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ACL PRESENTS: WILLIE NELSON & FAMILY

American Icon Returns to Celebrate 50 Years of Austin City Limits Marking 50th Anniversary of 1974 Pilot Episode 

Hourlong Homecoming Special Premieres February 15

Iconic live music television series Austin City Limits (ACL) was born in 1974 when Willie Nelson taped its pilot episode. This became the cornerstone for 50 years of groundbreaking, award-winning music television. Now, the series North Star, Willie Nelson, returns fifty years later with a uniquely iconic performance to commemorate Austin City Limits remarkable half-century milestone. The ACL Hall-of-Famer and his Family band perform a mix of classics from his timeless catalog in this memorable, career-spanning hour; the special installment premieres Saturday, February 15 @8pm ET/7pm CT as part of the series anniversary Season 50. 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. 2025 continues the yearlong 50th Anniversary of the revered music institution, which celebrates its extraordinary run as the longest-running music series in television history, providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance for an incredible half-century.

For this special ACL Presents, a Texas-sized performance with Willie Nelson & Family was recorded from downtown Austin’s Long Center concert lawn, marking only the fourth time the show has ever taped an outdoor performance. In Austin City Limits five decades, no artist has personified the program’s eclectic, freewheeling spirit more fully than the man with the braids, the bandana and the guitar named Trigger. An American original and ACL Hall of Fame icon, Nelson has appeared on the show more than any other performer; for this extraordinary occasion, he carves his name in ACL history once again to celebrate the show and commemorate his 1974 pilot performance. The trailblazing live music program was given the green light, premiering on PBS in 1975. “The house that Willie built” is now an institution that has become the longest-running music series in television history.

With a smile as wide as the Rio Grande, Willie calls out “50 Years! Let’s go for 50 more!” as he kicks off the hour with his perennial opener “Whiskey River,” the same song he launched the pilot taping with five decades ago. That landmark performance captured the musician’s sheer joy of playing for a live audience; that same joy is palpable in this new hour as Willie is accompanied by the five-piece Family band, including son Lukas Nelson and longtime harmonica player Mickey Raphael (who also performed on the pilot episode). With the real-life Austin skyline, familiar from the backdrop of ACL broadcasts, illuminated behind them, Willie & Family take the audience on a journey of memories and highlights, with beloved numbers that established him as a songwriting legend: “On the Road Again,” “Funny How Time Slips Away,” “Crazy,” “Night Life” and “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.” Willie cups his hand to his ear and the multi-generational audience takes the chorus as Willie answers back “I hear you!” with a grin.  On set staples “Still Is Still Moving” and “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” the Texas native reminds fans that his trusty six-string sidekick Trigger still has a lot left to say.

The set also features the pinnacles of his artistry as an interpreter: “Georgia on My Mind,” anchored by harmonica master Mickey Raphael’s counter melodies; a gorgeous “Always On My Mind” highlights his inimitable phrasing, the weight of his words in this golden chapter taking on a new poignancy. “Here’s a song me and Waylon Jennings wrote one night,” says Willie before launching into “Good Hearted Woman,” a classic he performed in his 1974 series debut. He forges a remarkable connection with the ACL crowd and calls for the audience to join in; they reply with joy and respect during the many sing-along moments. He performs a new song, a rendition of Tom Waits’ “Last Leaf,” a meditation on mortality that, in true Willie style, lands as resilient as it does reflective. A singular artist, the outlaw legend performs his new-classic anthem “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die,” signaling this is a celebration, not a capstone. The hour wraps with “The Party’s Over,” the same song Willie closed the original pilot with. He receives an outpouring of love and an extended standing ovation before tossing his hat and bandana into the thrilled crowd. ACL writes Willie’s name in the sky as a drone show lights up the night sky with his famous image and the stars over Austin shine bright for a magical close. The hour captures an enduring artist continuing to perform live and do what he loves for as long as he can and Austin City Limits is proud to share the journey.

“There would be no Austin City Limits without Willie Nelson, so it was a dream come true for us to celebrate our 50th with Willie with a special show 50 years to the day from when he taped the original pilot episode,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “For me, it was an emotional, magical night – one we’ll never forget.”

Episode setlist:

Whiskey River (1974 pilot)

Whiskey River

Stay All Night

Still Is Still Moving

Bloody Mary Morning

Medley: Funny How Time Slips Away / Crazy / Night Life

Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys

Angel Flying Too Close To the Ground

On the Road Again

Always On My Mind

Just Outside of Austin (Lukas Nelson)

Georgia On My Mind

Good Hearted Woman

Last Leaf

Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die

The Party’s Over

The Party’s Over (1974 pilot)

Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding the Season 50 second half broadcast line-up and episode schedules or follow 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.

