of four LAPD cops in the beating of black taxi driver Rodney King.

The Smithsonian special, the third in a series of “Lost Tapes” specials focused on historical events, is one of several documentaries airing in April — including Showtime’s Burn Motherf*cker Burn! (April 21) and National Geographic Channel’s LA 92 (April 30) — marking the 25th anniversary of the deadly uprising.

David Royle, executive vice president of programming and production for Smithsonian Channel, spoke with Multichannel News about the network’s unique take on the riots, as well as the recent appeal of historically-themed documentary features. Here’s what he’d like viewers to know.

Viewers will see content never seen before: “The whole basis of the series is to really allow people to experience events for themselves and draw their own conclusions. The show is made simply with film footage, radio reports, photographs, and newsreels — everything that happened and was reported at the time. It makes you feel like you were there in the midst of often turbulent and searing events. With the L.A. Riots, what we’ve been able to do is access hours of footage shot by police officers in the LAPD during the riots, much of which has never been broadcast before. That speaks for itself. We also have footage from a small radio station — KJLH in Compton — which was actually a music station, but during the riots went from being an all-music station to reporting all of the events that went on, and allowing people to call in and vent their frustrations and their fears. So on the one hand, you have the LAPD recording what’s going on, and on the other hand you have a small radio station recording what’s going on. So there are multiple perspectives being put into this program, and the viewer is being left to decide which one have the best credibility — maybe they all do — but the audience gets to discern from all these perspectives what is the reality of what was happening.”

This is history for the Internet age: “In some ways [The Lost Tapes] is going back to a traditional form of storytelling — after all, it’s relying on primary sources — but in other ways, it’s very modern and contemporary. We have a generation today who is used to learning about the world from searching the Internet. They look for raw, unedited clips, such as recent footage of people getting shot, and play it endlessly trying to interpret for themselves what it means. That’s what we do in The Lost Tapes — we put all the footage out there of events as they happen. We’re plunging the viewer back into time into the midst of that dramatic period and we’re allowing them to make up their own minds.”

It’s real life drama that’s engaging: “We’re seeing some really interesting movements with nonfiction channels going on right now. A lot of them seem to be running away from reality programming and going into big dramas. We believe there’s as gap in the marketplace and a public hunger for programming that is real dramatic, enticing but grounded in a true world of history. We want to showcase great drama that doesn’t need reinventing — we think there’s enough drama in history without a need to reinvent it. We want viewers to experience real life told in a dramatic fashion, but television they can trust, absorb and that enriches their understanding of the world.”

We tv tonight (Feb. 24) launches a new reality series Mama June: From Not To Hot, which chronicles the weight loss journey of reality personality and former Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo star Mama June Shannon. WE tv president Marc Juris said her remarkable transformation – WE tv won’t reveal how Mama June looks now until the series finale – will draw attention and viewers to the series.

“We love shows with big characters and we felt that was a great story to follow,” he said. “It's unique and real which was important, it has a really strong arc, and I think it's incredibly relatable. Who doesn't want to transform, lose weight and get into shape? This is a very compelling story about changing your life and taking control.”

Juris is also counting on social media to build interest in the series, especially leading up the big reveal. He added social media will continue to enhance the appeal for unscripted content as viewers look to engage and discuss the real lives of people they see on television.  

“I often tell people life is not something you live anymore, it’s something you post,” Juris said. “Our stories do not end with an episode; it keeps going. So viewers can follow Mama June after the finale and see how her story unfolds. It provides a much greater level of engagement.”

Smithsonian Channel on Monday will debut its documentary The Obama Years: The Power Of Words, but the network says the show has already received positive reviews from audiences attending more than 13 pre-screenings of the documentary around the country.

While The Obama Years isn’t overtly politically-leaning – it examines several of Obama’s most famous speeches during his eight-year Presidency – executive producer Charles Poe said that the documentary has spurred a lot of discussion across its 11-city tour about not only Obama’s legacy but also what the country is facing with a new administration in place.

