PBS begins epic series ‘Native America’
PBS premieres “Native America” (9 p.m., TV-PG, check local listings). Over four Tuesday nights, this epic documentary series will re-examine the legacy of the civilizations disrupted by the discovery of the New World.
Long dismissed as savages delivered from their primitive ways by Christianizing Europeans, “Native America” reminds us of sophisticated cities, communication systems that connected people over hundreds of miles, vast irrigation systems, a representative form of government that would inspire our own and the cultivation of a wild plant (corn) that continues to be the foundation of the world’s food and feed supply.
Mixing modern science and historical scholarship, “Native” also explores how many of the first Americans did not tame or conquer nature but incorporated an appreciation, even a worship, of the natural world into their cultures.
“Native” is narrated by Robbie Robertson, a member The Band who happens to be of Mohawk descent.
› The comedy anthology series “The Guest Book” (10 p.m., TBS, TV-MA) enters its second season. The venue shifts from a woodsy motel to an oceanfront rental called the Barefeet Retreat. The tone and content are basically the same.
Created by Greg Garcia, the show features new guests every week interacting with the quirky locals. It’s a vacation variation on “Love Boat” by way of “My Name Is Earl,” Garcia’s signature series.
It’s curious that TBS chooses tonight for the return of this popular comedy. Having just broadcast the MLB playoffs, TBS now asks viewers to skip the first game of the World Series (8 p.m., Fox).
It’s too darn late to be starting the Fall Classic!
› Not that you’re looking for new things to worry about. “Frontline” (10 p.m., PBS, check local listings) presents “The Pension Gamble,” a terrifying look at the retirement plans for teachers, police, firefighters and other civil servants in more than 40 states that have been underfunded to the tune of trillions of dollars.
› OK, how bummed out were we by last week’s debut of “The Conners” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG)? As long rumored, Roseanne Conner was carried away by an overdose of pain pills. The premiere did a good job of mixing poignancy and humor without tipping into mawkishness. But still. The matriarch’s departure may put too much of a burden on Dan (John Goodman) and Jackie (Laurie Metcalf ) to carry the show. In tonight’s episode, D.J.’s (Michael Fishman) wife, Geena (Maya Lynne Robinson), on leave from Afghanistan for the funeral, discovers the Conners’ laissez-faire
attitude toward church attendance.
ABC touted “The Conners” as the most-watched comedy premiere of the fall season. Others noted that it attracted only half the audience as last spring’s reboot, starring Roseanne Barr.
› TV-themed DVDs available today include a 28-disc box set of “Vera,” the BBC mystery series starring Brenda Blethyn.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
› Timmy borrows a few verses on “The Kids Are Alright” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
› A safety inspector’s death may be linked to a reactor leak on “FBI” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin .tvguy@gmail.com.