'Before We Die' Season 2 Lands a Thursday Premiere on PBS

Walter Presents is a familiar brand to those who subscribe to PBS Passport. However, the foreign-language anthology series is still a recent phenomenon for those who still prefer to watch their TV over the air at set times like a person. The show has brought the best of non-English language programming to the U.K.'s Channel 4 since 2016 and PBS Passport since 2019. However, with the one-inch bigotry of subtitles still a significant factor, producer Walter Iuzzolino began remaking the most popular of them in English. Before We Die was one of the first to be commissioned, along with Professor T, and both landed second-season renewals, due out in 2023.

When the first seasons of Professor T and Before We Die premiered in 2021 and 2022, respectively, both were given the Sunday 10 p.m. ET berth following popular Masterpiece titles (Professor T aired after Unforgotten Season 4 and Before We Die after Sanditon Season 2.) However, that won't be the case for Season 2, at least for Before We Die. The Lesley Sharp-starrer will instead move to Thursdays, airing at 9 p.m. ET starting June 22, 2023.

This is a surprising move by PBS. As most regular viewers of public television know, the national schedule is not something local stations have to follow as a golden rule, unlike ABC or NBC. But certain days have more incentive for stations to stick with what PBS lays out, and Sunday night is the most adhered to by most stations since Masterpiece is one of the most popular shows on offer. Thursdays, however, are the least hewed to by stations, especially since Mystery! moved to consolidate with its Masterpiece parent brand. Even though Before We Die is scheduled to debut on June 22, the chances of stations carrying it that day are meager.