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Episode Recap Featured New Broadcast News

PREMIERE: Sturgill Simpson Presents Johnny Blue Skies

Austin City Limits showcases Sturgill Simpson Presents Johnny Blue Skies as the iconoclast returns for Austin City Limits Anniversary Season 50

Austin City Limits is proud to feature shapeshifter Sturgill Simpson in a highly-anticipated return to our stage for the first time in nearly a decade: presenting as “Johnny Blue Skies,” he brings songs from his recent album Passage Du Desir as well as tried-and-true numbers from the Simpson playbook. The new episode premieres Saturday, February 8 @8pm ET/7pm CT as part of Austin City Limits anniversary Season 50. 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. 2025 continues the yearlong 50th Anniversary of the revered music institution, which celebrates its extraordinary run as the longest-running music series in television history, providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance for an incredible half-century.

It’s fitting that Sturgill Simpson—or is that “Johnny Blue Skies”?—is featured during Austin City Limits’ milestone Season 50; he is a singular artist who exemplifies the freewheeling, eclectic spirit that is in the series DNA. Respected, beloved and fiercely independent, Sturgill Simpson finally returns to ACL after making his series debut in 2015. He delivers a career-spanning set of musical highlights and choice selections from his first album in three years, Passage Du Desir, recorded under his Johnny Blue Skies moniker. 

A distinctly original artist, Simpson has relentlessly pushed against expectations, earning widespread acclaim and countless accolades including a Grammy Award in 2017 for Best Country Album and six Grammy nominations across four genres: country, rock, bluegrass and Americana. 

Simpson takes the ACL stage with a hot band—Laur Joamets (guitar), Miles Miller (drums), Kevin Black (bass) and Robbie Crowell (keys), and opens the captivating hour with a Passage Du Desir highlight, “Jupiter’s Faerie,” a beautiful tribute to a lost friend. The Kentucky native returns to, and expands upon, the metamodern country sounds that made him an outsider Nashville star in the early 2010s with a blistering take on his early career highlight “It Ain’t All Flowers,” driving the number into a psych-rock jam. He performs a trio of songs from 2019’s Sound & Fury, his red Gretsch blazing on the muscular, Southern soul burn “Best Clockmaker on Mars.” 

“Since this is the 50th season and the gentleman that started this show recorded this…we’re gonna play it,” says Simpson before launching into “I’d Have To Be Crazy,” a classic he included on his 2013 debut High Top Mountain. He pays tribute to the outlaw country scene that inspired him, acknowledging his debt to Willie Nelson, and to Austin cosmic cowboy Steve Fromholz, with an impassioned reading of the Fromholz-penned number Nelson made famous in the ‘70s; it’s a perfect showcase for Simpson’s rich, distinctive baritone. Simpson reaches back to his breakout debut for the racing rockabilly of big-finish set-closer “Railroad of Sin” as the fascinating hour reveals a genre-bending artist who’s still exploring and pushing the boundaries of where his music can go. 

Sturgill Simpson setlist:

Jupiter’s Faerie

Welcome To Earth (Pollywog)

It Ain’t All Flowers

Best Clockmaker On Mars

I Don’t Mind

All Said And Done

A Good Look

One For the Road

I’d Have To Be Crazy

Railroad of Sin

Season 50 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):

January 11 Norah Jones | Hurray for the Riff Raff

January 18 The Avett Brothers

January 25 Mickey Guyton | Carín León

February 1 Chris Stapleton

February 8 Sturgill Simpson Presents Johnny Blue Skies

February 15 ACL Presents: Willie Nelson & Family

Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding the Season 50 second half broadcast line-up and episode schedules or follow 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.

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Austin City Limits Spotlights Chris Stapleton in New Season 50 Episode

Austin City Limits brings out the big guns for Season 50 with a highly-anticipated hour spotlighting one of music’s finest: Chris Stapleton. The ten-time Grammy-winning powerhouse delivers a scorching set of country-rock classics and gems from his  2025 Grammy-nominated LP Higher. The new episode premieres Saturday, February 1 @8pm ET/7pm CT as part of Austin City Limits anniversary Season 50. 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. 2025 continues the yearlong 50th Anniversary of the revered music institution, which celebrates its extraordinary run as the longest-running music series in television history, providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance for an incredible half-century.

