What's On TV

July 24, 1998

TV highlights for the week of July 25-31. All times are Eastern; check local listings.

SATURDAY 7/25

Goodwill Games (CBS, 4-6 p.m.; TBS, 8:05-11:05 p.m.): The multisport international games continue today and tomorrow on CBS, and nighttime coverage is on TBS throughout the week. The men's figure-skating finals on July 31 has a strong field, including Todd Eldredge.

SUNDAY 7/26

Pacific Blue (USA, 8-9 p.m.): The bike patrol of the Santa Monica Police pedals into the fourth season on the same tires that got them this far - action and heat. The first episode, however, moves slowly. Jim Davidson and Darlene Vogel return to their roles on the force, this time as a married couple. Along with new recruit Mario Lopez and others, they bust a methane-peddling gang on a college campus.

Intimate Portrait - Melissa Gilbert (Lifetime,10-11 p.m.): The series profiles the former child star of "Little House on the Prairie," who also starred in the 1992 Fox sitcom "Stand by Your Man" (opposite Rosie O'Donnell) and the 1994 drama "Sweet Justice." (TV-G)

MONDAY 7/27

Extinction Files (Discovery, 9-10 p.m.): Meet Bearsden stethacanthus, a shark that had hooks on its head. And the mosasaur - a 40-foot sea-going reptile, the "T. rex" of the oceans. Through state-of-the-art 3-D animation, this documentary nicely reconstructs the lives and times of creatures the world forgot. (TV-G)

Andy Griffith Retrospective (TLC, 9-10 p.m.): As part of TLC's "Retro Week," Andy Griffith hosts this trip down Mayberry lane and talks about life on the set of "The Andy Griffith Show." Cast member Ron Howard, who has gone on to direct popular movies like "Apollo 13," shares behind-the-scenes footage his father filmed on the set. "Retro Week" showcases other classic shows and reunions with the cast members of "Happy Days" (Tuesday), "Laverne & Shirley" (Wednesday), "The Brady Bunch" (Thursday), and "Star Trek" (Friday). (TV-G)

TUESDAY 7/28

King of the Hill (Fox, 8-9 p.m.): Fox's popular cartoon relocates to Tuesdays, leaving its Sunday slot following "The Simpsons." Fox will air back-to-back repeats each Tuesday throughout the summer. In the first episode, strait-laced Hank must work his way out of a jail sentence when his fish bait turns out to be cocaine. (TV-PG, V)

AFI's 100 Years, 100 Movies: War and Peace (TNT, 10-11 p.m.): It's time to brush up on war movies before seeing Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan." The sixth episode of this series, hosted by Richard Gere, examines tragic and triumphant film clips from famous war movies such as "Platoon" (1986), "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1930), and the epic "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962). (TV-PG)

THURSDAY 7/30

The New Explorers - The Man Who Would Be Chief (A&E, 9-10 p.m.): For 25 years, Sulu Issifu was living in Arizona with his American wife. Then, one day, he got a call to fulfill his birthright as a tribal chief in Ghana. This intriguing documentary is a lesson in cultural anthropology as it follows Issifu through his soul-searching, initial reluctance, and final acceptance as Mamprusi chief. (TV-G)

Peter Jennings Reporting (ABC, 9:30-11 p.m.): Jennings hits a home run with this winning study of a Little League baseball team in Hagerstown, Md. Jennings followed the squad last year when they were trying to make it to the World Series. He profiles the boys and girls on the team, and talks with dedicated coaches and caring yet driven parents.