What's on TV: Shows worth noting for Aug. 31 - Sept. 7
Friday 8/31
Planet Work: New Spins and Solutions in the Worldwide Work World (PBS, check local listings): The third season of "Livelyhood" looks at the global economy and how it is changing the work force. The episode Sept. 7 includes workers in India telemarketing to Americans, computer experts helping third-world populations, and an Asian-American mom globe-trotting as a business consultant.
Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat (PBS, check local listings): This charming new animated show is based on stories by Amy Tan, author of "The Bonesetter's Daughter." It's smart, sweet, and different.
Disney's The Legend of Tarzan (UPN, check local listings): Beginning where the feature film left off, Tarzan, Jane, and her professorial dad are living among the apes, when unexpected villains show up to disrupt the jungle's harmony. In the first episode, Tarzan negotiates peace among the rhinos without resorting to bloodshed - a positive message about nonviolent solutions. The animation is handsome.
Hidden Values: The Movies of the Fifties (TCM, 8-9 p.m.): The documentary examines the hidden meanings of films of the period - how they foreshadow the '60s, how they reflect the fantasies, fears, and ambitions of the era. The film will be followed by a 33-film festival on Tuesday and Thursday evenings with movies like "The Wild One," "Rebel Without a Cause," and "North by Northwest."
Lost (NBC, 8-9 p.m.): Six Americans in three teams of two are dropped off some place in the world. The first two to get home, win. No credit cards, phones, money, or jewelry. Basic necessities only. The new reality show is meant to show teamwork and ingenuity, but nasty temperments surface immediately.
Revenge of the Whale (NBC, 8-10 p.m.): The inspiration for Herman Melville's Moby Dick lay in a true story of survival - and cannibalism. The lore of Nantucket whaling pervades the whole film, but the tragic story of The Essex, attacked by a mighty whale (in revenge, so it was thought), is as sensational today as it was in 1820. A replica of the Essex has been constructed for the film, but it is the diaries of three of the survivors that most move us.