Kentucky-born Chris Stapleton is a 10x GRAMMY, 19x CMA and 19x ACM Award-winner; he is the CMA Awards reigning Male Vocalist of the Year for a record-extending eighth consecutive year. In this long-awaited return to ACL since his debut in Season 43, the country hitmaker has become a bonafide superstar and one of the genre’s most celebrated artists. He delivers a career-wide set in an electric performance featuring hits and highlights including numbers from his latest album, Higher, which earned the 2024 Album of the Year honor at the ACM Awards and is nominated for Best Country Album at the upcoming 2025 Grammy Awards. In an intimate performance joined by wife Morgane Stapleton on harmony vocals and backed by an ace six-piece band, Stapleton flexes his outlaw soul and blazing guitar licks, powering through songs of desperation and desire including “South Dakota,” “Think I’m In Love With You,” “You Should Probably Leave,” and the current Grammy-nominated song for Best Country Solo Performance, “It Takes a Woman.” Stapleton thrills with knockout vocals on the slowburn gut punch “Cold” from 2020’s chart-topping Starting Over and the can’t-get-enough crowd is on its feet. He pays tribute to a pair of  his influences: “We are in Texas so we should probably play a shuffle,” says Stapleton, “this one’s from one of my dear friends that I miss very much…” before launching into the late Texas music legend Guy Clark’s weed boogie “Worry B Gone;” Stapleton then tips his hat to another hero, Tom Petty, with a rousing rendition of the late rock icon’s “I Should Have Known It.” The hour closes with the fan-favorite “Millionaire,” as Stapleton is joined in close harmony with his partner and collaborator Morgane for a stellar close.

Chris Stapleton on Austin City Limits, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.

“Everybody loves Chris Stapleton!” says ACL executive producer. “He brings attitude, heart and grit to Country music but in a way that appeals to fans of authentic music everywhere.”

Chris Stapleton setlist:

South Dakota

Arkansas

Cold

Worry B Gone

Think I’m In Love With You

It Takes A Woman

Joy Of My Life

I Should Have Known It

Starting Over

You Should Probably Leave

Mountains Of My Mind

Millionaire

Season 50 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):

January 11 Norah Jones | Hurray for the Riff Raff

January 18 The Avett Brothers

January 25 Mickey Guyton | Carín León

February 1 Chris Stapleton

February 8 Sturgill Simpson Presents Johnny Blue Skies

February 15 ACL Presents: Willie Nelson & Family

Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding the Season 50 second half broadcast line-up and episode schedules or follow 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.

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Fan-Favorites The Avett Brothers Return for Austin City Limits Celebratory Season 50 in Must-See Hour

The Avett Brothers return to Austin City Limits for the first time in a decade during the series’ historic Season 50. This fan-favorite act thrills in a high-energy, career-spanning hour packed with highlights and new songs from their first album in five years. The new episode premieres Saturday, January 18 @8pm ET/7pm CT as part of Austin City Limits anniversary Season 50. 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. 2025 continues the yearlong 50th Anniversary of the revered music institution, which celebrates its extraordinary run as the longest-running music series in television history, providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance for an incredible half-century.

North Carolina roots rockers and alt-country trailblazers The Avett Brothers are among music’s most popular live acts, captivating audiences with uplifting songs and tuneful wonder for more than two decades. Fronted by siblings Scott and Seth Avett and bandmate Bob Crawford, they made their ACL debut in Season 35 and returned for Season 40. They now return for Season 50 showcasing their latest album, simply titled The Avett Brothers. The Avetts open the sparkling 10-song set with a pair of new numbers, “Love Of A Girl” and “2020 Regret.” Anchored by gorgeous vocals and mountain-music harmonies, the band thrills with the crowd-pleaser “I Wish I Was,” an acoustic marvel from their 2016 album True Sadness. The group’s onstage chemistry is obvious as they radiate joy and forge a unique connection with the audience. A set highlight is a spirited cover of Toby Keith’s “As Good As I Once Was,” as the Avetts tip their hat to the late country great with a rousing rendition of his 2005 hit. They wrap the hour with the stunning meditation “No Hard Feelings,” and the ACL crowd joins in for a powerful closer.

The Avett Brothers on ACL
The Avett Brothers on Austin City Limits. Photo courtesy of Scott Newton.

The Avett Brothers setlist:

Love Of A Girl

2020 Regret

I Wish I Was

Laundry Room

Talk On Indolence

Cheap Coffee

We Are Loved

Country Kid

As Good As I Once Was

No Hard Feelings

Season 50 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):

January 11 Norah Jones | Hurray for the Riff Raff

January 18 The Avett Brothers

January 25 Mickey Guyton | Carín León

February 1 Chris Stapleton

February 8 Sturgill Simpson Presents Johnny Blue Skies

February 15 ACL Presents: Willie Nelson & Family

Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding the Season 50 second half broadcast line-up and episode schedules or follow 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.