“It’s never happened in my experience but we had a standing ovation after the film, which you don’t usually see with documentaries,” Poe said of the Feb. 7 Washington DC screening at the National Museum of American History.

In Houston, local legislators actually proclaimed Feb. 16 “Obama Years Day” in recognition of the documentary’s screening at the city’s Museum of Natural Science, according to Poe.

“I think it’s natural for there to be a little bit of nostalgia looking backward as a new President starts off,” added Poe. “[Obama] has been a daily part of our lives for the last eight years and to some degree in at least half the country, there’s an interest in reliving how we got here.”

Smithsonian Channel on Thursday said it will offer 10 hours of 4K programming on demand beginning in April, saying it's the first linear network to offer ultra-high-definition content on demand.

Smithsonian said it will provide 4K documentaries and shows for free to subscribers through their MVPD providers beginning in second quarter 2017. The network added that it is working with top cable, satellite and telco distributors to launch the on demand programming.

“We’re proud to be the first US network to offer this 4K On Demand model,” Tom Hayden, president of Smithsonian Channel (part of CBS-owned Showtime Networks), said in a release. “With programming genres including air and space, history, nature, wildlife and travel at its finest, our new 4K model is sure to enhance the viewing experience, providing striking visuals for our consumers.”

Amid the swell of uplifting movies, the crunch of live football games, and the endless run of series and movie marathons hitting cable network lineups as the holiday season officially gets underway with Thanksgiving, several poignant documentaries shine a light on more somber events in both the recent and distant past that are worth remembering.

HBO on Monday (Nov. 21) premiered its chronicle the 2013 Boston Marathon terrorist attack in its new original documentary Marathon: The Patriots’ Day Bombing. The documentary recounts the story of the attack – from the events of the day to the death penalty sentencing of accused bomber Dzhorkhar Tsarnaev -- through the experiences of victims and others affected by the event. While an upcoming movie about the bombings, Patriots Day starring Mark Wahlberg, may garner more hoopla and press coverage, HBO’s documentary takes a real-life, unfiltered look at those who were most affected by the event.

Cable in December also will mark the 75th anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1041, attack on Pearl Harbor (pictured), revisiting it through two documentaries airing on History over the Dec. 3-4 weekend: Pearl Harbor: 75 Years Later and Pearl Harbor: The Truth.

Also on Dec. 4, Smithsonian Channel will debut The Lost Tapes: Pearl Harbor, which will feature never-before-seen video and audio from the attack. The documentary has no narration, but instead tells the story of the attack and its aftermath through news reels, private videos and radio reports that took place before, during and after the attack.

Smithsonian in 2017 will mark other historic anniversaries using the same approach to piece together the full story, including the 25th anniversary of the L.A. riots and the 40th anniversary of the Son of Sam Killings in New York.

As we prepare for the holidays and then, shortly after, the swearing in of a new president against the backdrop of what has become an uncertain and somewhat unnerving period in America’s history, such historical documentaries serve as a reminder of the adage “if you don’t learn from history, you’re doomed to repeat it,” noted David Royle, executive vice president of programming and production for the Smithsonian Channel.

“It’s astonishing to me how interesting it is that when you start going into historical events, you realize how much light they throw on the present,” Royle said.

As we prepare for the holidays, the hope is that we can learn from the lessons of our past to ensure a brighter future for all.

At lunch the other day a Star Trek fan around my age admired the cool ad in our magazine for the upcoming Building Star Trek special on Smithsonian Channel. All it takes is a photo of a spiffed-up original-model starship Enterprise (I used to have one hanging from my bedroom ceiling) to revive the desire for a phaser, a tricorder or, especially, a clicking communicator (pictured) one felt back in the day. This two-hour special has a lot of that sort of object envy, including by curators at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum and at the EMP Museum in Seattle. The special goes close up on the former museum's restoration of the original eight-foot-long U.S.S. Enterprise model, the one used in the 1966-69, three-season series: the 50th anniversary of the premiere is this coming Thursday (Sept. 8) and the aging model was earmarked to hang in Air and Space's front hall, along with Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis, the original lunar lander and other pioneering craft. EMP Museum went after other original set pieces, including Captain Kirk's command chair, Ensign Chekov's navigation console from the Enterprise bridge and the aforementioned handheld devices. Make sure to hang on until the big reveals. Also, as my lunch compadre noted, the special touches on the Cold War analogues in the series and important characters and cast members such as Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura, an African-American woman who was a key member of the crew, an unusual role on television in the 1960s. 

