By Judy Shields
Los Angeles, California (The Hollywood Times) 01/03/2024
LOST LA takes a look at how car culture and the restaurant industry collided in the LA region, forever shaping the way Americans dine and drive. Other topics covered this season include tiki culture, Historic Filipinotown, hiking, tuberculosis, and local cemeteries.
Season 10 of FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. Paired With New Season of Local History Series LOST LA On New PBS SoCal 2024 Schedule Kicking off New Year Right for History TV Fans
Sixth Season of Regional Historical Documentary Series Features
A Look at Local Fast Food, Tiki Culture, Cemeteries, Historic Filipinotown and More With Special Encore January 3 on KCET
TRAILER:
Members of PBS SoCal | KCET get extended access through PBS Passport. pbssocal.org/LostLA
PBS SoCal and KCET, Southern California’s flagship PBS stations, announced today the 2024 return of the locally produced, historical documentary series LOST LA, a co-production with the University of Southern California Libraries, part of their longstanding commitment to building public engagement with regional history collections. Public historian and writer Nathan Masters returns as Host for the sixth season of LOST LA with untold histories behind tiki culture, fast food, Historic Filipinotown, hiking, tuberculosis and cemeteries. LOST LA joins the previously announced award-winning, acclaimed series FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR to complete a night of historical exploration. Celebrated scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. will helm the 10th anniversary season of FINDING YOUR ROOTS, which will trace the ancestral histories of the series’ first-ever, non-celebrity participants in addition to 18 new celebrity guests. The new season of LOST LA is scheduled on PBS SoCal beginning Tues., Jan. 2 at 7:30 p.m. PT, leading into 10, all-new episodes of FINDING YOUR ROOTS at 8 p.m. PT.
A special encore of LOST LA will also be broadcast on Wed., Jan. 3 at 8 p.m. PT on KCET in Southern California. After the broadcast, each episode of LOST LA and FINDING YOUR ROOTS will be available to stream on their companion websites above and on the free PBS App. Members of PBS SoCal and KCET will get early access to stream all six episodes on PBS Passport starting Jan. 2.
The half-hour series LOST LA explores the region’s hidden past through documents, photos and other rare artifacts from California libraries and archives. Since its premiere in January of 2016, the series has continued to challenge the assumption that Los Angeles is a city without a history. Instead, LOST LA offers a history of Southern California that is not often told, or has been forgotten, bringing primary sources of Los Angeles history to the screen and connecting them to the Los Angeles of today.
The Hollywood Times had the opportunity to talk with Nathan about this season and the episodes. Enjoy our conversation:
The new episodes of LOST LA will be telecast as follows (subject to change):
“Fast Food and Car Culture” – Tues., Jan. 2 at 7:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal / Wed., Jan. 3 at 8 p.m. on KCET
From McDonald’s to Taco Bell, many of the world’s most iconic fast-food chains were born in SoCal including Bob’s Big Boy, In-N-Out Burger and Del Taco. This episode explores how car culture and the restaurant industry collided in the LA region, forever shaping the way Americans dine and drive. Featured interviews include: LA Times’ Gustavo Arrellano and Stacy Perman, LA Magazine’s Chris Nichols and author/chef George Geary.
“Historic Filipinotown” – Tues., Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal / Wed., Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. on KCET
Filipino Americans fight to make their heritage more visible in Los Angeles. This episode explores the Yo-Yo’s surprising origin story, tours Historic Filipinotown in a Jeepny and tastes classic Filipino street foods. Featured interviews include activist/librarian Florante Ibanez and the hosts of “This Filipino Life” podcast.
“Hiking Trailblazers” – Tues., Jan. 16 at 7:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal / Wed., Jan. 17 at 8 p.m. on KCET
Meet the people who led Angelenos onto their local trails, including early wellness guru Paul Bragg. In this episode, Nathan explores the origins of LA hiking, from the Indigenous people who first walked the land to activists like Walk Good’s Etienne Maurice, who blaze new paths over familiar terrain. Featured interviews include Modern Hiker’s Casey Schreiner.
