TV: Five shows worth watching tonight: June 13
A select viewing guide for Wednesday, June 13
NATURE (PBS, 8 p.m. ET; not airing in PT) For any viewers wondering why they sprung for a high-definition TV, have we got a show for you. Tonight’s edition of this award-winning science series employs state-of-the-art imaging and digital CGI enhancement to capture both savage and serene moments in nature. Filmed in jungles all over the world, the program includes footage of leaf-cutter ants carrying materials ten times their weight, cheetahs accelerating to blinding speeds to catch unlucky gazelles, crocodiles leaping six feet out of the water to catch birds and the basilisk lizard, which is known in South America as the “Jesus Lizard” for its seeming ability to run across a water surface.
DALLAS (Bravo!, 9 p.m. ET; 7 p.m. PT) Let the summer recycling beging. Hailing from the U.S. Bravo channel, this new series picks up the sordid soapy saga of the Ewing family, a well-heeled Texas clan filthy rich from oil and cattle-ranch investments. The show is a continuation of the original CBS series that ruled primetime from 1978 to 1991 and includes several of the original Ewing characters, most notably Bobby (Patrick Duffy), Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) and the nefarious J.R. (Larry Hagman). But this is a Dallas for a younger viewer demographic and tonight’s opener has the wedding of Bobby’s hunky son Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe) to Rebecca (Julie Gonzalo) rudely disrupted by J.R.’s scheme to take over Southfork Ranch in order to control secret oil deposits.
PAWNATHON CANADA (History, 9 p.m. ET/PT) Welcome to the Canadian version of Antiques Roadshow. Whereas PBS’s Roadshow is a genteel affair that invites people to bring in items for proper appraisal, this show is filmed over a four-day swap meet in Toronto and involves hundreds of people bringing in objects ranging from antiques to bizarre memorabilia. Each item is assessed by pawn masters Howard Green, John Kantymir, Douglas Stocks, Alison Ross and Mark Bradac, who affix a dollar value to each item and then scrap amongst themselves to see who takes it home. And it’s not a pretty business. In tonight’s opener, Mark haggles with a customer over a harp, Alison buys a banjo and John questions the authenticity of photos taken of John F. Kennedy’s 1963 trip to Berlin.
NOTORIOUS WOMEN OF THE BIBLE (Vision, 10 p.m. ET; 7 p.m. PT) Turns out there were some very bad girls in the good book. Debuting tonight, this five-part series celebrates Old Testament women who took risks and ultimately assumed responsibility for their own destinies, which wasn’t a simple matter in a strictly patriarchal society. Each episode profiles one infamous lady, starting with tonight’s profile of Eve, who was purportedly made from man’s rib and none too happy when forced to give up her life of ease in an idyllic paradise. Future episodes focus on Biblical bad girls Bathsheba, Delilah and Jezebel.
BLACK LEGION (TCM, 10:45 p.m. ET; 7:45 p.m. PT) Humphrey Bogart attained cinema icon status for his roles in Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon, but his best performances came in lesser-known films from Warner Bros studios. In this earnest 1937 drama based on real-life events, Bogie is achingly believable as a factory worker named Frank, who is crestfallen when passed over for a promotion in favour of a Polish-born immigrant. Frank is recruited by a secret organization called The Black Legion – a thinly-veiled version of the Klu Klux Klan – who want to drive out all immigrants and minorities out of America through violent means. Before you know it, Frank is wearing a black robe and hood and going participating in nighttime raids, much to the chagrin of his wife Ruth (Erin O’Brien-Moore) and best friend Ed (Dick Foran). A powerful morality tale with a surprise ending.