Based on the critically acclaimed mysteries of novelist Maureen Jennings, Murdoch Mysteries follows the adventures of a young detective, William Murdoch, in Toronto, Canada in the 1890’s.

Watch a preview of episode one, premiering Saturday, 5/21 at 8:00 p.m.

In “Power,” Murdoch must find Miss Toronto Electric & Light’s killer after she is electrocuted by a booby-trapped switch in a demonstration gone wrong.

Watch a preview of episode two, premiering Saturday, 5/21 at 8:50pm

In “The Glass Ceiling,” two men die from similar wounds and Brackenreid recognizes it as the mark of Walter Ayotte, a small time gangster whom he and the two victims helped put away. While Brackenreid goes chasing after Ayotte, Murdoch unearths a grisly new development crucial to solving the investigation.

Watch a preview of episode three, premiering Saturday, 5/21 at 9:40pm

In “The Knockdown,” when boxing underdog Amos Robinson is found dead in his hotel room, Amos’ wife, Fannie stands out as the most viable suspect. But Murdoch’s strong intuition tells him otherwise, and he must act fast or Fannie will hang for a crime she didn’t commit.

Watch a preview of episode four, premiering Saturday, 5/28 at 8:00pm

In “Elementary, My Dear Murdoch,” an investigation into a paranormal killing requires the assistance of Murdoch’s hero, famous author Arthur Conan Doyle.

Cooking Marathon starts Saturday, February 6 from 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. on WLIW21

Gear up for Sunday’s big game with a marathon of party menu picks and grilling tips from Steve Raichlen, the America’s Test Kitchen crew, Long Island chef Joe Ciminera, Jacques Pépin, and Rick Bayless.

From 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on Primal Grill with Steve Raichlen, the barbeque guru demonstrates how to prepare great dishes that are easy to grill at a tailgate party, including lemon-soy sirloin served with refreshing cucumber salsa and sesame garlic bread and Buffa-que shrimp served with a blue cheese crumble dressing and crunchy celery sticks. Next, he shares recipes for grilled quesadillas, burgers with herb butter, inside-out cheeseburgers, and grilled pork chop “calzones.” Check out these recipes and more.

At 12:30 p.m., Julia Collin Davison appears on America’s Test Kitchen from Cook’s Illustrated to reveal a marinade that boosts flavor without over-tenderizing meat and Jack Bishop weighs the benefits of ordering expensive meat as opposed to buying from the grocery store. Get more recipes here.

At 1 p.m. on Cook’s Country from America’s Test Kitchen, Bridget Lancaster shows Christopher Kimball how the test kitchen translated the regional recipe for California barbecued tri-tip – a large tri-tip cut of beef seasoned with only salt, pepper and garlic – to work on any grill and serves it up with barbecued beans and an authentic Santa Maria salsa. Get more recipes here.

On Taste This! at 1:30 p.m., get recipes for new twists on burgers, wings, chicken fingers and other bar foods. Get more recipes here.

At 2 p.m. on Jacques Pépin: More Fast Food My Way, learn how to make the unusual crispy snack of crunchy kale and the game day favorite chili con carne with lettuce and cheese. Get more Pépin recipes here.

Finally, at 2:30 p.m. on Mexico – One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless, learn how to make a variety of delicious salsas that will keep any guest munching happily for hours. Get more recipes here.

Get your foodie fix every Monday night from 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m., Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. and Sundays from 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. Program details and video previews at WLIW21 Cooks! Be sure to also check out WLIW CREATE (Cablevision Ch. 133, Time Warner Ch. 169, Verizon FiOS Ch. 471), which airs many cooking programs every day. For program details, airdates, recipes and more, visit createtv.com.

Luxury on Any Budget with William W. Stubbs and Bunny Williams

92nd Street Y Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 8:15 p.m.

Buttenwieser Hall, 1395 Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street, New York, NY

Award-winning interior designer William W. Stubbs, host of the public television series Moment of Luxury, gives affordable tips and exciting ideas for discovering the beauty around you and finding excellence in the everyday. Renowned designer Bunny Williams, the author of An Affair with a House, joins Stubbs for a lively discussion.

Stubbs will be booksigning I Hate Red, You’re Fired: The Colorful Life of an Interior Designer and Williams will be booksigning Bunny Williams’ Point of View: Three Decades of Decorating Elegant and Comfortable Houses following this event.

