Show about grief gets its Austin PBS premiere Tuesday
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A scene from "How We Grieve" shot at an Austin cemetery. Photo: Courtesy of Meghan Ross
A tragicomic docuseries about grief, co-created by Austin filmmaker Meghan Ross, premieres Tuesday on Austin PBS.
Why it matters: The series, "How We Grieve," is about how people process grief — and the anxieties we all share about our impending doom.
What they're saying: The series is "a deeply touching and authentically hilarious display of what we are capable of when we come together to have hard conversations," Bethiael Alemayoh, director of content and distribution at Austin PBS, said in a statement.
The background: Ross moved from New York City to Austin in 2016 with her boyfriend (now husband), a writer who grew up in Austin.
- They live in Windsor Park with their 2-year-old child.
We caught up recently with Ross to ask about the genesis of the docuseries, which she produced with her brother, Justin Ross. Both had made films about beloved aunts who died.
What prompted the docuseries?
"We were sitting with these personal projects, and not only does this topic keep coming up, but for some reason people don't want to talk about grief and death."
How does comedy creep into the series?
"I was measuring how many yards away gravesites were from ice cream shops — we like to get ice cream after visiting these plots."
What's a way Austin itself features in the docuseries?
"Some of it is shot at the house of an Austin-based artist, Allie García, who's a former funeral director who hosts art classes… It's representative of characters we meet in Austin in the death care space — everyone is very joyful and kind."
If you watch: Austin PBS airs Episode 1 at 10:30pm Oct. 13. The next two episodes are the following Tuesdays at 10pm.
- The series also will have a screening on Oct. 26 at 6:30pm at the Cactus Cafe — with an open mic following — and Nov. 1 at 6pm at BRB Coffee.