What's on TV
The following are not necessarily recommended by the Monitor. All times Eastern, check local listings.
The Emmy Awards (CBS, 8-11 p.m.): Postponed in deference to a grieving public, the awards show is on again. The Emmys are not as irrelevant as they may seem - good TV ought to receive its due. And no show is more worthy than NBC's "The West Wing," up for 18 awards. Ellen DeGeneres hosts, and Walter Cronkite is scheduled to make opening remarks.
American Masters: Goldwyn (PBS, check local listings): The name Samuel Goldwyn evokes a rush of images from the birth of cinema to its golden years. This fine documentary takes us through his career to the greatest film he was ever responsible for - "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1947).
100 Centre Street (A&E, 9-10 p.m.): The season première of this excellent series about judges and lawyers, and the decisions they make, begins with a mystery. It seems that Judge Rifkind (Alan Arkin) has a long-lost daughter. The whole episode is about parenting - and the failure to do it right. Sometimes it's not the parents' fault when problems develop. Sometimes it is. Filmmaker Sydney Lumet writes and directs.
The Quest for Noah's Flood (Syndicated, check local listings): National Geographic does it again - this is a fascinating documentary about discovering an ancient ship under the Black Sea. The sea is poisonous at the bottom - but that provides a perfect environment for preservation. The title is a bit deceiving.
Nova: 18 Ways to Make a Baby (PBS, 8-9 p.m.): Despite the dreadful title, this informative documentary describes the full breadth of infertility treatments and the ability of scientists to alter human cellular development. The ethical dilemmas have not all been thoroughly investigated. The program points out that there are real problems with this research.
Holo Mai Pele (PBS, check local listings): Great Performances' "Dance in America" is one of the few ways people all over the United States may see the newest and best in the dance world. In this episode, viewers are treated to Hawaiian dance masters Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele and Nalani Kanaka'ole. The songs, chants, and dazzling dances celebrate the life of Hawaiian islanders. The grace and agility of the dancers inspires awe.
