PBS Shows We’re Watching After Hearing These Taylor Swift Lyrics
Calling all showgirls! It’s impossible to ignore the cultural buzz around Taylor Swift’s 12th album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” and we’ve got some Swifties in the building here at CET and ThinkTV. In honor of the new album, which debuted last Thursday, we’ve composed a list of PBS shows that we’ve connected to some of her new songs, from diving into the literal meanings with mentioned icons and places to spotlighting the PBS characters and storylines that come to mind when we first heard these infectious lyrics and dazzling melodies. We’re officially in our “Showgirl Era” right now, and PBS has a range of documentaries and drama series to cue you in on all things glitz and glamour.
Uncover the reference to the fate of Ophelia in Great Performances production of “Hamlet,” witness stories of following true love despite all of life’s obstacles like in Alice and Jack on Masterpiece and, of course, see what the behind-the-scenes of being a showgirl is really like in the Vegas PBS documentary, The Showgirl: A Las Vegas Icon. Trust that once you watch these shows, you’re too going to be creating edits in your head of these character’s complex stories and Swift’s addictive songs. Check them out below:
Lyric: “You dug me out of my grave and saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia” – The Fate of Ophelia
Show: Great Performances “Hamlet”
Watch the true story of Ophelia and her fate unfold in Shakespeare’s captivating classic, “Hamlet.” This contemporary production is a present-day take on the Bard’s tale of family and betrayal, starring Ato Blankson-Wood in the title role with Solea Pfeiffer as Ophelia. You’ll soon discover connections to why Swift uses this tragic character as a symbol of forsaken love in her song. Watch it now on the PBS App: https://watch.cetconnect.org/video/hamlet-gqsudp.
Lyric: “That view of Portofino was on my mind” – Elizabeth Taylor
Show: Hotel Portofino
Follow a British family running a hotel for upper class travelers during the glamourous ‘Roaring 20s’ while also under the dark cloud of Fascist Italy. Set in the breathtakingly beautiful resort town, the luxury and allure of the Italian Riviera is on full display in this drama series. As it’s mentioned in the second track of the album, Portofino was a frequent destination spot for Elizabeth Taylor, and it was even the site of her proposal in 1964. Watch all three seasons with CET Passport: https://watch.cetconnect.org/show/hotel-portofino.
Lyric: “This is just a temporary speed bump, but failure brings you freedom” – Opalite
Show: Nolly on Masterpiece
Trace the story of Noele “Nolly” Gordon, a charismatic performer and one of the most famous faces on British TV in the 1960s and 70s, whose unceremonious firing from her hit show at the height of her career was front-page news. Her shocking demise made headlines for days, but Nolly herself did not go quietly. Can Nolly prove her doubters wrong and find a way to make her “own sunshine?” Watch the three-part series with CET Passport: https://watch.cetconnect.org/show/nolly.
Lyric: “You want a fight? You found it, I got the place surrounded” – Father Figure
Show: Marie Antoinette
Explore how Marie Antoinette, a teenager transforming into the Queen of Style and a true fashion icon, tries to recreate Versailles in her image: free, independent and feminist. But external forces undermine her status, and her opponents within the Royal Family will do everything they can to bring her down. The higher she climbs, the greater the threats are against her but she’s not going without a fight. Watch both seasons with CET Passport: https://watch.cetconnect.org/show/marie-antoinette.
Lyric: “And my advice is to always answer the question, better that than to ask it all your life” – Ruin the Friendship
Show: Alice and Jack on Masterpiece
Witness a modern love story about whether the bonds between us are stronger than the forces that could tear us apart. Alice and Jack are bound by a powerful connection, but will they let life’s emotional complexities get in the way? Sometimes, two souls are just meant to be together. Like Swift says, love may not always be convenient but what’s worse is to regret what could have been. Watch all six episodes with CET Passport: https://watch.cetconnect.org/show/alice-jack.
Lyric: “Good thing I like my friends cancelled. I like ’em cloaked in Gucci and in scandal” – CANCELLED!
Show: The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family
Chart the rise and fall of the legendary Boleyn family, including Anne’s journey as she becomes queen and changes the course of British history. This is a thrilling story of love, sex, betrayal and obsession played out in a Tudor court rife with gossip, backstabbing rivalries and intrigue. The Boleyns embody track 10, celebrated in this epic three-part series for their ambition and influence as well as their scandal. Watch it now with CET Passport: https://watch.cetconnect.org/show/boleyns-scandalous-family.
Lyric: “Sequins are forever, and now I know the life of a showgirl, babe.” – The Life of a Showgirl
Show: The Showgirl: A Las Vegas Icon
Discover why Las Vegas and its showgirl were an odd but perfect match: A tall, sparking goddess from Paris and a small, flashy, desert town in the West. Although their relationship was complicated, it helped lead Las Vegas to become the Entertainment Capital of the World. Keep a close eye to see if you can spot any costumes similar to Swift’s album looks, like the performers from the Vegas show “Jubilee!” Watch it now on the PBS App: https://watch.cetconnect.org/video/the-showgirl-a-las-vegas-icon-grekfm.
As an honorable mention, we had to include at least one of Elizabeth Taylor’s films, considering her name is a song title on the album. From the golden age of Hollywood, The Last Time I Saw Paris is a 1954 film loosely based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story, “Babylon Revisited.” An American WWII veteran (Van Johnson) relives his memories of the dazzle, romance and hard times in postwar Paris. He meets a beautiful young socialite (Elizabeth Taylor) and falls in love with her in the years following the war. Watch it now with CET Passport: https://watch.cetconnect.org/video/the-last-time-i-saw-paris-1954-qxjrql/.
Happy watching and happy listening to all of our fellow Swifities and PBS fans!
