Tuning in: On TV this week
Saturday June 26
Everyday People (HBO, 9 p.m.): As a neighborhood in Brooklyn undergoes gentrification, a restaurant teeters on the brink of closure. The multiracial staff and customers of Raskin's find the tensions hard to handle as everyday people struggle with ordinary economic pressures and prejudices. You may never have heard of the actors in the ensemble cast, but each of them is skilled, sensitive, and intelligent.
The Division (Lifetime, 8-10 p.m.): This taut series about policewomen can be as brassy as any cop show out there. But there's something comforting about these women's approach to law and order. In this two-hour season finale they take on school violence. It's a serious issue handled with more tact than realism. Bonnie Bedelia is always terrific as the police captain.
The History Detectives (PBS, 9 p.m. - check local listings): The new season started last week, but if you didn't catch it, this week offers some intriguing subjects. The history detectives investigate whether a Delaware man owns the oldest version of the board game Monopoly.
Wide Angle: Suicide Bombers (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings): Religious fanaticism seems to mesmerize despairing young people who discuss their hopelessness and their hope of heavenly rewards. They have all been carefully schooled in what and how to think. One older would-be bomber speaks of retaliation - an eye for an eye. But who did what to whom is never clear - they all speak in generalities. Then one young man realizes that some of the people he will hurt don't deserve it. And he pauses to reflect. Once he starts to think, he can't go through with it. There are hard lessons here.
