THE QUEEN OF SHEBA

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 @ 8:00PM & 11:00PM

In this series, Michael Wood goes in search of four of the world’s most famous myths. These gripping adventures take the viewer to some of the most extraordinary places on earth, exploring stories that have captivated the world for thousands of years.

Michael Wood begins his quest with an exotic and mysterious woman of power — the Queen of Sheba. Immortalized in the Hebrew Bible, the Muslim Koran and in many Christian traditions, the tale of the Queen’s journey to Jerusalem to meet (and sleep with) King Solomon has been told and retold for nearly 3,000 years.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4 @ 8:00PM & 11:00PM

Through a Dog’s Eyes will change the way you feel about your own dog. The documentary follows a handful of people as they journey through the heartwarming and often challenging process of receiving their service dogs.

Jennifer Arnold, founder of Canine Assistants, discusses her teaching methods and the life-changing impact these dogs have on the recipients and their families. She gives us a glimpse of puppy-rearing and training, and takes us inside the intense and sometimes nerve-wracking experience of matching people with their dogs. Ádám Miklósi, Ph.D., one of the world’s foremost experts in dog cognition, also discusses the science behind Jennifer’s training philosophy.

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Birth of Humanity

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 @ 6:00PM

In “Birth of Humanity,” the second part of the three-part series “Becoming Human,” NOVA investigates the first skeleton that really looks like us–”Turkana Boy”–an astonishingly complete specimen of Homo erectus found by the famous Leakey team in Kenya. These early humans are thought to have developed key innovations that helped them thrive, including hunting large prey, the use of fire, and extensive social bonds.

The program examines an intriguing theory that long-distance running–our ability to jog–was crucial for the survival of these early hominids. Not only did running help them escape from vicious predators roaming the grasslands, but it also gave them a unique hunting strategy: chasing down prey animals such as deer and antelope to the point of exhaustion. “Birth of Humanity” also probes how, why, and when humans’ uniquely long period of childhood and parenting began.

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 @ 7:00PM & 10:00PM

THE DETECTIVE: Elyse Luray
THE PLACE: Connecticut; Illinois and Michigan

THE CASE:

Our contributor wonders if her family clock kept time for the entire Midwest during the 19th century.

According to the story, the clock sat in the family jewelry store in Chicago and regulated time in other towns via telegraph signals.

History Detectives takes on the case, and discovers how regulating time became critical as America moved into the industrial age.

We visit a clock appraiser and a time-keeping historian and some interesting results from the Chicago Tribune historical archives.
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Inspector Lewis, Series II

The Dead of Winter

SUNDAY, AUGUST 21 @ 7:00PM & 11:00PM

An Oxford academic is dead on a tour bus and none of the other passengers even took notice. The curious case leads back to Crevecoeur Hall, a vast, history-rich Oxford estate, and as it happens, the setting for much of Detective Sergeant Hathaway’s (Laurence Fox) youth. Hathaway reconnects with his past — and Scarlett Mortmaigne, the daughter of the estate’s owner. But is he also consorting with a main suspect? It’s a case that threatens to expose the shortcomings and secrets of a wealthy family, cloud Hathaway’s judgment and ultimately put his relationship with Detective Inspector Lewis (Kevin Whately) in jeopardy.

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Music Without Borders

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 @ 8:00PM & 11:00PM

Host Marco Werman (of public radio’s The World on PRI) heads our crew of international correspondents —Alexis Bloom, Arun Rath and Mirissa Neff — who will take viewers on journeys of discovery from the bayous of Louisiana to the backstreets of Havana, from the nightclubs of Paris to desert music festivals in Mali. They’ll interview everyone from Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famers to Bollywood singers, violin virtuosos to bluegrass musicians.

Each episode of SOUND TRACKS will feature three well-crafted stories followed by a “Global Hit” musical performance. Our pilot episode takes you to Russia, Nigeria and Kazakhstan (with a Hollywood sidetrip) and concludes with a soulful song by the Portuguese diva, Mariza, who may be the biggest star you’ve never heard of.

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Renée Fleming & Dmitri Hvorostovsky

A Musical Odyssey in St. Petersburg

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 @ 6:00PM

America’s favorite soprano, Renée Fleming, and Russia’s greatest living baritone, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, travel to St. Petersburg—the “Venice of the North”—where they perform great opera scenes in the magnificent palaces of the Czars in the former capital of Imperial Russia. Renée Fleming & Dmitri Hvorostovsky.

Recorded in high definition television and directed by Brian Large, the film—a thrilling blend of history, art and music—was conceived and produced by American conductor Constantine Orbelian, founder of the “Palaces of St. Petersburg” festival, and the only American in history to become Music Director of a Russian orchestra.

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31

First Steps – PART 1 @ 6:00PM & 9:00PM

Birth of Humanity – PART 2 @ 7:00PM & 10:00PM

Last Human Standing –  PART 3 @ 8:00PM & 11:00PM

Where did we come from? What makes us human? An explosion of recent discoveries sheds light on these questions, and NOVA’s comprehensive, three-part special, “Becoming Human,” examines what the latest scientific research reveals about our hominid relatives.

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Made in Miami

MONDAY, DECEMBER 26 @ 8:00PM & 11:00PM

Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami tells not only Ali’s story, but the story of Miami’s black community and the Fifth Street Gym, as well. The film combines rarely seen footage with interviews of trainer Angelo Dundee, fight doctor Ferdie Pacheco, Ali’s Miami neighbors, former Overtown residents, and sportswriters and photographers who covered the young phenom.

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Inspector Lewis

Counter Culture Blues

SUNDAY, AUGUST 14 @ 7:00PM & 11:00PM

In the sixties, Midnight Addiction was the number three British rock band in the world. But that was before lead singer Esmé Ford drowned herself. Or so everyone thought. Thirty-five years later, she turns up alive to reassemble her stunned band mates for one last, lucrative tour.

Inspector Lewis, who was once a Midnight Addiction fan himself, lucks into the reunion when he and Sergeant Hathaway are sent to talk to the band’s drummer, Richie Maguire, about his habit of illegal hunting near a church. But soon they are investigating the mysterious murder of Lucas, a teenage orphan who was run down after trying to scale the fence at Richie’s farm.

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