“Eternal City: Los Angeles Cemeteries” – Tues., Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal / Wed., Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. on KCET
Visit Forest Lawn, Evergreen and Hollywood Forever to see how LA reinvented the cemetery. In this episode, Nathan and UCLA’s Eric Avila visit the gravesites of the rich and famous while learning how racial segregation once divided the dead. Featured interviews include: The Chinese Historical Society’s Eugene Moy and film historian Karie Bible.
“Tuberculosis, the Forgotten Plague” – Tues., Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal / Wed., Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. on KCET
Archives reveal the “forgotten plague” that shaped Southern California. In this episode, Nathan explores how California’s fresh air and cheap land drew consumptives to local sanatoriums as well as the stark reality of life as a tuberculosis patient. Featured interviews include USC’s William Deverell, LA Times’ Patt Morrison and infectious disease specialist Dr. Brenda Jones.
“Tiki Bars and Their Hollywood Origins” – Tues., Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal / Wed., Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. on KCET
Nathan explores some of the oldest Tiki bars in Southern California. In this episode, discover the Hollywood origins of Don the Beachcomber and learn how postwar American pop culture appropriated the rich traditions of the South Pacific. Featured interviews include Tiki Ti’s Mike Buhen, Tiki Scholar Sven Kirsten and Strong Water’s Ying Chang and Robert Adamson.
Digital efforts will build upon the stories told in each of this season’s episodes, highlighting never-before-seen, newly digitized historic images and focusing on the unique access to archives that is at the core of LOST LA. Audiences will also have the opportunity to share their own stories, as well as interact with show creators including host Nathan Masters during a live chat/Q&A on YouTube during the premiere of “Fast Food and Car Culture” on Tues., Jan. 2 at 7:30 p.m. PT.
In conjunction with the new Lost LA season, PBS SoCal will be making episodes from this and past seasons of the series available on the Events Resource Library on pbssocal.org. With a range of original local content, this free digital hub equips organizations to host community screenings. Offering customizable invites, downloadable episodes and engaging post-screening content, the Events Resource Library fosters local storytelling, dialogue, and connections.
LOST LA is supported by The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture and Creative Recovery LA and other generous institutional funders.
For more information about LOST LA and to watch episodes online, visit pbssocal.org/LostLA
Follow on social at @pbssocal and @kcet.
About PBS SOCAL and KCET
PBS SoCal and KCET are both part of the donor-supported community institution, the Public Media Group of Southern California. PBS SoCal is the flagship PBS station for diverse people across California and delivers content and experiences that inspire, inform and educate. PBS SoCal offers the full slate of beloved PBS programs including MASTERPIECE, NOVA, PBS NewsHour, FRONTLINE, and a broad library of documentary films with works from Ken Burns; as well as educational content including PBS KIDS programs like DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD and CURIOUS GEORGE. KCET showcases the best of PBS and is a leading source for arts, culture, and news in Southern California. Through innovative storytelling, KCET explores and expresses our dynamic local communities helping residents understand and connect with the region’s diverse communities and ideas. For additional information about both KCET and PBS SoCal productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org and pbssocal.org. Locally produced original content and PBS programs are available to stream on the FREE PBS App, which is available on iOS and Android devices, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO SmartCast TV. PBS SoCal is available to livestream on the PBS App, YouTube TV, Direct TV now, Hulu TV Live and Local Now. KCET is also available to watch live on YouTube TV.
About USC LIBRARIES
The USC Libraries actively support the discovery, creation, and preservation of knowledge at the University of Southern California and beyond. The libraries serve as host institution for L.A. as Subject, an association of more than 267 libraries, cultural institutions, official archives, and private collectors dedicated to preserving and telling the sometimes-hidden histories of the Los Angeles region. Southern California history is among the USC Libraries’ prominent collections and programming strengths, and Lost LA is an emblem of USC’s connection and commitment to Los Angeles as a Pacific Rim megacity.
