Olivia Rodrigo to Return to AUSTIN CITY LIMITS on PBS

AUSTIN CITY LIMITS (ACL) presents a Season 52 highlight as three-time GRAMMY Award-winning, multi-platinum singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo makes a highly anticipated return to the series in an extraordinary hour. Five years after taking to the ACL stage for her first full-set performance before a live audience, Rodrigo returns as one of the defining artists of her generation, delivering the first full-set performance of her acclaimed new album you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.

The episode premieres Friday, October 9, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings). The full episode will be available to stream at PBS.org and the PBS app. All Season 52 episodes, including Olivia Rodrigo's hour, will also be available for fans to stream on the ACLTV YouTube Channel.

Commemorating Rodrigo's return, the iconic Austin City Limits skyline is lit up in pink as the global superstar revisits the series that showcased her in 2021 at the beginning of her meteoric rise. Backed by a dynamic, 14-piece, all-woman band, Rodrigo commands the stage with a set that moves effortlessly between widescreen alternative pop, chamber-pop confessionals, and all-out anthems. Now performing to sold-out arenas around the world, Rodrigo's return to the intimate ACL stage offers viewers a rare chance to experience one of music's biggest stars up close. The performance captures Rodrigo's gratitude for her beginnings while kicking off the next chapter of her remarkable career.

The hour unfolds as a communal experience, as Rodrigo's raw and honest storytelling creates a powerful bond with her audience. She takes the stage to cheers, moving through a suite of songs from you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love — from the spiky kiss-off anthem 'my way' to the lovestruck stunners 'u + me = <3' and 'stupid song,' dazzling the crowd with soaring vocals and cathartic choruses.

Rodrigo shifts gears for the slowed-down confessional 'begged,' accompanied by acoustic guitar, strings and transcendent harmonies. 'I learned so much about myself while making this record,' shares Rodrigo. 'As I grew up I realized how complicated love can be.'

She segues into a stripped-down, emotional 'less' with only piano accompaniment, followed by the delicate 'honeybee,' as a cinematic showcase for strings, acoustic guitar and Rodrigo's piano playing. She dips back into her catalog for the song that transformed her life: the GRAMMY-winning global smash 'drivers license' from her 2021 debut SOUR. Introducing the career-defining breakup anthem, she invites the audience to sing along, sparking an ecstatic response.

She introduces 'the cure' as her favorite song from you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love—and possibly her favorite song in her entire discography. Calling it the album's 'thesis statement,' Rodrigo delivers its sweeping chorus, 'I'm unraveled,' with open-hearted intensity and shimmering melancholy.

Spirits high, Rodrigo closes the performance by leading her adoring audience through a call-and-response rendition of her early hit 'deja vu,' a song she performed during her ACL debut, dancing across the stage and blowing a kiss to the crowd, a cathartic full circle moment.

'When Olivia first walked onto our stage in 2021, she'd never performed a full concert in front of a live audience. There was an electricity in the room because we all knew it was the beginning of something special,' said ACL Executive Producer Terry Lickona. 'Now she's one of the defining artists of her generation, and we welcome her back to the stage where so much of that journey began.'

Olivia Rodrigo Episode Setlist

'my way'

'u + me = <3'

'stupid song'

'maggots for brains'

'begged'

'purple'

'vampire'

'less'

'honeybee'

'drivers license'

'the cure'

'deja vu'

About Austin City Limits

A monument to music, AUSTIN CITY LIMITS offers viewers a front-row seat to unforgettable live performances in an intimate setting, providing a platform for inspired, memorable, full-length performances. Now in its 52nd season, the groundbreaking series is taped live before a concert audience at ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin, Texas. The longest-running music series in television history, Austin City Limits has showcased legends and innovators across every genre of popular music for more than five decades and has earned countless accolades, including a Peabody Award, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame designation and the National Medal of Arts–the only television series ever to receive the honor. Produced by Austin PBS, the series has become an institution that helped secure Austin's reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World.

Photo Credit: Scott Newton courtesy Austin City Limits/Austin PBS

Photo Credit: Scott Newton courtesy

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