Sunday, June 14 at 8 pm. When a middling copy editor/failed poet meets his former lover for lunch fifteen years after their affair, he finds that everything — and nothing — has changed. From the tablecloths to the wine to his former lover, wealth and success now gloss the surface where kitsch and passion once held sway. He is bitter, petulant, and increasingly inebriated; she is glamorous, generous, and eventually provoked. A dramatization of Christopher Reid's acclaimed narrative poem, The Song of Lunch stars Alan Rickman (Harry Potter films) and Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility) in the unnamed roles of He and She. Join us for a lunch that celebrates love and ambition with poignancy, humor, and affection. "Waiter, I'll take the nostalgia special with a side of recrimination, and finish with regret."

Saturday, June 13 at 9 pm.  “B.B. King personified blues music for the whole world,” says Austin City Limits executive producer Terry Lickona, “but when he first appeared on Austin City Limits in 1983 it was rare for a blues artist to command a full hour on national television.” In honor of the late, undisputed King of the Blues, Austin City Limits is proud to bring that iconic hour out from the vault and back to television for the first time in 22 years. The first of two appearances on Austin City Limits, King’s debut episode was recorded in 1982 and originally broadcast in 1983 as part of Season 8. The 11-song set spans the length and breadth of his career to that point, from his then-new album Love Me Tender (including “Since I Met You, Baby” and the title track, a cover of the Elvis Presley classic) to his own standards “Everyday I Have the Blues” and “The Thrill is Gone.” In a powerhouse performance, King hits full-force with a voice that is neither harsh nor sweet, that bends, like his fingers, with each note.

Wednesday, June 3 at 8:30 pm. Throughout her four-decade career, music superstar Annie Lennox has defied categorization, diving into blues, soul, folk, and pop to create songs that captivate and transcend boundaries. In her latest album Nostalgia, Lennox has revealed yet another dimension to her formidable talent. Although jazz is not the genre for which she is best known, she could no longer resist the magnetic pull of some of the most memorable melodies and lyrics from the American Songbook.

Nostalgia, the singer’s seventh solo album, has been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. And with the Great Performances special, Annie Lennox: Nostalgia Live in Concert, the singer’s unique interpretations bring a new intimacy to timeless classics like “Summertime,” “Strange Fruit,” “I Cover the Waterfront” and “God Bless the Child.”

The special will feature Lennox’s fresh takes on iconic American compositions by such artists as Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Billie Holiday, and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, as she pays tribute to some of the greatest artists of the 20th century, interpreting compositions that have moved her, stripping them down to their emotional and musical core and making them her own, demonstrating how these songs continue to resonate even amid the complexities of modern life.

Wednesday, May 27 at 9 pm. The Best of the Boston Pops features some of the greatest moments from the world-renowned orchestra's 129-year history. Hosted by Pops conductor Keith Lockhart, the documentary tells the orchestra's story from its beginning as summertime entertainment for Bostonians to its current role as a national icon and beloved institution. Showcasing the extraordinary variety of artists and performances from the leadership eras of Arthur Fiedler (1930-1979), John Williams (1980-1993), and Keith Lockhart (1995 to present), this special program includes interviews and/or performances by Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Josh Groban, James Taylor, Vanessa Williams, Yo-Yo Ma, Wynton Marsalis and Roberta Flack, among others. The program also features rare footage of legendary singers and musicians, including Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Johnny Cash, Benny Goodman and Sammy Davis, Jr., along with performances by Broadway stars Ethel Merman, Bernadette Peters, Nathan Lane, and Jerry Herman.