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What to Watch on Sunday: Ken Burns' 'Prohibition' and Showtime premieres

Prohibition (8pm, UNC-TV) - Part 1 of Ken Burns' three-part history of the prohibition era (1920-33) opens with the start of the temperance movement in the 19th century under the stewarship of such leaders as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frances Willard and Carry Nation. Also, the Anti-Saloon League, which pushed for a constitutional amendment that would ban the sale and manufacture of alcohol. Timing for this is great, with the popularity now of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire."

The Hunt for the I-5 Killer (8pm, Lifetime) - A movie based on the true story of a detective (John Corbett) who connects numerous murders and sexual assaults along Interstate 5, which runs through California, Washington, and Oregon.

The Good Wife (9pm, CBS) - Alicia navigates the finer points of English law when she tries a civil case in a British court via satellite and goes up against a queen's councilman, played by Eddie Izzard.

Breaking Bad (10pm, AMC) - Things are getting crazy and tonight's episode is a real adreneline kick. A homebound Hank leans on Gomez to explore one final lead on Gus, as Walt scrambles to protect his family. Meanwhile, Jesse gets some disturbing news and races to confront Walt. Next week's episode is the season finale and I can't even make a guess about what might happen. Is this the greatest television show ever?

Boardwalk Empire (9pm, HBO) - Despite being publicly embarrassed by legal trouble, Nucky's biggest concern may be holding on to his private army in the battle for control over Atlantic City.

Dexter (9pm, Showtime) - In the sixth season premiere, Dexter (Michael C. Hall) shows up at his 20th high school reunion with the intention of confronting the former prom king. Elsewhere, an investigation into a heinous murder with religious overtones leads Dexter to ponder spiritual matters and wonder about his son's legacy. And an unexpected situation results in Debra becoming a hero. More info on Season 6 and tonight's episode.

Homeland (10pm, Showtime) - In the pilot for this new political thriller (filmed in Charlotte), a marine (Damian Lewis) is rescued after eight years as a POW in Afghanistan returns home a war hero. But CIA operative (Claire Danes) suspects he may actually be an enemy agent with a connection to Al Qaeda and part of a plan to commit a terrorist act on U.S. soil. Here's my review.

Pan Am (10pm, ABC) - Kate and Laura are surprised when their mom boards the plane on a flight headed to Paris. Meanwhile, Maggie deals with the unwanted attentions of an aggressive passenger, and Dean tries to track down some leads on Bridget.

Hung (10pm, HBO) - In the Season 3 premiere, Ray and Tanya get creative to find financing when they hatch an idea to relaunch a proven product. Watch the Season 3 trailer.

How to Make it in America (10:30pm, HBO) - In the second season premiere, Ben and Cam look for a way to market their CRISP attire in New York after a promising debut in Tokyo. If you need to get in the mood, a special mixtape for the show is streaming here.

What to Watch on Sunday: 'True Blood' premieres, 'L&O:CI' says goodbye

True Blood (9pm, HBO) - The fourth season premiere has life going on in Bon Temps without Sookie. Where has Sookie been? I can't tell you or Alan Ball will hunt me down. But I will tell you there's a very awesome guest star in the first episode, which I also can't talk about. Lots of big developments in tonight's debut. Don't miss it.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent (9pm, USA) - In the show's series finale, Goren (Vincent D'onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) investigate the murders of two staffers at a web company involved in a heated lawsuit. Their investigation leads to a site that connects strangers who have had brief romantic encounters. I'm really going to miss this one. Bobby Goren has to be one of the great TV detectives of all time, right?

Leverage (9pm, TNT) - Season 4 kicks off with the team pursuing a crooked financier. The catch: in order to take down their mark, they must recover lost evidence high up on a mountain.

Food Network Star (9pm, Food) - The hopefuls must cook for Paula Deen and also feed the cast and crew of ABC's "Cougar Town." Hope they remember the wine.

The Glades (10pm, A&E) - Remember last week when we told you Sharon Lawrence was guest starring as a NASCAR owner who gets pulled into a murder investigation of a mechanic? Well, somehow the episodes got switched up and that one is airing tonight. Tune in! Cameos by NASCAR drivers Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Tony Stewart, and Brian Vickers.

Falling Skies (10pm, TNT) - Steven Weber begins a guest arc as a doctor who shares a troubling history with Tom (Noah Wyle), but who may also hold the key to saving the kids who have been harnessed by the skitters.

The Marriage Ref (10pm, NBC) - The second season debut has Ricky Gervais, Jerry Seinfeld, and Julianne Moore, weighing in on couples' disagreements.

PBS Previews: Prohibition (10:30pm, UNC-TV) - A preview of the new three-part documentary series by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. "Prohibition" is slated to premiere in October.

What to Watch on Tuesday: Britney Spears on "Glee" and "Good Wife" returns

Glee (8pm, Fox) - Britney Spears appears as herself in an episode in which Schuester does not want the kids doing a Britney Spears routine. Could we get a battle of the brains between Britney and Brittany (Heather Morris, left). Reports are that the two Brits will sing "Me Against the Music" together. Also, Schuester is jealous of Emma's new dentist boyfriend,  played by John Stamos.

Baseball: Tenth Inning (8pm, UNC-TV) - In the follow-up to Ken Burns' "Baseball" documentary (1994), the filmmaker explores the crippling baseball strike of 1994, the influx of international players, Cal Ripken's consecutive-games streak, and the home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. This is part one of two parts.

No Ordinary Family (8pm, ABC) - The premiere of an entertaining adventure drama about an ordinary family that develops super powers after a plane crash in the Amazon. Stars Michael Chiklis ("The Shield") and Julie Benz ("Dexter"). Here's our review.

Stargate Universe (9pm, Syfy) - In the Season 2 opener, Rush devises a risky plan to use radiation from the binary pulsar to force the Lucian Alliance to cede control of Destiny. If you watch this show, I assume you know what that means. 

But wait! There's more! Keep reading...

The Ken Burns version of NBC's Late Night War

Perhaps I am too easily amused, but this is so hilarious to me. Last night's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" presented a short Ken Burns-style documentary on NBC's Late Night Wars of 2009-2010. We even get General Jebediah Jay Leno reading aloud letters to his wife Mavis. The old guy they interview (the "TV watcher") eating the donut really cracked me up.

National Parks documentary features NC images


Master documentarian Ken Burn's week-long documentary on national parks began last night on UNC-TV, and it has a Tar Heel tie.

Many of the historic photographs show in the six-part series are from the Special Collections of Hunter Library at Western Carolina Univeristy, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times.

Ken Burns going extra innings

Documentary producer Ken Burns is going into extra innings with his "Baseball" series, adding a 10th inning to the nine-part program that aired in the 1990s on public television. PBS says the new film, titled “The Tenth Inning,” will air in spring 2010, along with a rebroadcast of the original documentary series that debuted in 1994. Meanwhile, the series is running Tuesday nights on the new MLB Network.


The new film will track baseball history from 1993 through 2008, beginning where the original series ended.

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