On "Antiques Roadshow," Hope Springs Eternal

An antique in its own right, the PBS mainstay returned to the Red Stick May 2

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In television, twenty-seven years is a long time. In an era when the lifespan of most TV shows numbers fifty episodes or fewer, the programs that manage to command audiences’ attention for years, much less decades, are rare indeed. Consider, then, the astonishing longevity of Antiques Roadshow, the beloved series that has been airing nationwide on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) network since 1997. This month Antiques Roadshow, which as the name suggests criss-crosses the country inviting local antiques owners to present belongings to a team of appraisers, returned to Baton Rouge for the first time since 2014. On May 2, four thousand lucky ticketholders clutching family heirlooms descended on the LSU Rural Life Museum, where they were greeted by seventy-five appraisers primed to explain the history, provenance, and value (or lack thereof), of their cherished thingamajigs.

How much do we love our antiques in Louisiana? According to Louisiana Public Broadcasting Director of Programming Jason Viso, Antiques Roadshow consistently attracts one of LPB’s highest viewerships, and when PBS offered tickets to attend the Baton Rouge taping by lottery, more than ten thousand people signed up. Asked why he feels that Antiques Roadshow remains so appealing, Viso noted that the program indulges a universally appealing notion—that hidden treasures might lie right under our noses. “Everybody who comes has the chance to bring something,” Viso noted. “And when you think about it, everybody owns something, maybe from a relative, that they believe has value, or they’ve always heard has value. And this is a chance to know for sure.”

Antiques Roadshow airs at 7 pm Mondays across the LPB network. The Baton Rouge episodes will form part of Antiques Roadshow’s twenty-eighth season, airing in winter/spring, 2024. video.lpb.org/show/antiques-roadshow.