Is Independent Lens coming back?
Independent Lens (1999–present) on PBS
The answer: Currently airing — last episode May 11, 2026.
27seasons
540episodes
7.9/ 10
About Independent Lens
Yes — Independent Lens returns in 2026 on PBS. The next episode airs on May 11, 2026.
Independent Lens is an anthology series of independent documentary films that originally premiered on August 9, 1999. The show features a diverse range of documentaries exploring social issues, personal stories, and cultural topics, providing a platform for independent filmmakers to share impactful stories.
The series has been hosted by notable figures such as Stanley Tucci, America Ferrera, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Terrence Howard. It has a rating of 7.9 on TVMaze and typically runs for approximately 69 minutes per episode.
Independent Lens episode schedule
540 aired
Aired · 540
| Date | Ep. | Title |
|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2026 | S27·E12 | Third Act |
| May 18, 2026 | S27·E11 | Light of the Setting Sun |
| May 11, 2026 | S27·E10 | Natchez |
| April 13, 2026 | S27·E9 | Backside: The Unseen Hands of Horse Racing |
| April 6, 2026 | S27·E8 | The Tallest Dwarf |
| March 23, 2026 | S27·E7 | Keep Quiet and Forgive |
| February 23, 2026 | S27·E6 | The Inquisitor |
| February 9, 2026 | S27·E5 | The Librarians |
| January 26, 2026 | S27·E4 | Vivien's Wild Ride |
| November 3, 2025 | S27·E3 | Life After |
| October 20, 2025 | S27·E2 | Ratified |
| October 6, 2025 | S27·E1 | Cracking the Code: Phil Sharp and the Biotech Revolution |
| May 19, 2025 | S26·E19 | Who Is Michael Jang? |
| May 12, 2025 | S26·E18 | And So It Begins |
| May 5, 2025 | S26·E17 | Matter of Mind: My Alzheimer's |
| April 29, 2025 | S26·E16 | Free for All: The Public Library |
| April 8, 2025 | S26·E15 | We Want The Funk |
| March 24, 2025 | S26·E14 | Home Court |
| February 24, 2025 | S26·E13 | Bike Vessel |
| February 17, 2025 | S26·E12 | Skin of Glass |
| February 10, 2025 | S26·E11 | The In Between |
| February 3, 2025 | S26·E10 | The Strike |
| January 13, 2025 | S26·E9 | Without Arrows |
| January 6, 2025 | S26·E8 | Minted |
| January 4, 2025 | S26·E7 | Dallas, 2019 - Week 5 |
| January 4, 2025 | S26·E6 | Dallas, 2019 - Week 4 |
| January 4, 2025 | S26·E5 | Dallas, 2019 - Week 3 |
| January 3, 2025 | S26·E4 | Dallas, 2019 - Week 2 |
| January 3, 2025 | S26·E3 | Dallas, 2019 - Week 1 |
| November 11, 2024 | S26·E2 | Make Peace or Die: Honor the Fallen |
Show next 200 of 510 earlier episodes
| September 30, 2024 | S26·E1 | One Person, One Vote? |
| May 20, 2024 | S25·E17 | The Tuba Thieves |
| May 6, 2024 | S25·E16 | Space: The Longest Goodbye |
| April 23, 2024 | S25·E15 | One With the Whale |
| April 8, 2024 | S25·E14 | Matter of Mind: My Parkinson's |
| April 1, 2024 | S25·E13 | A Thousand Pines |
| March 25, 2024 | S25·E12 | Greener Pastures |
| February 19, 2024 | S25·E11 | Breaking The News |
| February 5, 2024 | S25·E10 | Sister Úna Lived a Good Death |
| January 29, 2024 | S25·E9 | Razing Liberty Square |
| January 22, 2024 | S25·E8 | Racist Trees |
| January 9, 2024 | S25·E7 | Beyond Utopia |
| November 14, 2023 | S25·E6 | A Town Called Victoria - The Trial |
