Sunday TV: ‘Family Tree,’ ‘Survivor’ Finale
It's about time Christopher Guest got into the TV biz; his approach to mockumentary has inspired a handful or more of the best comedies on TV in the last decade.…
Saturday TV: Salute to Harryhausen
Special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen, who died Tuesday at 92 gets a full salute today with a replay of the French documentary that it premiered earlier this spring, "Ray Harryhausen:…
Friday TV: Ukeleles and Finales
A young man from Hawaii who found the ukelele a much more versatile instrument than his forebears is featured in the well-made documentary "Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings" (PBS,…
Thursday TV: ‘Monumental Mysteries,’ Four Finales, ‘Wipeout’ Returns
The new "Monumental Mysteries" (Travel, 9 p.m.) throws together a bunch of crime stories that are loosely connected to monuments. They make it sound as if it will be Alamo and the…
Wednesday TV: Deer in the Headlights, ‘Idol’
"Nature" (PBS, 8 p.m.) is often about exotic or little seen animals in exotic areas, but tonight's episode is about the deer eating your garden right now. A century ago,…
Tuesday TV: ‘Wait Wait, Don’t Amend Me’
There's a number of ways PBS could approach a series about the Constitution. They could have Ken Burns do it with black and white pictures and old timey music. Or…
Monday TV: Importing an Asian Wife
Filmmaker Debbie Lum was always fascinated with the number of white American men who preferred Asian women. Then again, her own husband was white. But when she started to look…
Sunday TV: Finales for ‘The Amazing Race,’ ‘The Mentalist’ and ‘Red Widow’
Teams full of the best looking people usually don't end up in the finale of "The Amazing Race" (CBS, 8 p.m.). But one team are the brother hockey players, Bates…
Saturday TV: Gordie Howe vs. Abe Lincoln
It's Hockey Night on Hallmark, as the network is the unlikely presenter of a film about Gordie Howe's middle-aged comeback in the short-lived World Hockey Association playing on the Houston…
Friday TV: Marc Maron Stars in a Series
In the absence of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Louie," TV might need a new lovable misanthrope. Filling that bill is Marc Maron, the comedian turned podcast interviewer, who turns his…