HEADLESS ROMANS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 @ 8:00PM & 11:00PM

SECRETS OF THE DEAD: Headless Romans follows forensic investigators as they examine dozens of Roman-era skeletons unearthed in York, England. They were discovered recently, posed in a gruesome tableau of violent death, their heads hacked off and placed at their feet or in other odd places, suggesting desecration and humiliation even in death. Were they barbarian prisoners from the wilds of Caledonia beyond the Roman border of Hadrian’s Wall? Were they soldiers killed in battle or executed for crimes against Rome? The surprising answer comes from a combination of forensic and archaeological evidence and ancient Roman accounts, and involves rivalry and revenge over the imperial throne.

“It was an amazing moment. I remember standing with our site manager and we looked at the first decapitated burial. … The skull had been taken off and put down by the feet, as I recall. Then we started finding other things, which were rather unusual, like a skeleton with these great, thick iron rings — shackles, if you will — around its ankles.” — Patrick Ottaway, archaeologist.
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SITCOMS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24 @ 7:00PM & 10:00PM

Rediscover television comedy classics, as this episode focuses on five key sitcoms: “I Love Lucy,” “The Honeymooners,” “Make Room for Daddy,” “The Andy Griffith Show” and “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”

Actor Dick Van Dyke grew up on a steady diet of Laurel and Hardy slapstick comedies, so when writer and producer Carl Reiner cast him as the stumbling husband, Rob Petry, next to newcomer Mary Tyler Moore, in his new program, “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” the young actor got the chance to use his physical comedy abilities.

“Rob Petry wasn’t supposed to have been a klutz in the beginning,” recalls Van Dyke. “Carl [Reiner] knew I loved to do the physical stuff, and he wrote that in, or he would just say ‘Dick does five minutes here’ and let me come up with something.”
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ANY HUMAN HEART

EPISODE 2

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25 @ 7:30PM & 12:30PM

Logan’s fortunes are looking up and he is pleased to securely provide for his wife Freya and his baby daughter Stella, as with the outbreak of World War II, Logan is recruited as a British spy by Ian Fleming. But before long, a mission separates him from his beloved Freya and Stella and pulls him into the Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s Bahamian inner circle, a suffocating and, as it turns out, dangerous place. Another mission for Logan brings another separation, and this time Logan’s luck runs out. As a prisoner of war in solitary isolation, the only thing worse than his imprisonment is his return home. Devastated by war and tragedy, Logan looks to America and New York City to begin anew.

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WHERE DID WE COME FROM?

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16 @ 6:00PM & 9:00PM

In this episode of NOVA scienceNOW, journey back in time to the birth of our solar system to examine whether the key to our planet’s existence might have been the explosive shockwave of an ancient supernova. Meet a chemist who has yielded a new kind of “recipe” for natural processes to assemble and create the building blocks of life. And see how the head louse, a creepy critter that’s been sucking our blood for millions of years, is offering clues about our evolution. Finally, meet neuroscientist André Fenton, who is looking into erasing painful memories with an injection.

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LATE NIGHT

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17 @ 7:00PM & 10:00PM

It’s a field filled with big personalities, larger-than-life late night television comedians and conversationalists who put America to bed each night. From Jack Paar’s extemporaneous small talk to Steve Allen’s infectious laugh to Johnny Carson’s witty monologues, and all the big personalities that filled the guest chairs, America has had a love affair with late night television programming for years. It’s how we unwind, ingest the day’s news and laugh at ourselves. And some of the most talented, and varied, hosts have led us down the path to the Land of Nod.

REAGAN-AN AMERICAN CRUSADE

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11 @ 6:00PM & 10:00PM

In 1988, after two terms in office, Ronald Reagan left the White House one of the most popular presidents of the twentieth century — and one of the most controversial. A failed actor, Reagan became a passionate ideologue who preached a simple gospel of lower taxes, less government, and anti-communism. One by one, his opponents underestimated him; one by one, Reagan surprised them, rising to become a president who always preferred to see America as a “shining city on a hill.”

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ANY HUMAN HEART

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18 @ 7:30PM & 12:30PM

A young boy adrift in a boat on a placid river; a grizzled old man sorting through piles, boxes and books. Which is truly Logan Mountstuart — and how did the boy become the man? Old Logan opens a journal dated 1926, and we are transported into the past as Logan, a young man studying literature at Oxford and aspiring to become a great novelist, vows to lose his virginity.

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THE UNSEEN ALISTAIR COOKE

SUNDAY, JANUARY 10 @ 11:30PM

Alistair Cooke filmed his early travels across the United States with an 8mm camera. The footage, discovered only after his death, offers a record of the unseen life behind Cooke’s polished words, against a backdrop of an America sparkling with possibilities. The Unseen Alistair Cooke: A Masterpiece Special chronicles Cooke’s decades in America, friendships with Hollywood icons, celebrated journalism career and years as host of Masterpiece Theatre. Marking the November 2008 centennial of his birth, The Unseen Alistair Cooke: A Masterpiece Special turns an admiring eye on the master observer.

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