Contest sponsored by 92nd Street Y and WLIW21 in association with WNET.ORG.

Enter the contest now!

Tonight, President Obama delivers his first official State of the Union Address from Capitol Hill. The PBS NewsHour will offer special live coverage of the speech, including the Republican response and analysis of Mark Shields and David Brooks. Come back here at 9 p.m. to watch the speech online.

Premieres Thursdays at 10 p.m. beginning January 28 on WLIW21

Join wildlife adventurer Nigel Marven as he takes us on a sensory romp around the globe, in search of the biological roots of our senses. Why do particular sights, sounds, smells, and tastes have such powerful effects on us? How do we manage to block out intense pain? How does our sense of balance keep working under the most extreme conditions? Live action combined with special effects creates incredible imagery to convey the ‘feeling’ of how our senses work. Human Senses will be presented in three parts, with each installment dedicated to the exploration of two senses. The series premieres Thursdays at 10 p.m. beginning January 28 on WLIW21.

Preview episode one, premiering January 28 at 10 p.m.

In the series premiere, “Smell/Taste,” Host Nigel Marven goes in search of the most disgusting and most attractive smells, and attempts to discover the basic biological reasons for this. Discover the biological reasons why humans eat such a range of diverse tasting dishes, from rotten raw duck eggs to a sweaty blue cheese, and watch while contestants at a chili-eating contest push their taste buds to the limit.
Read More …

On Sunday, January 24 at 5:30pm on WLIW21, Martin Savidge hosts a special edition of Metrofocus focused on how New Yorkers are rallying to help those affected by last week’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti. Savidge speaks with Marcel Toussaint, President of the organization Haitian Orphans Wish; Siobhan Walsh, Executive Director of Concern Worldwide; and Fatima Shama, NYC Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs.

Watch the full program now.

If you want to help, below is a list of relief organizations.

AMERICAN RED CROSS
Text “HAITI” to “90999″ to make a $10 donation.
2025 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
(800) REDCROSS (733-2767)

AMERICARES
88 Hamilton Avenue
Stamford, Conn. 06902
(800) 486-4357

CARE
151 Ellis Street
Atlanta, Ga. 30303
(800) 521-CARE (521-2273)

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS USA/MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES (MSF)
333 7th Avenue, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10001-5004
(888) 392-0392

INTERNATIONAL ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHARITIES
P.O. Box 630225
Baltimore, Md. 21263-0225
(877) 803-4622

INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE
122 E. 42nd Street
New York, NY 10168
(877) REFUGEE (733-8433)

MERCY CORPS
Dept. W
P.O. Box 2669
Portland, Ore., 97208-2669
(888) 256-1900

OXFAM AMERICA
226 Causeway St., 5th Floor
Boston, MA 02114-2206
(800) 77-OXFAM (776-9326)

PARTNERS IN HEALTH
P.O. Box 845578
Boston, MA 02284-5578
(617) 432-5256

THE SALVATION ARMY
615 Slaters Lane
P.O. Box 269
Alexandria, VA 22313

SAVE THE CHILDREN
Haiti Earthquake Children in Emergency Fund
54 Wilton Road
Westport, Conn. 06880
(800) 728-3843

WORLD VISION
Haiti Earthquake Relief
P.O. Box 9716
Federal Way, Wash. 98063-9716
(888) 511-6548

U.S. FUND FOR UNICEF
125 Maiden Lane
New York, N.Y. 10038
(800) FOR-KIDS (367-5437)

List compiled by WNYC

WLIW21 will air “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief” this Friday, January 22 from 8 – 10 p.m.

Watch a preview:

The Caribbean island nation of Haiti was devastated by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday, January 12, along with a 6.1 aftershock the following day. In response, some of the biggest stars in music and entertainment will be participating in a global telethon to raise money for earthquake relief. “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief” will feature performances by Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and Sting in New York City; Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift and a group performance by Keith Urban, Kid Rock, and Sheryl Crow in Los Angeles; and Coldplay, and a group performance by Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z, and Rihanna in London. See the performers. All musical performances will be available for purchase through the Apple® iTunes® Store beginning Saturday, January 23, with all proceeds benefiting Haiti relief funds managed by “Hope for Haiti Now” charities, including Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, and Yéle Haiti Foundation. Learn more about how you can help.