| November 13, 2023 | S25·E5 | A Town Called Victoria - The Suspect |
| November 13, 2023 | S25·E4 | A Town Called Victoria - The Fire |
| November 6, 2023 | S25·E3 | Three Chaplains |
| October 9, 2023 | S25·E2 | El Equipo |
| September 19, 2023 | S25·E1 | Sansón and Me |
| June 20, 2023 | S24·E16 | Mama Bears |
| May 15, 2023 | S24·E15 | Silent Beauty |
| May 8, 2023 | S24·E14 | Sam Now |
| May 1, 2023 | S24·E13 | Matter of Mind: My ALS |
| April 24, 2023 | S24·E12 | Free Chol Soo Lee |
| March 27, 2023 | S24·E11 | Hidden Letters |
| March 20, 2023 | S24·E10 | Storming Caesars Palace |
| February 13, 2023 | S24·E9 | Love in the Time of Fentanyl |
| February 6, 2023 | S24·E8 | Outta the Muck |
| January 30, 2023 | S24·E7 | The Picture Taker |
| January 23, 2023 | S24·E6 | No Straight Lines |
| January 16, 2023 | S24·E5 | The Big Payback |
| January 2, 2023 | S24·E4 | Children of Las Brisas |
| November 7, 2022 | S24·E3 | Move Me |
| October 24, 2022 | S24·E2 | TikTok, Boom. |
| September 12, 2022 | S24·E1 | Hazing |
| May 23, 2022 | S23·E16 | A Once and Future Peace |
| May 16, 2022 | S23·E15 | Scenes From the Glittering World |
| May 9, 2022 | S23·E14 | When Claude Got Shot |
| May 2, 2022 | S23·E13 | Try Harder! |
| April 25, 2022 | S23·E12 | AWARE: Glimpses of Consciousness |
| March 28, 2022 | S23·E11 | Writing With Fire |
| February 21, 2022 | S23·E10 | Apart |
| February 14, 2022 | S23·E9 | Bulletproof |
| February 7, 2022 | S23·E8 | Owned: A Tale of Two Americas |
| January 31, 2022 | S23·E7 | Missing in Brooks County |
| January 17, 2022 | S23·E6 | A Reckoning in Boston |
| November 23, 2021 | S23·E5 | Home From School: The Children of Carlisle |
| November 22, 2021 | S23·E4 | Duty Free |
| November 15, 2021 | S23·E3 | Storm Lake |
| November 8, 2021 | S23·E2 | Ferguson Rises |
| October 11, 2021 | S23·E1 | Cured |
| June 28, 2021 | S22·E15 | The People Vs. Agent Orange |
| June 21, 2021 | S22·E14 | Two Gods |
| May 24, 2021 | S22·E13 | The Donut King |
| April 12, 2021 | S22·E12 | Down A Dark Stairwell |
| March 29, 2021 | S22·E11 | 'til Kingdom Come/the Debate |
| March 22, 2021 | S22·E10 | Coded Bias |
| February 22, 2021 | S22·E9 | Mr. SOUL! |
| February 8, 2021 | S22·E8 | Women In Blue |
| February 1, 2021 | S22·E7 | 9to5: The Story Of A Movement |
| January 11, 2021 | S22·E6 | A Day in the Life of America |
| January 4, 2021 | S22·E5 | A Woman's Work: The Nfl's Cheerleader Problem |
| November 23, 2020 | S22·E4 | Belly Of The Beast |
| November 16, 2020 | S22·E3 | Jonathan Scott's Power Trip |
| October 26, 2020 | S22·E2 | Represent |
| October 19, 2020 | S22·E1 | Feels Good Man |
| June 22, 2020 | S21·E21 | Pipe Dreams |
| June 15, 2020 | S21·E20 | Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project |
| May 25, 2020 | S21·E19 | Eating Up Easter |
| May 11, 2020 | S21·E18 | Rewind |
| April 27, 2020 | S21·E17 | Jim Allison: Breakthrough |
| April 20, 2020 | S21·E16 | The Hottest August |
| April 13, 2020 | S21·E15 | Bedlam |
| March 30, 2020 | S21·E14 | One Child Nation |
| February 24, 2020 | S21·E13 | Always in Season |
| February 17, 2020 | S21·E12 | We Believe In Dinosaurs |
| February 14, 2020 | S21·E11 | Blind Love |
| February 10, 2020 | S21·E10 | Leftover Women |
