An Independent Lens documentary on Civil Rights leader Daisy Bates begins airing on UNC-TV this week.

In "Daisy Bates: First Lady of Arkansas," filmmaker Sharon La Cruise presents an unflinching look at the strong but complicated woman who led the integration of public schools in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957.

La Cruise uses archival news footage and old interviews with the charismatic Bates to tell the story, along with candid interviews with Bates' friends and Little Rock historians.  Some of the most striking interviews are with members of the Little Rock Nine who famously integrated the Little Rock Public School System.

Upon the passing of Duke family heiress Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans, UNC-TV will rebroadcast an episode of "Biographical Conversations with Mary Semans" this weekend.

Semans, a philanthropist and strong advocate of the arts, education and human rights in North Carolina, was 91 when she died yesterday. 

UNC-TV will show three consecutive one-hour interviews on Sunday starting at 6 p.m. In the interviews, conducted by UNC-TV's Shannon Vickery, Semans tells her life story in our own words, from intimate family stories to personal discussions of her own public and philanthropic career.

Former White House Chief of Staff and former UNC president Erskine Bowles will speak tonight in Duke's Page Auditorium along with U.S. Senator Alan Simpson (Wyoming) on their ideas for reigning in the federal budget. The discussion will air tomorrow night and Friday night on UNC-TV.

Bowles and Simpson are co-chairs of the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, a budget commission started by President Obama in Februrary 2010.

The event at Duke, "Decision Time: Bowles, Simpson and the Federal Budget," is part of the Sanford School's Terry Sanford Distinguished Lecture series, which brings notable speakers to Duke's campus. UNC-TV will record the event in its entirety and then air it as two "North Carolina Now" programs at 7:30 p.m. on January 19 and 20.

Philip Bennett, a Duke public policy professor and managing edior of the PBS series "Frontline," will moderate the discussion.

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Billy the Kid: American Experience (9pm, UNC-TV) - This one-hour documentary looks at the boy behind the myth of "Billy the Kid," who was born in New York City's slums to impoverished, Irish immigrant parents and became one of the most legendary outlaws in American history. Billy the Kid, aka Henry McCarty, was killed in 1881 by Lincoln County (New Mexico) sheriff Pat Garrett after escaping custody while awaiting his execution for the murder of the previous Lincoln County sheriff. The interesting profile includes remarks from Western historians and writers like Michael Wallis and Drew Gomber, and from former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson.

Shipping Wars (9pm, A&E) - In the opener of a new series following seven independent shippers who carry items traditional shippers won't handle, like a steel horse weighing 4000 pounds and a huge Venus flytrap. A second episode airs at 9:30.

Celebrity Wife Swap (9pm, ABC) - The laid-back bride-to-be of Flavor Flav trades places with rocker Dee Snider's wife.

The Game (10pm, BET) - Season 5 opens with Melanie grappling with Derwin's accusations that she had an abortion. Meanwhile, Malik and Tasha deal with a drunken Jenna and a wild night comes back to haunt Jason.

Tabatha Takes Over (10pm, Bravo) - In the Season 4 premiere, Tabatha Coffey tries to revamp a salon in Minneapolis, which has an uncontrollable staff and an immature proprietress.

Parenthood (10pm, NBC) - Adam gets attention from a local newspaper and Crosby feels left out. Also, Amber tries to adapt to her new job and Sarah considers having another child.

Body of Proof (10pm, ABC) - A murder investigation strikes close to home when an undercover policeman is killed execution-style at a truck stop.

Dancing with the Stars (8pm, ABC) - The final week of performances for the season includes a freestyle number.

How I Met Your Mother (8pm, CBS) - Ted and Barney make a life-altering decision, and Robin tries to talk Lily and Marshall out of moving to Long Island.

Enlightened (9:30pm, HBO) - A bad dream helps Amy face her feelings for Levi, but she also bonds with Tyler over loneliness issues after Dougie gets a promotion and Amy tries to set him up on a date with Krista's coworker.

Woody Allen: A Documentary (10pm, UNC-TV) - The conclusion of Robert Weide's profile of Woody Allen, which chronicles Allen's career from his days writing for Sid Caesar in the 1950s to present. The film features footage of him at home and on movie sets and includes a tour of his childhood haunts in Brooklyn. Also, remarks Diane Keaton, Martin Landau, Sean Penn, Chris Rock, John Cuzack, Larry David, Scarlett Johansson, Mariel Hemingway and others.

Hawaii Five-0 (10pm, CBS) - McGarrett goes to North Korea with Jenna Kaye to deliverf a ransom to rebels who are holding her fiance hostage. Meanwhile, Five-0 investigates the murder of an investigative reporter with ties to Jenna. Jimmy Buffett guest stars.

Castle (10pm, ABC) - A sniper goes on a murder rampage in the city and police struggle to find a motive before time runs out and another victim is killed. Also, Beckett's PTSD symptoms escalate, but she attempts to hide them from the team.