About McGee Media
McGee Media was founded by award-winning filmmaker Dyllan McGee to produce documentary content that is innovative, compelling, and immersive. Every story is born from a vision of a fairer and more equitable world. Whether it is the sweeping history of the African American experience, or the intimate personal stories of the hundreds of women who made up the feminist movement, McGee Media uses television, film, and digital media in radical new ways to inform and inspire. Recent projects include Emmy nominated FREDERICK DOUGLASS: IN FIVE SPEECHES (HBO), NOT DONE: WOMEN REMAKING AMERICA (PBS), THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG (PBS), and BLACK AMERICA SINCE MLK: AND STILL I RISE (PBS) as well as MAKING BLACK AMERICA, RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR (PBS), AFRICA’S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS (PBS), MAKERS (PBS), FINDING YOUR ROOTS (PBS), ONCE & FOR ALL (AOL), FIRST IN HUMAN (Discovery), and RANCHER, FARMER, FISHERMAN (Discovery).
About Inkwell Media
Inkwell Media was founded by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to produce sophisticated documentary films about the African and African American experience for a broad audience. The six-part PBS documentary series THE AFRICAN AMERICANS: MANY RIVERS TO CROSS (2013) earned the 2013 Peabody Award and NAACP Image Award. Inkwell has co-produced FREDERICK DOUGLASS: IN FIVE SPEECHES (2022), FINDING YOUR ROOTS, Seasons 1-9 (2012-2023), MAKING BLACK AMERICA (2022), THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG (2021), RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR (2019), AFRICA’S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS (2017), BLACK AMERICA SINCE MLK: AND STILL I RISE (2016), BLACK IN LATIN AMERICA (2011), FACES OF AMERICA (2010), LOOKING FOR LINCOLN (2009), AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 (2008), OPRAH’S ROOTS (2007) and AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES (2006).
About Kunhardt Films
Kunhardt Films specializes in documentary films about the people and ideas that shape American history. Most recently completed is the 4-part Apple TV+ documentary series, LINCOLN’S DILEMMA. Previous documentaries include the 3-part HBO series, OBAMA: IN PURSUIT OF A MORE PERFECT UNION and feature documentary, A CHOICE OF WEAPONS: INSPIRED BY GORDON PARKS. Past productions include Emmy and Peabody award winning, TRUE JUSTICE: BRYAN STEVENSON’S FIGHT FOR EQUALITY (HBO, 2019); JOHN MCCAIN: FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS (HBO, 2018); KING IN THE WILDERNESS (HBO, 2018); THE NEWSPAPERMAN: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN BRADLEE (HBO, 2017); BECOMING WARREN BUFFETT (HBO, 2017); JIM: THE JAMES FOLEY STORY (HBO, 2016). Other films include LIVING WITH LINCOLN (HBO, 2015); NIXON BY NIXON: IN HIS OWN WORDS (HBO, 2014); FINDING YOUR ROOTS (PBS); MAKERS: WOMEN WHO MAKE AMERICA (PBS); THE AFRICAN AMERICANS: MANY RIVERS TO CROSS; (PBS); and GLORIA: IN HER OWN WORDS (HBO, 2011). Kunhardt Films was founded in 1987 as Kunhardt Productions. It is run by Peter Kunhardt and his two sons Teddy and George in Pleasantville, New York.
About WETA
WETA is the leading public broadcaster in the nation’s capital, serving Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia with educational initiatives and with high-quality programming on television, radio and digital platforms. WETA Washington, D.C., is the second-largest producing station for public television in the United States, with news and public affairs programs including PBS NEWSHOUR and WASHINGTON WEEK WITH THE ATLANTIC; documentaries by Ken Burns and Florentine Films, such as THE AMERICAN BUFFALO and THE U.S. AND THE HOLOCAUST; series and documentaries by Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., including GOSPEL and MAKING BLACK AMERICA: THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE; performance specials including IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE and THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GERSHWIN PRIZE FOR POPULAR SONG; and health content from Well Beings, a multiplatform campaign. More information on WETA and its programs and services is available at www.weta.org. Visit www.facebook.com/wetatvfm on Facebook or follow @WETAtvfm on Twitter.
About PBS
PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 42 million adults on linear primetime television, more than 15 million users on PBS-owned streaming platforms, and 56 million people view PBS content on social media, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS LearningMedia for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. As the number one educational media brand, PBS KIDS helps children 2-8 build critical skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality content on TV — including a PBS KIDS channel — and streaming free on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video app, games on the PBS KIDS Games app, and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, Facebook, Instagram, or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Communications on Twitter.