What's On TV

Listings are not necessarily recommended by the Monitor.

SATURDAY 9/11 One Saturday Morning: Pepper Ann (ABC, 8:30- 10:30 a.m.): This all-musical episode of the popular cartoon is a delightful, lighthearted satire of musicals with a genuine moral about appreciating one's own life. Even parents will enjoy it with the little ones. You don't want to miss "Ode to Chicken."

SUNDAY 9/12 NFL Football (CBS, 1-4 p.m.): John Elway and Barry Sanders will be missed. The rest of the game will remain the same: There'll be rushers and chasers, bodies will slam, helmets will butt, passes will be caught. Pro football season begins with the New England Patriots visiting the New York Jets, and the Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins on Fox.

US Open (CBS, check local listings.): They call it Super Sunday because this is the only tennis Grand Slam where both the men and women finals are held on the same day, and both get equal prize money. Perhaps, as a measure of gratitude, the women put on a great tennis show over the first 10 days.

Emmy Awards (Fox, 8-11 p.m.): David Hyde Pierce and Jenna Elfman host the 51st annual gala. HBO's "The Sopranos" has the best shot at walking away with the most statuettes: It has been nominated for 16 awards. Preceded by a one-hour pre-show of interviews with celebrities as they walk down the red-carpet entrance to the Shrine Auditorium.

PICK OF THE WEEK An American Love Story (PBS, check local listings): The 10-hour documentary pushes the envelope of TV documentary filmmaking. An interracial couple and their two children in Queens live, love, and struggle through racial prejudice. Continues through Thursday. (See story, page 19.)

National Geographic Explorer (CNBC, 8-10 p.m.): The season premire includes a profile of a 65-year-old musician who sets sail across the North Atlantic aboard a raft built from recycled trash.

P.T. Barnum (A&E, 8-10 p.m.): Beau Bridges stars as the man who brought us the raincheck, the three-ring circus, and Madison Square Garden. A sweet film, with very little realism when it comes to the dark aspects of mass culture. Concludes Monday at the same time. (See story, page 19.)

TUESDAY 9/14 Journey to the Center of the Earth (USA, 8-10 p.m.): This rendition of Jules Verne's timeless classic - of a journey to a parallel civilization in the center of the Earth - lacks intensity. But as summer bids adieu, a lazy adventure could well be the flavor of the week. And at the end of the first episode is some tempting bait to attend Wednesday's concluding episode.

FRIDAY 9/17 Incognito (BET, 10 p.m.-midnight): This is the first of 10 original movies on BET about African-Americans. The romantic thriller tells the story of a woman born into wealth and privilege who's threatened by a psychopathic stalker. She gets a handsome, tough, and tender bodyguard. All the ingredients are delightfully blended.

(c) Copyright 1999. The Christian Science Publishing Society