Iconic television series Austin City Limits (ACL) proudly announces the second half of Season 49, with eight new episodes that begin airing in January 2024 as part of the esteemed program’s fourteen-episode season. ACL returns with a stellar slate of all-new broadcast episodes, showcasing electric performances that feature some of today’s most talked-about live acts including several recent Grammy Award nominees. As a bonus preview of the season, ACL is thrilled to offer fans everywhere the one-time-only opportunity to stream Grammy Best New Artist nominee Noah Kahan’s Austin City Limits 16-song taping in its entirety on December 13 at 8pm CT/9pm ET on ACLTV’s YouTube Channel ahead of Kahan’s broadcast debut on the legendary series premiering February 10, 2024. The program returns on Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 7pm CT/8pm ET with a special broadcast: Austin City Limits 9th Annual Hall of Fame Honors John Prine, saluting the late singer-songwriter with an all-star slate; a special companion Hall of Fame hour salutes fellow inductee Trisha Yearwood and will close out Season 49 on March 2. The Peabody Award-winning program, produced by Austin PBS and recorded live at ACL’s studio home ACL Live in Austin, Texas, continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music television show in history. ACL provides viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance for 49 years as this American music institution nears a remarkable half-century milestone in 2024. Willie Nelson taped the pilot episode in 1974 and the trailblazing series premiered in 1975. Stay tuned for news on special concerts, fan events and activations as Austin City Limits salutes an incredible legacy of 50 golden years of American musical history and iconic performances. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available to stream online at pbs.org/austincitylimits following the initial broadcast.
Since the inaugural 2014 ACL Hall of Fame honoring Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan, the music-filled salutes have become fan-favorites. Austin City Limits takes viewers inside this year’s celebration with a pair of deep-dive presentations from this year’s Inductions, recorded live in Austin, Texas on October 26, 2023. The special installments, Austin City Limits 9th Annual Hall of Fame Honors, will bookend the second half of the season and salute newly-minted inductees John Prine and Trisha Yearwood with separate hours that showcase each artist’s Hall of Fame tribute, featuring musical performances, along with extended highlights including induction speeches and vintage clips from the honorees’ multiple appearances on Austin City Limits.
The first HOF episode premieres January 13 at 7pm CT/8pm ET, toasting the late singer-songwriter John Prine. Actor Ethan Hawke inducts the beloved icon as music greats Tyler Childers, Valerie June, Tommy Prine, Nathaniel Rateliff, Allison Russell and Kurt Vile salute the celebrated artist in a must-see hour featuring exclusive ACL musical collaborations alongside highlights from Prine’s nine appearances on the ACL stage. Rounding out Season 49 on March 2 at 7pm CT/8pm ET is a Hall of Fame tribute to country superstar Trisha Yearwood, Austin City Limits 9th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Trisha Yearwood, with Don Henley handling induction honors and musical salutes featuring Henley, Brandy Clark, Ronnie Dunn, Jo Dee Messina and Brothers Osborne along with vintage clips from Yearwood’s four classic ACL appearances.
Season 49 continues in January with a diverse slate spotlighting multiple 2024 Grammy nominees: Five-time Grammy Award-winning innovator Robert Glasper, newly-nominated for a pair of 2024 Grammy Awards, brings his celebrated Black Radio series to life on the ACL stage joined by a trio of multiple Grammy-nominated and Grammy-winning special guests, including R&B singers Emily King and Yebba, along with rapper D Smoke; sharing the hour is eclectic, next-generation jazz duo DOMi and JD BECK, nominated for a 2023 Best New Artist Grammy, making their ACL debut with songs from their debut Not Tight.
Breakout Vermont singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, nominated for a 2024 Best New Artist Grammy, makes a highly-anticipated debut on the ACL stage with songs from his acclaimed Stick Season; sharing the hour is the groundbreaking all-female mariachi act Flor de Toloache, with numbers from their 2024 Grammy-nominated album Motherflower. A season highlight is the long-awaited comeback, after nearly four decades, of country icon and Texas native Tanya Tucker for a must-see performance of career classics and new gems from her Sweet Western Sound; sharing the hour is country breakout Brittney Spencer with selections from her upcoming debut My Stupid Life.
ACL spotlights a number of popular acts with career-spanning hours: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legends Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo make their first-ever appearance on the series with an epic hour of classic rock highlights with the hitmakers showcasing gems from across their career; modern rock superstar Alanis Morissette makes her ACL debut with an hour of classics in an ecstatic live performance; ACL Hall of Fame icon Bonnie Raitt returns for the first time in a decade with a selection of favorites and highlights from her triple 2023 Grammy-winning album Just Like That… in a sterling new hour.
“‘Eclectic’ doesn’t even begin to describe the kaleidoscopic mix of music that fills our 49th season from top to bottom,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “From Rock and Roll Hall of Famers to today’s avante-garde and the best of their genres, you’ll be able to enjoy some favorites and discover some new ones at the same time.”
Season 49 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):
January 13 Austin City Limits 9th Annual Hall of Fame Honors John Prine
January 20 Robert Glasper | DOMi and JD BECK
January 27 Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo
February 3 Tanya Tucker | Brittney Spencer
February 10 Noah Kahan | Flor de Toloache
February 17 Alanis Morissette
February 24 Bonnie Raitt
March 2 Austin City Limits 9th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Trisha Yearwood
ACL’s Season 49 launched in October 2023 with an unprecedented season premiere featuring guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela joined by the Austin Symphony Orchestra. The first half of the season featured ACL debuts from breakout artists including indie-pop trio MUNA, rap star Lil Yachty, violinist and singer-songwriter Sudan Archives, next-generation bluegrass star Molly Tuttle and her band Golden Highway, current Grammy nominees for Best Bluegrass Album, and Latin music powerhouse Jorge Drexler in an all-Spanish language hour. ACL shone a spotlight on singer-songwriters with the return of country standout Margo Price, indie favorite Jenny Lewis and showcased newly-minted triple Grammy nominees Jason Isbell and his band The 400 Unit in a revelatory hour. Rounding out the first half of Season 49 was the return of rock superstars Foo Fighters, currently nominated for a trio of 2024 Grammys, carving their name in ACL history yet again in an epic hour.
Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding upcoming Season 50 tapings, live streams and episode schedules or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter, IG and TikTok. Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.
Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits (ACL) offers viewers unparalleled access to featured acts in an intimate setting that provides a platform for artists to deliver inspired, memorable, full-length performances. Now in its 49th Season, the program is taped live before a concert audience from The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. Austin City Limits is the longest-running music series in television history and remains the only TV series to ever be awarded the National Medal of Arts. Since its inception, the groundbreaking music series has become an institution that’s helped secure Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. The historic Austin PBS Studio 6A, home to 36 years of ACL concerts, has been designated an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark. In 2011, ACL moved to the new venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. ACL received a rare institutional Peabody Award for excellence and outstanding achievement in 2012. ACL celebrates 50 years as an American music institution in 2024.
Austin City Limits is produced by Austin PBS and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, the Austin Convention Center Department, Cirrus Logic and AXS Ticketing. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.