TV series
The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.
Streaming, rental and purchase options
Checked Sep 1, 2026
Great Performances is available to stream on DirecTV On Demand and YouTube TV in United States. Use the direct links below to open the provider.
The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 1
Paul McCartney’s Live Kisses captures the magical night of February 9 in the City of Angels when Paul McCartney decided to bring Kisses On The Bottom, his newly released collection of pop standards and two originals, to life.
Where to watch Great Performances
Episode 2
Grammy Award®-winning, two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Rod Stewart, hosts his first holiday special featuring Mary J. Blige, Cee-Lo Green, and Chris Botti.
Where to watch Great Performances
Episode 3
Magical Mystery Tour was chock-full of thinly veiled references to psychedelia, anarchy and fantasy, all in the setting of a traditional British sightseeing bus outing to the seaside. The story behind the Beatles film – Magical Mystery Tour – is revealed on Magical Mystery Tour Revisited.
Where to watch Great PerformancesEpisode 4
We continue the cherished tradition of ringing in the New Year with special host Julie Andrews and the Vienna Philharmonic at the opulent Musikverein, under the baton of guest conductor Franz Welser-Möst and featuring everyone’s favorite Strauss Family waltzes accompanied by the beautiful dancing of the Vienna City Ballet.
Where to watch Great Performances
Episode 5
This film explores the unique role of Jewish composers and lyricists in the creation of the modern American musical. Featuring interviews and conversations with some of the greatest composers and writers of the Broadway stage.
Where to watch Great PerformancesEpisode 6
An epic journey following Paul Simon back to South Africa, where, decades earlier, he created his seminal album Graceland. The film includes revealing interviews with Simon and such musical legends as Quincy Jones, Harry Belafonte, Paul McCartney and David Byrne.
Where to watch Great Performances
Episode 7
Star soprano Anna Netrebko takes center stage as Adina, the irresistible heroine of Gaetano Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore (The Elixir of Love).
Where to watch Great Performances
Episode 8
The Tempest, Robert Lepage’s Staging of the English-language Opera Based on Shakespeare’s Final Play.
Where to watch Great PerformancesEpisode 9
La Clemenza di Tito, Mozart’s final opera seria, with Barbara Frittoli, Elīna Garanča, and Giuseppe Filianoti airs on Great Performances at the Met Sunday, April 14 at 12 noon on PBS.
Where to watch Great Performances
Episode 10
The Met’s new production of Un Ballo in Maschera, Verdi's classic drama of political intrigue and thwarted romance.
Where to watch Great Performances
Episode 11
Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening) makes his Met debut with a new production of Verdi’s Rigoletto. The new staging moves the opera’s tragic events from a decadent 16th-century Italian court to the glitzy, depraved setting of the Las Vegas strip circa 1960.
Where to watch Great Performances
Episode 12
One of the most popular and beloved operas of all time, Aida, in a spectacular staging that captures the grandeur of Ancient Egypt.
Where to watch Great PerformancesEpisode 13
Fabio Luisi conducts the five-act tragedy, which stars Deborah Voigt as Cassandra, Susan Graham as Dido, and Bryan Hymel as Aeneas.
Where to watch Great Performances
Episode 14
Directed by veteran documentary filmmaker Ron Honsa, "Dancing at Jacob’s Pillow: Never Stand Still" reveals the passion, discipline, and daring of those who choose a life in dance. Performances filmed live at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, interviews with extraordinary artists, rare archival footage, and behind the scenes insights bring dance to life.
Where to watch Great Performances
Episode 15
Jonas Kaufmann sings the title role in The Metropolitan Opera's new production of "Parsifal"
Where to watch Great Performances
Episode 16
The works of Wagner and Verdi are featured in the beloved concert from Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace Gardens.
Where to watch Great Performances
Episode 17
Eva-Maria Westbroek and Marcello Giordani star in Zandonai’s masterpiece Francesca da Rimini, the classic tale of doomed love,based on an episode from Dante’s Inferno.
Where to watch Great Performances
Episode 18
David Daniels and Natalie Dessay star in David McVicar‘s innovative production of Handel’s most popular opera.
Where to watch Great PerformancesEpisode information updated Sep 15, 2026
Bray PoorNarrator (voice)
Rue McClanahanFaye Precious
Frederick CoffinSecond Guard
Geraldine FitzgeraldMrs.Atkins
Frank LangellaKonstantin Treplev
Charles KimbroughDr.Spiga
Stephen SondheimSelf
PBSUnited States
ThirteenUnited States