The show -- while doing its part to promote the latest movie in the series, Star Trek Beyond -- delves into much trivia about the original series and explores the possibilities of faster than light "warp" engines; tractor beams to grab and move distant objects in space; cloaking devices that can make starships invisible and other concepts that might or might not ever become reality. “Science fiction inspires scientists to invent what they see in science fiction,” as EMP Museum curator Brooks Peck notes. There's science here but mostly it's for fun.

Bonus link: this Smithsonian Magazineoral history of Star Trek is a must read for serious fans.

Building Star Trek premieres on Smithsonian Channel on Sunday, Sept. 4, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who died at age 74 on June 3, continues to be honored with special programming, including by HBO, Smithsonian Channel and Sony Movie Channel, and with plans for coverage of his memorial service in Louisville, Ky., on Friday (June 10) on several outlets.

HBO has scheduled encore plays of the HBO Films drama Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight, which will air on the main HBO channel tonight (June 8) at 9 p.m. ET/PT and Friday, June 10, at 8 p.m. Debuting on HBO in 2013, Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight goes behind the closed doors of the U.S. Supreme Court as the nine judges decide the outcome of Muhammad Ali’s landmark 1971 case for being a conscientious objector.

HBO  on June 14 will air a special edition of its series The Fight Game With Jim Lampley in tribute to Ali. 

El Rey Network tonight (June 8) beginning at 10 p.m. ET will air a marathon of all 13 half-hour episodes of the 1977 animated series I Am the Greatest:  The Adventures of Muhammad Ali, which aired on Saturday mornings on NBC in 1977 with voices provided by Ali and his real life publicist Frank Bannister. The series featured The Champ and Bannister travelling around the country fighting crime and solving mysteries – both real and supernatural.

Smithsonian Channel will honor the boxing legend's life and legacy by airing Lives That Changed the World: Muhammad Ali and Sports Detectives: Ali’s Gold Medal throughout this week, starting Thursday night with the LivesThat Changed The World episode at 8 p.m. ET/PT. (It also airs Friday, June 10, at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET/PT; Saturday, June 11, at 3 p.m. ET/PT; and Sunday, June 12, at 5 p.m. ET/PT). Ali in his biography says that after he was refused service in a Louisville diner he tossed his gold medal from the 1960 Rome Olympics into the Ohio River, making it an enduring symbol of his struggle for civil rights. The Sports Detectives episode explores whether or not the story was true, or simply part of the legend of Muhammad Ali. It airs Friday, June 10, at 4 p.m. ET/PT, 6 p.m. ET/PT and 10 p.m. ET/PT on the channel.

Thursday night (June 9), Spike will air a 10th-anniversary special of its Guys Choice awards at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The special was taped on Saturday, June 4, and in the wake of Friday's somber news of Ali's passing, John Legend paid special tribute to "The Greatest," followed by a performance of "The Greatest Love of All," with Andra Day (here is a video link). Legend said, “The Champ was the towering figure of our times – in the boxing ring and beyond. He was a freedom fighter who used his fists and his wits, his force and his faith to make our world a better and more just place," Spike relayed. Supermodel Gigi Hadid, who took home the honor of Our New Girlfriend, took a moment (video link) to remember Ali during her acceptance speech as well, by saying “Muhammad Ali has touched me so much in my life, I’m so grateful to have met him, so I wanted to openly say rest in peace Muhammad -- you're the champ!” 

