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Episode premiere: Alanis Morissette

“Everything’s gonna be fine, fine, fine” with the new installment of Austin City Limits (ACL) as superstar Alanis Morissette makes her first-ever appearance on the series with an hour of fan-favorites in an ecstatic performance. The new episode premieres Saturday, February 17 at 7pm CT/8pm ET as part of the series Season 49. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available to stream online at pbs.org/austincitylimits immediately following the initial broadcast. The show’s official hashtag is #acltv. 2024 marks the 50th Anniversary of the revered music institution, which continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music television show in history, providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance for an incredible five decades.  A monument to music, ACL has showcased iconic performances from legends and innovators in every genre of popular song for 50 years.  Produced by Austin PBS, and recorded live at ACL’s studio home ACL Live in Austin, Texas, the show remains a required stopping point for the finest acts to deliver stellar performances from the venerable ACL stage. On October 17, 1974, the notoriously TV-shy Willie Nelson taped the pilot episode; the trailblazing series then premiered on PBS in 1975.  This Peabody Award-winning program has earned its place in history and will salute its golden anniversary and incredible legacy with a yearlong celebration featuring archival gems, fan activations, all-star tapings, a PBS special, live concerts and much more.

A generational artist and one of the most influential singer-songwriters in contemporary music, Alanis Morissette opens an electrifying hour with “All I Really Want,” the opening track of her landmark 1995 Jagged Little Pill, one of the best-selling albums of all time. Backed by her ace five-piece band, and signature harmonica in hand, the Canadian trailblazer performs an eleven-song, career-spanning set filled with iconic anthems including “Hand In My Pocket,” “You Learn,” “Perfect” and “Head Over Feet” as she prowls the stage with her famous long brown hair flying. The opening strains of fan-favorite ”Ironic” has the crowd on their feet as the hitmaker holds out the mic for the rapt audience to carry the beloved chorus. She performs a pair of gems from 2020’s critically-acclaimed Such Pretty Forks In the Road, her ninth studio album: the soaring opening track “Smiling,” and raw interior monologue “Reasons I Drink.” The singer unleashes her powerful, feral vocals on “You Oughta Know,” the ultimate kiss-off anthem, for an empowering communal catharsis as the audience sings-along at full volume. Morissette reaches back to 1998’s Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie for the piercing confessional “Thank U,” a sweet set-closer in a performance for the ages.

Alanis Morissette on Austin City Limits, 2023. Photo by Scott Newton.

“In the 50 year history of Austin City Limits, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an artist take command of the stage quite like Alanis Morissette, and that’s saying a lot!” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “She never slowed down and barely took a breath, yet her powerful voice filled the room and mesmerized her legion of fans!”

Alanis Morissette setlist:

All I Really Want

Hand In My Pocket

You Learn

Reasons I Drink

Head Over Feet

Perfect

Ironic

Smiling

You Oughta Know

Uninvited

Thank U

Season 49 Broadcast Schedule (upcoming):

February 17 Alanis Morissette

February 24 Bonnie Raitt

March 2 Austin City Limits 9th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Trisha Yearwood

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.

For images and episode information, visit Austin City Limits press room at http://acltv.com/press-room/.

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.