“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” one of the most celebrated theatrical releases of 2018, will come to WQLN TV 54 in a special presentation on the documentary showcase “Independent Lens,” tonight, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m.

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” a Focus Features release from Oscar winning director Morgan Neville, takes an intimate look at America’s favorite neighbor: Fred Rogers. The documentary tells the story of the soft-spoken minister, puppeteer, writer, and producer whose show was beamed daily into homes across America for more than 30 years.

Rogers’ beloved television program, “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood,” premiered on February 19, 1968, and kicks off the WQLN Kids programming block Sundays at 6:30 a.m. on WQLN-TV 54.1 (PBS). In it Rogers and his cast of puppets and friends speak directly to young children about some of life’s weightiest issues in a simple, direct fashion.

The film goes beyond zip-up cardigans and the Land of Make-Believe and into the heart of a creative genius who inspired generations of children with compassion and limitless imagination. Rogers taught that love – or the lack of it – is at the root of all learning, all relationships, everything. There hadn’t been anything like Mister Rogers on television before, and there hasn’t been since.

In Fredonia, WQLN is on Channel 22 for Spectrum.