Mary-Louise Parker to Host Independent Lens

The Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens is proud to announce that the multi-award winning actress Mary-Louise Parker will host the upcoming tenth anniversary season, premiering on Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 10 PM (check local listings). Parker, the star of the acclaimed Showtime series Weeds, is the latest in the distinguished company of Independent Lens hosts.

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Preview Length 00:43 Premiere: 10/13/11

Recent Episodes

True North: Canadian Myths and Black Power

S27 E14 Length 1:26:04 Premiere Date 07/06/26

Assembly

S27 E13 Length 56:05 Premiere Date 06/22/26

Third Act

S27 E12 Length 1:25:34 Premiere Date 05/25/26

Light of the Setting Sun

S27 E11 Length 1:12:19 Premiere Date 05/18/26

Natchez

S27 E10 Length 1:25:40 Premiere Date 05/11/26

BACKSIDE: The Unseen Hands of Horse Racing

S27 E9 Length 55:40 Premiere Date 04/13/26

Clips & Previews

Bhutto: Democracy in Pakistan

Clip Length 06:59 Premiere Date 01/25/13

Lois Vossen on Curation at Sundance

Clip Length 03:29 Premiere Date 01/24/13

New Frontier: Sparking Innovation at Sundance

Clip Length 01:41 Premiere Date 01/24/13

God Loves Uganda: Sundance Premiere

Clip Length 03:08 Premiere Date 01/24/13

Outlawed in Pakistan: Sundance Premiere

Clip Length 02:35 Premiere Date 01/24/13

From Sundance to Oscar: Profile of Filmmaker David France

Clip Length 02:23 Premiere Date 01/24/13

The Boys of “American Promise”

Clip Length 02:52 Premiere Date 01/24/13

Half the Sky: Jane Ngori Turns a House into a Home in Kenya

Clip Length 07:37 Premiere Date 09/30/12

Rose Mapendo Shares Her Story to Inspire Action

Clip Length 09:47 Premiere Date 03/22/12

Women and Girls Lead: Meet Beverly

Clip Length 03:24 Premiere Date 03/01/12

Women and Girls Lead: Meet Sonia

Clip Length 03:09 Premiere Date 03/01/12

Women and Girls Lead: Melanne Verveer Web Exclusive

Clip Length 01:14 Premiere Date 03/01/12

Half the Sky: Desmond Tutu's Message About Manmade Customs

Clip Length 01:18 Premiere Date 03/01/12

Specials

Spice Road | What Indians REALLY Eat for Breakfast | S2 E7

Length 04:37 Premiere Date 08/04/26

Spice Road | Can She Identify Indian Bread Blindfolded? | S2 E6

Length 04:56 Premiere Date 07/28/26

Spice Road | Which Butter Chicken Wins? | S2 E5

Length 04:19 Premiere Date 07/21/26

Spice Road | What Happens When Indian Spices Meet Mexican Classics? | S2 E4

Length 06:25 Premiere Date 07/14/26

Spice Road | This Bangladeshi Pizza Joint Was Ranked One of the Best in America | S2 E3

Length 15:12 Premiere Date 07/07/26

Spice Road | You’ve Never Had Indian Food Like This| S2 E2

Length 16:49 Premiere Date 06/30/26

Spice Road | Inside Chicago's First Michelin-Starred Indian Restaurant | S2 E1

Length 16:44 Premiere Date 06/23/26

The Opioid Trilogy, Episode 3: Coming Home

Length 15:13 Premiere Date 09/23/25

The Opioid Trilogy, Episode 2: Do No Harm

Length 15:10 Premiere Date 09/16/25

The Grocery List Show | Latino Grocery Store in Brooklyn | Ep 5

Length 12:21 Premiere Date 06/25/25

Camp Widow

Length 15:21 Premiere Date 06/23/25

The Grocery List Show | Family-Run Italian Market in New Jersey | Ep 4

Length 10:31 Premiere Date 06/18/25

The Grocery List Show | A Little Caribbean Market in Brooklyn | Ep 3

Length 10:31 Premiere Date 06/11/25

The Grocery List Show | Halal Grocery in Brooklyn | Ep 2

Length 12:07 Premiere Date 06/04/25

The Grocery List Show | Seafood City in Chicago | Ep 1

Length 12:39 Premiere Date 05/28/25

Who Can Become American? | The History of White People in America, Ep 6

Length 05:30 Premiere Date 12/18/24

Ready For Your Headliner? | United States of Comedy, Ep 5

Length 24:13 Premiere Date 12/10/24

The Art of Clown | United States of Comedy, Ep 4

Length 22:13 Premiere Date 12/03/24

America’s Gay Christian Sweetheart | United States of Comedy, Ep 3

Length 24:45 Premiere Date 11/26/24

Be Too Much | United States of Comedy, Ep 2

Length 23:40 Premiere Date 11/19/24

The Making of a Griot | United States of Comedy, Ep 1

Length 23:51 Premiere Date 11/12/24

All God's Children | The History of White People in America, Episode 5

Length 04:15 Premiere Date 10/14/24

The Diary of Afong Moy | The History of White People in America, Episode 4

Length 04:52 Premiere Date 10/07/24

Wild Hogs and Saffron

Length 18:29 Premiere Date 09/16/24

When I Close My Eyes

Length 24:02 Premiere Date 06/25/24

After Angola | holding bodies: a justice anthology

Length 18:05 Premiere Date 03/19/24

D.A. Time | holding bodies: a justice anthology

Length 12:44 Premiere Date 03/12/24

First Disappearances | holding bodies: a justice anthology

Length 12:36 Premiere Date 03/05/24

1 Hour Cozy Yule Log | Independent Lens

Length 1:00:03 Premiere Date 12/12/23

Breaking Silence

Length 17:59 Premiere Date 11/16/23

LA Street Food, South Asian Style | Spice Road, Episode 4

Length 16:31 Premiere Date 08/03/23

Back to the Motherland-ish | Spice Road, Episode 3

Length 20:51 Premiere Date 07/20/23

Southern Fried Tikka Masala | Spice Road, Episode 2

Length 16:31 Premiere Date 07/06/23

Tandoori Truck Stop | Spice Road, Episode 1

Length 16:08 Premiere Date 06/22/23

Everything Wrong and Nowhere to Go

Length 11:54 Premiere Date 04/20/23

Maletero

Length 15:32 Premiere Date 03/23/23

Underground

Length 09:46 Premiere Date 03/02/23

The Command Center to Bring Women Home

Length 20:58 Premiere Date 10/01/22

Brother

Length 14:21 Premiere Date 07/06/22

Our League

Length 36:38 Premiere Date 06/15/22

Folk Frontera

Length 14:08 Premiere Date 05/25/22

The Great World of Gregory Blackstock

Length 10:38 Premiere Date 04/30/21

Jose and Mr. Ramos: The Dreamer

Length 08:19 Premiere Date 09/07/17

Jose and Mr. Ramos

Length 09:57 Premiere Date 08/07/17

Sophie and Ben

Length 12:14 Premiere Date 07/31/17

Never Conquered

Length 10:07 Premiere Date 07/28/17

TOWER - Guns on Campus - Short Film

Length 05:24 Premiere Date 02/14/17

The Rise of SWAT

Length 02:01 Premiere Date 05/08/16

The Black Panthers: Ericka Huggins

Premiere Date 02/16/16

The Black Panthers: Jamal Joseph