“Being Texan” and “The State of BBQ,” Two “Texas Monthly” Documentary Specials, Premiere on PBS in October

For more than 50 years, the award-winning magazine Texas Monthly has been chronicling the state, and nobody knows Texas – its characters and complexities – better than the magazine’s writers and editors. This October, PBS presents two new documentary specials derived from Texas Monthly’s Lone Star Emmy® Award-nominated Texas PBS series, which brings the magazine’s acclaimed journalism from the page to the screen, told through the perspectives of some of the state’s finest storytellers. BEING TEXAN: A TEXAS MONTHLY SPECIAL, premiering Friday, October 24, 9:00-10:00PM ET (check local listings), explores the people and places at the intersection of identity, history, progress, and change. THE STATE OF BBQ: A TEXAS MONTHLY SPECIAL, premiering Friday, October 31, 2025, 9:00-10:00PM ET (check local listings), visits Texas barbecue joints with deep legacies and innovative approaches, capped off with an inside look at the making of Texas Monthly’s renowned Top 50 BBQ Joints list. Both BEING TEXAN and THE STATE OF BBQ premiere on PBS and will stream on PBS.org and the PBS app.

BEING TEXAN: A TEXAS MONTHLY SPECIAL is a surprising portrait of Texas that delivers an unexpected and nuanced vision of the land and the people who call it home.

Featured stories include:

“Farewell to the Last Frontier” – Peter Holley visits the desert town of Terlingua, famously remote and offbeat but now grappling with growth and its rise as a trendy vacation spot.

“The Panhandle Is Burning” – Texans have always had high regard for the land and what it can provide. But what happens when that land is threatened – affecting an industry deeply tied to Texas identity? Emily McCullar reports.

“Inside America’s Last Ninepin Bowling Enclave” – Lea Konczal dives into the remains of German immigrant culture and explores how these spaces are evolving in the face of change.

“Her Crowning Glory” – Doyin Oyeniyi shares the story of Isis Brantley, the Dallas woman who helped overturn the state’s discriminatory hair-braiding and licensing laws.

“The Ghost Wolves of Galveston” – Ron Wooten made an unprecedented discovery after his dog was carried away by a pack of coyotes. His observations led him to believe that Galveston coyotes were carrying the DNA of nearly extinct red wolves. Forrest Wilder reports.

“The Mild-Mannered Librarian Who Saved the Big Thicket” – Tess Coody tells the story of Maxine Johnston, who successfully fought for decades to save an East Texas forest. Today, she’s in her 90s and still fighting.

THE STATE OF BBQ: A TEXAS MONTHLY SPECIAL, hosted by Texas Monthly’s renowned barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn, profiles barbecue joints with deep roots and innovative approaches and delves into the process behind Texas Monthly’s influential Top 50 BBQ Joints list.

Featured stops on the tour include:

Hallelujah! BBQ in El Paso employs homeless staff and is serving up hope in a revitalized downtown building.

Smoke ‘N Ash blends Ethiopian cuisine with impressive results from an unassuming strip mall in North Texas.

Ia Barbecue in Austin, where Pitmaster Ali Clem is carrying on a Texas legacy after the passing of her wife, LeAnn Mueller, of the famed barbecue family.

KG Barbecue in Austin, Texas, is run by Kareem El-Ghayesh, who quit his job in finance, moved from Egypt, and became one of the best barbecue pitmasters in the world. He made it look easy.

THE STATE OF BBQ also highlights one of Texas Monthly’s most well-known editorial features – the Top 50 BBQ Joints list. Published only once every four years, the list is known as the “Olympics of Barbecue” and has the power to transform a restaurant’s business and launch careers into a national spotlight. Many documentary filmmakers have requested to tell the story, but, for the first time ever, Texas Monthly is telling its own story and pulling back the curtain on how it all comes together.

BEING TEXAN: A TEXAS MONTHLY SPECIAL and THE STATE OF BBQ: A TEXAS MONTHLY SPECIAL will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS app, which is available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast, and VIZIO.

BEING TEXAN and THE STATE OF BBQ are produced by Texas Monthly in association with PBS. They were directed by Owen Schwartzbard, produced by Alyssa Estrada and Mike Snyder, edited by Field Humphrey, Nathan Berkowitz, Forest & Pine, and Devin Fortenberry, and sound design by Brian Standefer. Cinematography provided by Forest & Pine, Merit Productions, Netta Lou Creative, and Owen Schwartzbard. Reporting by Lea Konczal, Emily McCullar, Doyin Oyeniyi, Peter Holley, Tess Coody, Forrest Wilder, Daniel Vaughn. Executive Producer is Melissa Reese. Original production funding was provided by H-E-B and Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation. Special thanks to the Texas Public Broadcasting Association. Margaret Ebrahim is Executive in Charge for PBS.