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Austin City Limits Season 50 Returns with Celebrated Singer-Songwriters: Norah Jones & Hurray for the Riff Raff 

The trailblazing music program Austin City Limits returns as the second half of its milestone 50th Anniversary broadcast season kicks off in 2025 with a fresh hour spotlighting two acclaimed singer-songwriters. Nine-time Grammy winner Norah Jones returns for ACL’s golden anniversary in her fifth series appearance, dazzling with numbers from her LP Visions, nominated for a 2025 Grammy Award. Singer and songwriter Hurray for the Riff Raff shares the hour, making their ACL debut with highlights from The Past Is Still Alive, an album that topped many critics’ year-end best lists and was nominated for 2024 Album of the Year by the Americana Music Association. The new Season 50 episode premieres Saturday, January 11 @8pm ET/7pm CT as part of Austin City Limits anniversary Season 50.

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. 2025 continues the yearlong 50th Anniversary of the revered music institution, which celebrates its extraordinary run as the longest-running music series in television history, providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance for an incredible half-century.

Norah Jones playing piano
Norah Jones on ACL, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.

Norah Jones made her first appearance on Austin City Limits in 2002, just prior to the release of her landmark debut Come Away With Me, her self-described “moody little record” which became a global phenomenon and propelled her to the world stage. She returns for the series’ milestone Season 50 with songs from Visions, her Grammy-nominated ninth studio album. The Texas native captivates with signature dreamy melodies and lush vocals in her latest ACL outing, moving from piano to guitar to keyboard throughout the radiant six-song set. 

Hurray For the Riff Raff performs onstage
Hurray for the Riff Raff on ACL, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.

Hurray for the Riff Raff, the performance name of New Orleans-based, Bronx-raised Alynda Segarra (they/them), make their ACL debut with highlights from The Past Is Still Alive. The autobiographical album received widespread acclaim and Best of 2024 raves from Rolling Stone, Paste, NPR, Pitchfork, The New York Times and more. One of roots music’s finest new storytellers, Segarra shares real-life stories from their time as an itinerant hitchhiker and train hopper, revealing profound truths about freedom and survival in America today. Clad in black leather, the artist and guitarist cuts a riveting figure as they perform soaring earworms about relevant topics in a must-see ACL showcase.

“Norah Jones is an ACL favorite who never disappoints, and it’s fascinating to showcase her growth as an artist,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Alynda is like a modern day Huck Finn who is taking us along for the ride.”

Norah Jones setlist:

Running

Paradise

Alone With My Thoughts

I’m Awake

Visions

All This Time

Hurray for the Riff Raff

Buffalo

Dynamo

Colossus of Roads

Snake Plant (The Past Is Still Alive)

Ogallala

Season 50 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):

January 11 Norah Jones | Hurray for the Riff Raff

January 18 The Avett Brothers

January 25 Mickey Guyton | Carín León

February 1 Chris Stapleton

February 8 Sturgill Simpson Presents Johnny Blue Skies

February 15 ACL Presents: Willie Nelson & Family

Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding the Season 50 second half broadcast line-up and episode schedules or follow 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.

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Landmark 50th Anniversary Season Returns January 11 on PBS with All-New Episodes

The trailblazing live music series Austin City Limits proudly announces the second half of its landmark 50th Anniversary broadcast season, with new episodes that begin airing in January 2025 as part of the esteemed program’s fourteen-episode season. Austin City Limits returns with six all-new broadcast episodes for this half-century celebration, showcasing an all-star slate of returning favorites, alongside highly-anticipated series debuts and multiple 2025 Grammy nominees: Willie Nelson & Family, Chris Stapleton, Norah Jones, The Avett Brothers and Sturgill Simpson presents Johnny Blue Skies; first-timers include Carín León, Mickey Guyton and Hurray for the Riff Raff. Providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in music performance for a remarkable 50 years, ACL returns on Saturday, January 11th at 7pm CT/8pm ET. 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. 

Season 50 returns in January with a diverse slate that spotlights multiple 2025 Grammy nominees. Celebrated singer-songwriter Norah Jones returns for the golden anniversary season in her fifth series appearance. The nine-time Grammy-winning Texas native dazzles with selections from her LP Visions, newly-nominated for a 2025 Grammy Award. Singer and songwriter Hurray for the Riff Raff shares the hour, performing highlights from their The Past Is Still Alive, which topped many critics’ year-end best lists and was nominated for 2024 Album of the Year by the Americana Music Association. 

Carin Leon on Austin City Limits
Carín León on Austin City Limits, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.

