What to Watch Friday: Dateline’s new report on the murder of a snake breeder in Missouri

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Here’s what’s on TV tonight.

Rissi Palmer: Still Here (9 p.m., PBS North Carolina)

Tonight we get the PBS premiere of “Rissi Palmer: Still Here,” a documentary about Durham-based country music artist Rissi Palmer. Palmer is known for being the first African-American woman to chart a country song in 20 years, when her single “Country Girl” peaked at No. 54 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in 2007. She is also one of only five African-American women to ever hit the Billboard charts in the history of country music.

The documentary, directed by Dilsey Davis, is part of an American Masters short series called “In the Making,” hosted by Audra McDonald. The first installment features the Palmer film and a film on opera singer J’Nai Bridges. You can get more info on the series or stream it at pbs.org/americanmasters and on the PBS App.

Palmer was The News & Observer’s Tar Heel of the Month in April 2021, because of her work elevating voices of new and old Black country artists. Read more about Rissi Palmer and the documentary.

Dateline: Secrets of the Snake Farm (9 p.m., NBC)

Andrea Canning has a new report on the murder of a world-renowned snake breeder named Ben Renick. Renick was found shot to death in June 2017 in a New Florence, Missouri, facility that was “crawling with thousands of snakes.”

When Renick, who was known as a “reptile rock star,” was found dead among his snakes, it was incorrectly assumed one of the snakes had killed him.

Canning interviews Renick family members (including his wife Lynlee Renick), first responders and others.

Reggie (stream the documentary on Amazon Prime)

This new documentary examines the career and legacy of Mr. October himself, Reggie Jackson. The Major League Hall of Famer and five-time World Series Champion (who now calls Raleigh his part-time home) is one of baseball’s biggest and most influential stars.

In the film, Jackson “contemplates his legacy as a trailblazing Black athlete fighting for dignity, respect, and a seat at the table.” Jackson played for the California Angels, the New York Yankees (where he was the highest-paid player in baseball) and the Oakland As. The film features Jackson’s conversations with Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Hank Aaron and Derek Jeter.

Some programming descriptions are provided by networks.