It’s almost time for the ANTIQUES ROADSHOW crew to hit the road to film the 2025 season, and Executive Producer Marsha Bemko is packing her bags. “I can’t wait to get going,” she said. “Every location is different, and I can’t wait to see the goodies people bring.” Over the next month and a half, the crew will spend a few action-packed days filming at iconic venues in five cities: Springs Preserve in Las Vegas, Nevada; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark.; Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms in Littleton, Colo.; Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa; and the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.

With about five million viewers each week, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is not only PBS’s most-watched ongoing series, it’s a local phenomenon — wherever it goes. Thousands of people apply for tickets to each city, with over 20,000 people applying for tickets to this year’s event in Littleton. “It’s stunning,” says Bemko. “It’s so gratifying that people still hunger for ROADSHOW.” And 5,000 in Colorado applied to have their items reviewed in advance to secure a coveted Early Bird Ticket, which allows 6:30am entry to have their items appraised and potentially filmed.

Sites all over the nation approach the program asking to be included, said Bemko. “Everybody wants us — all the public television stations want us to come to their cities, and it’s good for local businesses anywhere when ROADSHOW comes to town,” she said. “It's a wonderful local-national partnership for public television.” The program has gone to 48 states, but not yet to Maine or Wyoming.

With ROADSHOW now filmed in cultural and historic sites — no longer in tech-oriented convention halls — logistical planning is exceedingly complex, said Bemko. Every sound system, building layout, and outdoor facility is completely different.

“Producing a show is a lot more complicated than it looks, but that’s good,” she said. ”We don’t want viewers thinking about how complex it is — we want them enjoying the infectious excitement of the discoveries.”

The magic of ROADSHOW endures even when the internet seemingly can provide all the information one could ever want, says Bemko. “There are still rare items that you can’t find online.”

And it’s almost impossible to stump a ROADSHOW expert. “They are at the top of their game — they are really scholars,” she said.

Filming dates are something of a reunion for ROADSHOW staff, she says. “I'm really looking forward to seeing the entire expanded team together again — most people haven't seen each other in about nine months. It’s very joyous.”

Check the details of the 2024 Tour here.