In addition to musical performances, “Hope for Haiti Now” will feature more than one hundred of the biggest names in film, television, and music supporting the cause with testimonials and by answering phones during the telethon. Haitian singer Wyclef Jean anchors the telethon from New York City, George Clooney from Los Angeles, and CNN’s Anderson Cooper from Haiti.

Additionally, WNET.ORG stations THIRTEEN, WLIW21 and WLIW World will air “Metrofocus Special: New York Reacts to Haiti”:
Thursday, January 21 at 9:30 p.m. on THIRTEEN
Friday, January 22 at 1 p.m. on WLIW World
Saturday, January 23 at 9 a.m. on THIRTEEN
Sunday, January 24 at 5 p.m. on WLIW World
Sunday, January 24 at 5:30 p.m. on WLIW21

Guests will offer insight and perspective on crisis in Haiti, including:
Marcel Toussain, President of the organization Haitian Orphans Wish
Siobhan Walsh, Executive Director of Concern Worldwide
Fatima Shama, NYC Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs

Metrofocus airs Tuesday, January 19 at 7:30pm on WLIW21

Is it doomsday for the MTA? This week on Metrofocus, get an an in-depth look at potential subway and bus service cuts and the MTA budget shortfall with Pete Donohue, Transit Reporter for the Daily News and Aaron Naparstek, editor of streetsblog.com.

Naparstek spoke with Blueprint America about the way transportation is looked at in New York City, and how our system compares with the rest of the country.

Premieres Wednesdays at 10 p.m. beginning January 20 on WLIW21

Today, astonishing surgical breakthroughs are making face transplants, limb transplants and a host of other cutting-edge operations possible. But getting to this point has been an extraordinary story of bravery and mistakes — stolen corpses, crazy remedies, medical fraud, lobotomized patients — and every now and then, brave advances that have saved millions of lives across the world. Blood & Guts: A History of Surgery is a new five-part series that introduces you to the breathtaking, heroic and at times comically entertaining story of how surgeons came to successfully save millions of lives worldwide. The series has its exclusive New York metro area premiere Wednesdays at 10 p.m. beginning January 20 on WLIW21 and is hosted by the charismatic and medically-trained Michael Mosley.

Preview episode one, premiering January 20 at 10 p.m.

The series premiere, “Into the Brain,” tackles an area of the body where surgery has been the most frightening — the brain.

Preview episode two, premiering January 27 at 10 p.m.

Episode two, “Bleeding Hearts”, looks at how the development of heart surgery produced some of the most reckless experiments in the whole history of surgery. With a family history of heart problems, Michael Mosley takes a personal interest in these surgical pioneers who teetered on the scalpel-edge between savior and executioner.

Preview episode three, premiering February 3 at 10 p.m.

Episode three, “Spare Parts,” traces the story of transplant surgery from a 19th-century neo-Nazi to the latest miraculous life- and limb-saving operations.

Preview episode four, premiering February 10 at 10 p.m.

From DIY face-lifts to heroic wartime reconstructive surgery, Michael Mosley undergoes 16th-century bondage and 21st-century botox in his journey to trace the bizarre history of plastic surgery in episode four, “Fixing Faces.”

Preview episode five, premiering February 17 at 10 p.m.

Body snatching, boiling bones, willful ignorance and the birth of observation… In the series finale, “Bloody Beginnings,” Michael Mosley reveals how surgery dragged itself kicking and screaming out of the dark ages to transform itself from butchery into the science it is today.

Watch or set your DVR to WLIW21 Wednesdays at 10 p.m. to catch all five episodes of Blood & Guts: A History of Surgery. Visit the schedule page to get an email reminder to watch the show.

On Monday, January 18th, America reflects on the life and legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In an interview with Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, six prominent African American ministers remember the life and death of Dr. King and describe his influence on their lives, their ministries, and society at large. The ministers featured in this video are: Rev. James Forbes (Healing of the Nations Foundation), Prof. Cheryl Sanders (Howard University Divinity School), Rev. Otis Moss III (Trinity United Church of Christ), Rev. Lennox Yearwood (Hip Hop Caucus), Rev. Harry Jackson (Hope Christian Church) and Rev. Jeremiah Wright (Trinity United Church of Christ).

On the Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly website, managing editor Kim Lawton talks with Cheryl Sanders, professor of Christian ethics at Howard Divinity School, about how the civil rights leader’s teachings about war and nonviolence apply today.

Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly airs every Sunday at 10am on WLIW21.