A pair of trailblazers make must-see ACL debuts in a standout hour: Chart-topping global Latin music superstar Carín León thrills with an eighteen-piece band and songs from his 2025 Grammy-nominated album Boca Chueca Vol. 1., while country maverick and Texas native Mickey Guyton performs hits and highlights from her acclaimed sophomore LP House on Fire in a radiant debut. 

ACL spotlights multiple fan-favorite acts with epic hours: The reigning CMA Awards Male Vocalist of the Year (for a record-breaking eighth time), ten-time Grammy-winning superstar Chris Stapleton returns with a scorching display of country-rock classics and gems from his LP Higher, just nominated for a pair of 2025 Grammy Awards including Best Country Album. One of the biggest live acts in music, Stapleton brings a stadium-size show to ACL in a performance for the ages.

The Avett Brothers on ACL
The Avett Brothers on ACL, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.

The Avett Brothers, who last appeared in milestone Season 40, thrill in a high-energy, career-spanning hour packed with highlights and new songs from their namesake first album in five years, The Avett Brothers. The North Carolina roots and alt-country trailblazers dazzle with gorgeous harmonies in their latest outing. Shapeshifter Sturgill Simpson makes his highly-anticipated return to the ACL stage for the first time in nearly a decade with songs from his latest album, Passage Du Desir; under a new name, “Johnny Blue Skies,” the Grammy-winning iconoclast and his ace four-piece band thrill with a new chapter alongside fan-favorite classics in a magnetic hour.

Willie Nelson returns to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of his 1974 taping with a special hour that closes out Season 50. For this special ACL Presents, a Texas-sized performance with Willie & Family was recorded outdoors at Austin’s Long Center, with the actual Austin skyline as the backdrop. Highlights from the performance will premiere on February 15, 2025, as a high point of ACL’s Season 50. Willie & Family share the magic in a shining hour filled with beloved classics from his catalog, marking only the fourth time in the show’s five-decade history that a performance has been taped outdoors. Nelson, an American original and ACL Hall of Fame icon, has appeared on the series more than any other performer; he carves his name in ACL history once again to celebrate the milestone of his performance from October 1974. That now legendary show, taped as the pilot for Austin City Limits, became the cornerstone for 50 years of groundbreaking, award-winning music television and served as a dispatch to the world declaring Austin’s place as a pioneering music city. The trailblazing live music program was given the green light, premiering on PBS in 1975. “The house that Willie built” is now an institution that has become the longest-running music series in television history. 

Rounding out the series golden jubilee celebrations is a two-hour primetime PBS special, Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years, saluting the program’s historic milestone set to premiere on April 4, 2025. This all-star celebration features some of the brightest stars in the show’s 50-year history as they return to the fabled ACL stage; the special will feature one-of-a-kind music performances with a stellar line-up including Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr. joined by Eve Monsees, Billy Strings featuring Sierra Hull, Indigo Girls, Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Brandy Clark, Rufus Wainwright, The Mavericks, Ángela Aguilar and many more, co-hosted by Austin-based actors Jared and Genevieve Padalecki.

“Austin City Limits has stood the test of time, and our 50th season says it all,” according to executive producer Terry Lickona. “It’s a full circle moment, with Willie returning to the stage 50 years to the day since he recorded the original pilot. For me, that was the most emotional moment of the entire past 50 years!”

Season 50 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):

  • January 11 Norah Jones | Hurray for the Riff Raff
  • January 18 The Avett Brothers
  • January 25 Mickey Guyton | Carín León
  • February 1 Chris Stapleton
  • February 8 Sturgill Simpson Presents Johnny Blue Skies
  • February 15 ACL Presents: Willie Nelson & Family
  • April 4 Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years

ACL’s landmark Season 50 launched in September 2024 with a sterling season premiere featuring Kacey Musgraves, newly-nominated for a trio of 2025 Grammy Awards. The first half of the season showcased many returning favorites in revelatory hours: rock and R&B dynamo Brittany Howard, country superstar Wynonna Judd and Colombian rock icon Juanes. ACL shone a spotlight on many ACL favorites: Austin’s own rock and soul guitar great Gary Clark Jr. and psychedelic soul act Black Pumas; standout singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers, formative bluegrass trio Nickel Creek and powerhouse husband-and-wife duo The War & Treaty. ACL showcased breakout acts in must-see ACL debuts: Chart-topping Nashville sensation Jelly Roll, next-generation singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams and newly-minted triple 2025 Grammy nominee Jacob Collier.

Produced by Austin PBS, Austin City Limits is recorded live at the series studio home ACL Live in Austin, Texas. Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding Season 51 tapings 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.