Do you realize that it rsquo;s almost the end of May Sweeps? I mean, we rsquo;re really, really close to it. This year, the Sweep ends May 23, so by the end of this week, there rsquo;s less than a week left.
It rsquo;s just the way it is. So little time, so much programming. Let rsquo;s see what they ve got hellip;
Sunday, May 13:
Nature - ldquo;Can Animals Predict Disaster?
rdquo; It rsquo;s an interesting question, some people think they can. Personally, I never recall Lassie saying ldquo;Timmy is going to fall down the well rdquo; only him noting that ldquo;Timmy has fallen down into the well, rdquo; and if Lassie can rsquo;t predict disaster, no animal can.
Masterpiece Theatre.
ldquo;Bleak House, Episode 6. rdquo; I rsquo;ll be honest with you, things look dark, dismal, kind of empty. Fine, I rsquo;ll say it, things look just plain bleak.
I wasn rsquo;t going to say it but you forced me to, things look bleak. But, that rsquo;s how Chuck Dickens wanted it.
Monday, May 14:
Antiques Roadshow - ldquo;Omaha (Hour One) rdquo;.
Now, I know you know that I know that you know about Antiques Roadshow, which only leaves the question, what do you know about Omaha (steaks don rsquo;t count)? All I know about Omaha is steak, because that rsquo;s what I ate the night I spent in Omaha. The place was great, sawdust on the floor, country music on the jukebox, beer on tap.
Not really your antiquey kind of digs.
American Experience - ldquo;Alexander Hamilton rdquo;. The sad thing about who I am is that every time I think of Alexander Hamilton, I think about the milk commercial with the guy obsessed by the duel between Hamilton and Burr and he gets called by a radio station to answer a question to win money.
Naturally the question is ldquo;who shot Alexander Hamilton, rdquo; but the poor guy just ate a peanut butter sandwich and doesn rsquo;t have any milk and so he can rsquo;t answer. See, I told you it was sad.
Tuesday, May 15:
Nova - ldquo;Hitler rsquo;s Sunken Secret rdquo;.
This week they go exploring whether or not the sinking of the Norwegian ferry Hydro did in fact help prevent Hitler from creating an atomic bomb. Did the ferry actually have heavy water on it? Well, did it?
Frontline - ldquo;Spying on the Home Front rdquo;. Does Bush rsquo;s war on terrorism here in the U.S.
impinge upon civil liberties? If it does, is it okay that it does? If it doesn rsquo;t, should it?
Watch and learn, friend, watch and learn.
Independent Lens - ldquo;Sentenced Home rdquo;. Some young Cambodian refugees made a bad decision as teenagers.
They now face deportation, but they rsquo;re wiser and realize the error of their ways. Too little, too late?
Wednesday, May 16:
Secret Files of the Inquisition - ldquo;The War on Ideas/The End of the Inquisition rdquo;.
Not to repeat what I wrote last week, but hellip; Two episodes. Back-to-back. All about the inquisition, which, I rsquo;m going to be honest with you, I can rsquo;t think about without also thinking about the song from History of the World, Part I.
That Mel Brooks, he rsquo;s a funny guy.
Thursday, May 17:
The This Old House Hour - Episode TBA. It rsquo;s This Old House and Ask This Old House.
It rsquo;s like maintenance hellip; for your home. Wait, no, that rsquo;s exactly what it is. That doesn rsquo;t mean it rsquo;s not awesome though.
Antiques Roadshow - ldquo;Omaha (Hour One) rdquo;. Now, I know you know that I know that you know about Antiques Roadshow, which only leaves the question, what do you know about Omaha (steaks don rsquo;t count)? All I know about Omaha is steak, because that rsquo;s what I ate the night I spent in Omaha.
The place was great, sawdust on the floor, country music on the jukebox, beer on tap. Not really your antiquey kind of digs.
Churchill - ldquo;Destiny rdquo;.
This episode follows the man, the myth, the legend, from birth to 1931. I like to think of the entire episode therefore as backstory to the good stuff which will come in future episodes. Not that understanding where the man came from isn rsquo;t important, it is, I just like the later bits better.
Friday, May 18:
Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal #4646. Another whole week has gone by and good old Gwen Ifill and National Journal are here to fill us in. For the record, I like to pretend the National Journal is a sidekick, like Robin to Batman, Starsky to Hutch, or chocolate sauce to chocolate ice cream.
NOW #320. It rsquo;s the Emmy award-winning weekly newsmagazine. It looks at issues facing our democracy.
The show is hosted by David Brancaccio. And, even better, they still send me e-mails (I think that makes me cool and them nice). Thanks, Now!
Bill Moyers Journal #1105 - It rsquo;s Billy Moyers. It rsquo;s his 1,105th journal (not really, but I rsquo;m not going to explain to you the way in which TV shows are numbered at this point in time, maybe later if you rsquo;re nice). He rsquo;s a good journalist so I assume this will be good journalism (at least the odds are it will).
Secrets of the Dead - ldquo;Irish Escape rdquo;. In 1876, six Irish political prisoners escaped Fremantle Prison and set sail for America. The British followed.
The prisoners escaped. PBS reenacts it all for your amusement.
Saturday, May 19:
Austin City Limits - ldquo;The Dixie Chicks rdquo;.
I love the Chicks! I don rsquo;t really listen to their music too much (it rsquo;s good, but not my style), but anyone who has been so lambasted for such an innocent comment has my complete support. Watch this show.
There we are, less than a week till the end of Sweeps, and from a time of mourning. It rsquo;s just a few weeks till summer repeats and nothing but reality TV. Not that there rsquo;s anything wrong with that, it rsquo;s just the way it is.
It rsquo;s sad, but I understand the reasons for it. They aren rsquo;t necessarily good reasons, but they rsquo;re reasons. And that might be, maybe, what counts.
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