| February 3, 2020 | S21·E9 | Cooked: Survival by Zip Code |
| January 27, 2020 | S21·E8 | The First Rainbow Coalition |
| January 20, 2020 | S21·E7 | Accept the Call |
| January 14, 2020 | S21·E6 | American Nomads |
| December 16, 2019 | S21·E5 | ATTLA |
| November 18, 2019 | S21·E4 | Conscience Point |
| November 11, 2019 | S21·E3 | The Interpreters |
| November 4, 2019 | S21·E2 | Decade of Fire |
| October 28, 2019 | S21·E1 | Made in Boise |
| May 20, 2019 | S20·E18 | Wrestle |
| May 13, 2019 | S20·E17 | Harvest Season |
| May 6, 2019 | S20·E16 | Out Of State |
| April 22, 2019 | S20·E15 | Charm City |
| April 8, 2019 | S20·E14 | The Providers |
| April 1, 2019 | S20·E13 | Tre Maison Dasan |
| February 25, 2019 | S20·E12 | People's Republic Of Desire |
| February 11, 2019 | S20·E11 | Hale County This Morning, This Evening |
| February 4, 2019 | S20·E10 | Black Memorabilia |
| January 28, 2019 | S20·E9 | The King |
| January 21, 2019 | S20·E8 | Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World |
| January 14, 2019 | S20·E7 | Rodents Of Unusual Size |
| January 7, 2019 | S20·E6 | My Country No More |
| December 17, 2018 | S20·E5 | Man on Fire |
| November 19, 2018 | S20·E4 | The Judge |
| November 12, 2018 | S20·E3 | The Cleaners |
| November 5, 2018 | S20·E2 | Dawnland |
| October 29, 2018 | S20·E1 | Wildland |
| May 28, 2018 | S19·E20 | Served Like a Girl |
| May 14, 2018 | S19·E19 | ACORN and the Firestorm |
| May 7, 2018 | S19·E18 | No Man's Land |
| April 30, 2018 | S19·E17 | True Conviction |
| April 23, 2018 | S19·E16 | Look & See: Wendell Berry's Kentucky |
| April 16, 2018 | S19·E15 | What Lies Upstream |
| April 9, 2018 | S19·E14 | The Art Of The Shine |
| April 2, 2018 | S19·E13 | When God Sleeps |
| March 27, 2018 | S19·E12 | Dolores |
| February 26, 2018 | S19·E11 | Rat Film |
| February 19, 2018 | S19·E10 | Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story Of Black Colleges And Universities |
| February 5, 2018 | S19·E9 | Winnie |
| January 29, 2018 | S19·E8 | I Am Another You |
| January 22, 2018 | S19·E7 | The Force |
| January 15, 2018 | S19·E6 | I Am Not Your Negro |
| January 8, 2018 | S19·E5 | Unrest |
| January 1, 2018 | S19·E4 | The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin |
| December 18, 2017 | S19·E3 | Supergirl |
| November 20, 2017 | S19·E2 | Shadow World |
| November 6, 2017 | S19·E1 | Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary |
| June 19, 2017 | S18·E20 | Real Boy |
| May 29, 2017 | S18·E19 | Farmer Veteran |
| May 22, 2017 | S18·E18 | They Call Us Monsters |
| May 15, 2017 | S18·E17 | Forever Pure |
| May 8, 2017 | S18·E16 | The Prison In Twelve Landscapes |
| May 1, 2017 | S18·E15 | National Bird |
| April 24, 2017 | S18·E14 | The Last Laugh |
| April 17, 2017 | S18·E13 | Seed: The Untold Story |
| April 3, 2017 | S18·E12 | Newtown |
| March 27, 2017 | S18·E11 | Ovarian Psycos |
| March 20, 2017 | S18·E10 | The Bad Kids |
| February 14, 2017 | S18·E9 | Tower |
| February 13, 2017 | S18·E8 | Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America |
| February 6, 2017 | S18·E7 | Birth Of A Movement |
| January 23, 2017 | S18·E6 | The Witness |
| January 16, 2017 | S18·E5 | What Was Ours |