Glee (8pm, Fox) - This is not an endorsement, I'm just telling you it's still on the air... Sue starts a smear campaign to take down her biggest foe for the congressional seat, and Will and Shelby Corcoran encourage some friendly competition.

New Girl (9pm, Fox) - Also not really an endorsement, although last week's episode was slightly less annoying than usual... Tonight, the gang hosts Thanksgiving dinner at the loft and Jess invites a colleague (Justin Long) she's always had a crush on.

Raising Hope (9:30pm, Fox) - This is an endorsement! Burt's well-to-do parents (Lee Majors, Shirley Jones, left) are last minute Thanksgiving guests, but the Chances' decision to "borrow" someone else's house for the feast takes a bad turn when the real owners come home early.

Nazi Hunter: Elusive Justice (9pm, UNC-TV) - Another endorsement: Candice Bergen narrates this account of Nazi war criminals who evaded prosecution, including some who served the Allies as scientists and spies. The documentary explores why governments and institutions failed to prosecute and punish them, and those who took matters into their own hands. This repeats at 3 a.m. on UNC-MX and November 17 at 2 a.m. on UNC-TV.

Parenthood (10pm, NBC) - Huge endorsement! Seriously, this show is so good. Tonight, Adam and Crosby land a new client and Adam has an uncomfortable (understatement!) run-in with Rachel, the possibly-skanky office assistant.

Unforgettable (10pm, CBS) - I abstain from editorializing because I've never actually seen a whole episode of this, but they do have Marilu Henner tonight... Carrie and Al investigate the murder of a teen who seemed to have no enemies. Elsewhere, Carrie seeks help from her estranged aunt (Henner, who also serves as a consultant for the show) to help probe her sister's murder.

Oklahoma! (8pm, UNC-TV) - This North Carolina School of the Arts production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical has been critically acclaimed for its faithful restoration of the original 1943 Broadway production. Read more about it here.

X-Factor (8pm, Fox) - The remaining contestants (including Tim Cifers from Willow Spring) visit the homes of the judges for mentoring. If Tim isn't in tonight's episode, he should make tomorrow night's 8 p.m. episode or next Tuesday's 9 p.m. episode.

Work of Art: The Next Great Artist (9pm, Bravo) - We're big fans of this art competition series here, so we're excited for the new season and that one of the competitors is from Durham! Tonight's first challenge involves art that is considered "lowbrow." Hmmm. The guest judge is photographer Mary Ellen Mark.

Modern Family (9pm, ABC) - Phil and Clarie's encounter with an annoying city council member (David Cross) on the campaign trail gets Claire thinking about entering the race.

Happy Endings (9:30pm, ABC) - Megan Mullally guest stars as Penny's extremely upbeat mom, who arrives in town for a singing job at a trade show.

Psych (10pm, USA) - In the Season 6 premiere, Shawn stumbles across a dead body at the British consulate's home while working a case to recover a stolen "Star Wars" collectors item.

American Horror Story (10pm, FX) - This is the episode that scared me to death (original review). This one goes way beyond "ghost story" scary.

Law & Order: SVU (10pm, NBC) - A family man (T.R. Knight, "Grey's Anatomy") is suspected of being a serial rapist in a string of assaults across several states.

A production of "Oklahoma!" by the University of North Carolina School of the Arts will air on UNC-TV tonight at 8 p.m.

The broadcast was made possible by a grant from the AJ Fletcher Foundation that will pave the way for more UNCSA work to air on the UNC-TV channel. They also received support from the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts and the William R. Kenan Jr Fund for the Arts.

The Rodgers & Hammerstein musical as produced by the school was critically acclaimed for its faithful restoration of the original 1943 Broadway production.

The show will be hosted by UNCSA Chancellor John Mauceri, who served as musical director and artistic supervisor of the stage production.

The sixth season of "Our State" begins tonight on UNC-TV.

In tonight's episode, Chapel Hill artist Patrick Dougherty constructs sculptures out of saplings, then pumpkin-carving in Bynum, and D.G. Martin's visit to Weaverville.

The photo here is from Dougherty's installation at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh (click below for larger image).

Here's what's on tap for the rest of the month:

10/13—Linville Caverns/Castle McCulloch/Sandy Feat
10/20—Tweetsie/Silver Lining/Brasstown Dancers
10/27—Elizabeth City/Window Dressing/On Pines & Needles

The show airs Thursday nights at 8 p.m. on UNC-TV.

UNC-MX will air a documentary tonight on the inspiring story of cancer survival by Pulitzer-Prize winning photojournalist John Kaplan.

In "Not As I Pictured," Kaplan documents his own story of fighting a deadly form of lymphoma.

You can also request a free copy of the movie (for personal use only) at the NotAsIPictured.org website. The filmmaker is giving away 10,000 free dvds to anyone affected by cancer. Shipping is free.

Music for the film's soundtrack was donated by Michael Stipe (R.E.M.), Chris Martin (Coldplay), will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas), Justin Timberlake, David Bowie, Cowboy Junkies, and Pantera.

"Not As I Pictured" will air on UNC-MX at 7 p.m. tonight (October 2).