Sony Movie Channel has scheduled a special presentation of the 1977 biopic The Greatest, based on Ali’s autobiography The Greatest: My Own Story, for Sunday, June 12, at 7 p.m. ET and 8:45 p.m. ET, with replays on Sunday, June 19, at 12:10 p.m. ET and Saturday, June 25, at 1:25 p.m. ET. It stars Ali as himself, in his feature film debut, and details some of the most defining moments in his life, from his gold medal Olympic performance at the age of 18, to his quest for the heavyweight championship under the tutelage of trainer Angelo Dundee (portrayed by Ernest Borgnine), as well as his victory over Joe Frazier in the fabled “Thrilla In Manila;" his conversion to Islam; and his three-and-a-half year court battle to retain the title that was stripped from him, after he refused to serve in the army on the grounds that it violated his religious beliefs. “This special tribute is the perfect way for fans to remember one of the most celebrated, controversial, and influential sports figures of all-time,” Jeff Meier, SVP of Programming, Sony Movie Channel, said in a release. “Muhammad Ali truly changed the face of boxing forever, and left an indelible mark on society as an athlete, actor, activist, and champion. SMC is proud to be able to honor this great man with this unforgettable film.”

TV One, ESPN, Bounce TV and BET, among others, are planning coverage of Ali memorials on Friday. TV One is pre-empting its regularly scheduled programming to broadcast the service live beginning at 2 p.m. ET. Roland Martin will report from the network’s Washington, D.C., studios and TV One will air a special encore presentation of the one-hour documentary, Muhammad Ali: Fighting Spirit, at 7 p.m. ET. "Muhammad Ali was an iconic figure who was an unapologetic Black man and a world figure. We are proud to continue our weeklong coverage since his death by carrying his funeral live on TV One,” Martin said in a release. "In the past, TV One has broken into coverage to carry the funerals of Coretta Scott King, Dr. Dorothy Height and the memorial service for the Charleston 9. We believe the homecoming service of ‘The Greatest’ is deserving of such an honor."

Bounce TV said its coverage Friday will start at 9 a.m. with the funeral procession through the streets of Louisville and will carry through his memorial service, aired live, uninterrupted and commercial-free. The memorial service, scheduled for 2 p.m. ET, is to include eulogies by Bill Clinton, Bryant Gumbel and Billy Crystal. Between the procession and the service, Bounce TV will present The Greatest along with several special tributes throughout the telecast of Premier Boxing Champions on Sunday night, June 12, starting at 9 p.m. ET. Bounce TV is partnering with its Louisville affiliate, Raycom Media-owned WAVE-TV, for WAVE’s local hometown coverage and insight.

BET and Centric will air the memorial sesrvice commercial free as part of its news special, BET Remembers Muhammad Ali: The Memorial Service beginning at 2 p.m. BET Networks will also broadcast and encore airing of BET News' The Truth Series documentary Muhammad Ali: The People's Champ at 1 p.m. 

ESPN continues its extensive coverage of Ali's passing with live coverage of Muhammad Ali’s memorial service from Louisville, beginning at 2 p.m., with more coverage plans slated to be announced Thursday. ESPN moved the opening match for the UEFA European Football Championship 2016 – France vs. Romania on Friday, June 10, kicking off at 3 p.m. ET after a one-hour pre-game show – to ESPN2 from ESPN to accommodate coverage of the Ali services. 

The Smithsonian Channel will team up with Major League Baseball to develop profiles for four of the sport’s biggest names beginning in February with Hank Aaron.

The series, Major League Legends, will launch Feb. 29 with a profile of Aaron, the first player ever to hit more than 714 home runs, and will run consecutive Monday nights, said network officials.

Other players to be profiled as part of the series include Babe Ruth (March 7); Lou Gehrig (March 14) and Ted Williams (March 21), said the network.

Each of the specials will be narrated by Martin Sheen and will take an in-depth look at the history, psychology and mythology of each of the Baseball Hall of Famers, said Smithsonian.

