MEET THE COYWOLF

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4 @ 6:00PM & 11:00PM

The coywolf, a mixture of western coyote and eastern wolf, is a remarkable new hybrid carnivore that is taking over territories once roamed by wolves and slipping unnoticed into our cities. Its appearance is very recent — within the last 90 years — in evolutionary terms, a blip in time. Beginning in Canada but by no means ending there, the story of how it came to be is an extraordinary tale of how quickly adaptation and evolution can occur, especially when humans interfere. Tag along as scientists study this new top predator, tracking it from the wilderness of Ontario’s Algonquin Park, through parking lots, alleys and backyards in Toronto all the way to the streets of New York City.

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SALINGER

TUESDAY, JANUARY 21 @ 9:00PM

Featuring never-before-seen photographs, personal stories and moments from J.D. Salinger’s (Jan. 1, 1919 – Jan. 27, 2010) life and harrowing service in World War II, Salerno’s new director’s cut expands his intimate portrait of the enigmatic author of The Catcher in the Rye. American Masters was the first to close a deal with Salerno for Salinger, securing the exclusive domestic television rights to the documentary in January 2013. An official selection of the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival, the film made front page news all over the world with its revelations. Associated Press called the research yielded during Salerno’s 10-year investigation “unprecedented” and “thoroughly documented.”

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AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 21 @ 9:00PM

In every American war from the Revolutionary War to the Persian Gulf War, American military men and women have captured the horror, pathos and intensity of warfare by writing letters home. Tens of thousands of these letters have been handed down from generation to generation. Using the most compelling and enlightening of these missives, War Letters tells the story of American wars from the viewpoint of the men and women in the front lines.

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ZEPPELIN TERROR ATTACK

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30 @ 10:00PM

In the early days of World War I, Germany, determined to bring its British enemies to their knees, launched a new kind of terror campaign: bombing civilians from the sky. But the aircraft delivering the lethal payloads weren’t planes. They were Zeppelins, enormous airships, some the length of two football fields. With a team of engineers, explosives experts, and historians, NOVA investigates the secrets behind these deadly war machines. “Zeppelin Terror Attack” explores the technological arms race that unfolded as Britain desperately scrambled to develop defenses that could neutralize the threat, while Germany responded with ever bigger and more powerful Zeppelins.

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AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 7 @ 6:00PM & 11:00PM

The Poisoner’s Handbook premieres on MCPTV tonight. In the early 20th century, the average American medicine cabinet was a would-be poisoner’s treasure chest, with radioactive radium, thallium, and morphine in everyday products. The pace of industrial innovation increased, but the scientific knowledge to detect and prevent crimes committed with these materials lagged behind until 1918. New York City’s first scientifically trained medical examiner, Charles Norris, and his chief toxicologist, Alexander Gettler, turned forensic chemistry into a formidable science and set the standards for the rest of the country.

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DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 4

SUNDAY, JANUARY 5 @ 7:00PM & 11:00PM

Six months after Matthew’s death, Mary is mired in grief, and the family and servants try to help her face a future without Matthew. Meanwhile, both Tom Branson and Carson face figures from their pasts, and Edith experiments with modernism.

The much-loved cast of Downton Abbey Season 4 includes Dame Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter, Joanne Froggatt, Penelope Wilton, and a host of others, with guest stars Shirley MacLaine and Paul Giamatti. Written and created by Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey, Season 4 marks the return of one of television’s most beloved and anticipated drama series to MASTERPIECE on PBS.

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WITH GWEN IFILL

FRIDAY, JANUARY 3 @ 9:00PM

THIS WEEK: WHAT WILL 2014 BRING IN WASHINGTON?

Economic indicators suggest a number of positive signs going into the New Year. Job creation picked up in the last quarter of 2013 and unemployment hit a new low. The stock market started 2014 at record highs while the housing market is expected to continue its slow and steady recovery. But for more than a million long-term unemployed, there is little to celebrate after lawmakers failed to agree on an extension of benefits.

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DOOMSDAY VOLCANOES

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1 @ 10:30PM

In April, 2010 the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano turned much of Europe into an ash-strewn no-fly zone, stranding millions of travelers. But was Eyjafjallajökull just the start? Now, an even more threatening Icelandic volcano, Katla, has begun to swell and grumble. Two more giants, Hekla and Laki, could erupt without warning. Iceland is a ticking time bomb: When it blows, the consequences could be global. As CGI takes us inside these geological monsters, we meet atmospheric scientists who are working to understand just how devastating an eruption could be—not just for air travel but for the global food supply and for Earth’s climate. Could we be plunged into years of cold and famine? What can we do to prepare for the disaster to come?

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FROM VIENNA: THE NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION 2014

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1 @ 7:00PM & 11:00PM

Stage and screen legend Julie Andrews returns for the fifth time to host the festive annual New Year’s celebration with the Vienna Philharmonic, under the direction of Daniel Barenboim from Vienna’s Musikverein.

From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2014, featuring the melodies of the Strauss family composers and their contemporaries, will air live on Great Performances. This year marks the 150th anniversary of Richard Strauss’ birth.

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