| January 9, 2017 | S18·E4 | Containment; Excerpt From Uranium Drive-in |
| January 2, 2017 | S18·E3 | Best And Most Beautiful Things |
| December 26, 2016 | S18·E2 | Meet the Patels |
| October 3, 2016 | S18·E1 | Best of Enemies |
| August 2, 2016 | S17·E21 | T-rex Her Fight For Gold |
| June 20, 2016 | S17·E20 | Trapped |
| May 16, 2016 | S17·E19 | Dogtown Redemption |
| May 10, 2016 | S17·E18 | The Armor of Light |
| May 9, 2016 | S17·E17 | Peace Officer |
| May 2, 2016 | S17·E16 | My Nazi Legacy |
| April 18, 2016 | S17·E15 | Democrats |
| April 4, 2016 | S17·E14 | Welcome to Leith |
| March 28, 2016 | S17·E13 | An Honest Liar |
| February 29, 2016 | S17·E12 | Wilhemina's War |
| February 22, 2016 | S17·E11 | (T)ERROR |
| February 16, 2016 | S17·E10 | The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution |
| February 8, 2016 | S17·E9 | A Ballerina's Tale |
| February 1, 2016 | S17·E8 | No Más Bebés (No More Babies) |
| January 25, 2016 | S17·E7 | In Football We Trust |
| January 11, 2016 | S17·E6 | Autism in Love |
| January 4, 2016 | S17·E5 | Chuck Norris vs. Communism |
| December 28, 2015 | S17·E4 | East of Salinas |
| November 23, 2015 | S17·E3 | Mimi and Dona |
| November 16, 2015 | S17·E2 | India's Daughter |
| November 9, 2015 | S17·E1 | Stray Dog |
| June 15, 2015 | S16·E19 | Limited Partnership |
| May 18, 2015 | S16·E18 | 1971 |
| May 11, 2015 | S16·E17 | Born to Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity |
| May 4, 2015 | S16·E16 | Kumu Hina |
| April 20, 2015 | S16·E15 | The Great Invisible |
| April 13, 2015 | S16·E14 | The Homestretch |
| April 6, 2015 | S16·E13 | Little Hope Was Arson; A City in Flames |
| March 23, 2015 | S16·E12 | Little White Lie |
| February 23, 2015 | S16·E11 | American Denial |
| February 16, 2015 | S16·E10 | Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People |
| January 26, 2015 | S16·E9 | A Path Appears |
| January 19, 2015 | S16·E8 | The Kill Team; Confusion Through Sand |
| January 12, 2015 | S16·E7 | Evolution of a Criminal |
| January 5, 2015 | S16·E6 | Rich Hill |
| November 17, 2014 | S16·E5 | Happiness |
| November 3, 2014 | S16·E4 | Powerless |
| October 27, 2014 | S16·E3 | Brakeless |
| October 20, 2014 | S16·E2 | Twin Sisters |
| October 13, 2014 | S16·E1 | Bully |
| June 15, 2014 | S15·E22 | The New Black |
| May 19, 2014 | S15·E21 | God Loves Uganda |
| May 12, 2014 | S15·E20 | Let the Fire Burn |
| May 5, 2014 | S15·E19 | A Fragile Trust: Plagiarism, Power, and Jayson Blair at The New York Times |
| April 21, 2014 | S15·E18 | Muscle Shoals |
| April 14, 2014 | S15·E17 | The Trials of Muhammad Ali |
| April 7, 2014 | S15·E16 | Brothers Hypnotic |
| March 31, 2014 | S15·E15 | Medora |
| March 24, 2014 | S15·E14 | All of Me: A Story of Love, Loss, and Last Resorts |
| February 17, 2014 | S15·E13 | Las Marthas |
| February 10, 2014 | S15·E12 | Spies of Mississippi |
| January 27, 2014 | S15·E11 | The State of Arizona |
| January 20, 2014 | S15·E10 | Blood Brother |
| January 13, 2014 | S15·E9 | At Berkeley |
| December 30, 2013 | S15·E8 | How to Survive a Plague |
| December 23, 2013 | S15·E7 | Jiro Dreams of Sushi |
…and 310 earlier episodes not shown. Long-running show.