Cablevision Systems and CBS said they have agreed to a broad-based, multi-year content carriage agreement they said covers retransmission consent for CBS-owned stations, continued carriage of Showtime, CBS Sports Network and Smithsonian Channel and makes Cablevision the first pay-TV provider to announce plans to distribute CBS All Access and Showtime streaming services to broadband (Optimum Online) customers. Financial terms weren't disclosed and the companies said details on pricing and rollout timing of the streaming services would be provided later. Cablevision also was the first pay-TV distributor to bundle in the streaming programmer Hulu and HBO's standalone service HBO Now -- and offering slimmed-down TV packages to reach new subscribers.

“This comprehensive new agreement builds on our strong relationship with CBS and ensures that every Optimum customer gets the highly popular CBS content they want across multiple platforms and screens,” Tom Montemagno, executive vice president of programming at Cablevision, said in a release. “As the first distributor to agree to provide CBS’ new Internet services, Cablevision continues to expand its portfolio of next-generation offerings, connecting customers to the programming they value when and where they want it.”

“We are pleased with this new agreement that meets all of our economic and strategic goals,” Ray Hopkins, president, television networks distribution, at CBS said in the release. “Cablevision has long been a terrific partner and we once again look forward to providing CBS and Showtime programming to the viewers we share for years to come.”

Cablevision operates in the New York metropolitan area and is the seventh-biggest pay-TV provider with about 2.7 million video customers (3.1 million overall). Pictured: CBS's Big Bang Theory. 

Smithsonian Channel said it will re-air the special United States Of Drinking on Friday, May 15, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, in tribute to the program's host, food writer Josh Ozersky, who died on May 4 while in Chicago to attend the prestigious Beard Awards.

Ozersky was 47 and had written popular books ("The Hamburger: A History"), launched the New York magazine food blog Grub Street and also hosted events (Meatopia) and a Web series (Ozersky.tv), the blog Eater.com reported. Eater also reported today that funds were being raised for a memorial bench in Ozersky's hometown of Portland, Ore.

Smithsonian Channel said Ozersky’s wife, Danit Lidor, said that the repeat airing would be a “touching tribute” to a man that the Washington Post called “the food world’s master provocateur.” 

In United States of Drinking, which aired in November 2014, Ozersky explored how culture, science and history all come together in some of America’s favorite drinks, including moonshine, distilled spirits, beer, wine, and cocktails, the channel noted. Ozersky talked about his love of food and drink during the program: “I spend a lot of time going around the country eating things, and talking to chefs and talking to bartenders and wine directors, and ranchers and seafood men, and line cooks and butchers. My life consists primarily of eating, drinking and thinking about eating and drinking.” In the program, Ozersky met with some of America’s top moonshiners, brew masters, vintners, craft distillers and mixologists, and went behind the scenes to deconstruct the process and sample their wares on his hunt for the quintessential American drink.

The Smithsonian Channel in February will premiere a documentary special on the life of legendary musician Huddie Ledbetter, otherwise known as Lead Belly, the network said Tuesday.

The special, debuting Feb. 23 as part of the network’s Black History Month lineup, The Legend Of Lead Belly follows the life of the iconic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee who battled through poverty and a post-slavery Louisiana to become one of the musical giants of the 20th century, according to the network.

The Legend Of Lead Belly features interviews with Van Morrison, singer/songwriter Judy Collins, Robby Krieger of The Doors, Roger McGuinn of The Byrds, and other musicians, who talk about how they were and are inspired by Lead Belly.

Legend Of Lead Belly  is produced by Eagle Rock Entertainment for Smithsonian Channel, said network officials.

CBS's Sunday morning show is broadening its distribution family.

Smithsonian Channel will begin encoring CBS News's Sunday Morning With Charles Osgood on Sept. 28 at 2 p.m. Smithsonian Channel is owned by the Smithsonian Institution and Showtime Networks, which is part of CBS Corp.

The show will be rebroadcast after it clears all CBS affiliates. 

CBS Sunday Morning is the top-rated morning news show for the day and draws an estimated 6 million viewers a week. Rand Morrison executive produces the 35-year-old program. 

“In this era of the rapid-fire and never-ending news cycle, Sunday Morning continues to be a home for remarkable storytelling," said Tom Hayden, president of Smithsonian Channel. "And that’s something our loyal viewers can no doubt appreciate.”